Lago Maggiore, July 17-18

Although we're back home in Washington, D.C., there are a few more posts to do after our departure from Torino to Stresa, a small town on Lago Maggiore. Then perhaps another on our stay in the Parco Naturale dell'Alpe Veglia, where our friends, Giovanni & M. Giovanna have a summer cabin.

Lago Maggiore is one of the larger lakes in Northern Italy, in Lombardia (Lago Garda is larger), but perhaps the most beautiful since it has picturesque islands that you can easily visit from Stresa. 

David & Yi at Lago Maggiore with Isola Bella 

There's Isola Bella, with its Baroque Palace and gardens, replete with white peacocks wandering around. We had been to Isola Bella some years ago, so we didn't visit this time. Another close-by island is Isola Superiore dei Pescatori; as the name implies, this was (and still is to a lesser degree) an island of fishermen. It has narrow cobblestone streets, and is loaded with tourists since it is only about a 5 minute boat ride from the lake shore. Again, we had been to Isola dei Pescatori in 2000, so we didn't visit this time, but our boat ride to Villa Taranto stopped at these two islands to drop off and pick up passengers.

Isola Bella

Isola Superiore dei Pescatori

Our lake cruise took us to Villa Taranto, where there is an incredible garden with everything from hydrangeas to Sequioas. The garden is in Verbania-Pallanza, which made headlines a few months ago because the world's oldest woman, Emma Morano, lived to the age of 117; she died on April 15, 2017. Having stayed in Stresa for a few days, I can certainly say that Lago Maggiore is a tranquil place; I think this had something to do with Emma's longevity.

The garden, Giardini Botanici Villa Taranto was developed by a Scotsman, Neil McEacharn, and opened in 1952. The gardens include 3,000 species of plants. 

Villa Taranto Garden

Wrapping up loose ends in Torino

A bit of a time warp here...we left Torino two days ago, but I didn't have time to post a few events and photos. For example, we visited the Palazzo Reale and the Risorgimento Museum last week.

The Palazzo Reale, or the Royal Palace, is in the center of the city; indeed, part of it is built over a Roman Theater, and  Roman walls. Built in the 16th century, it was a Royal Palace of the House of Savoy. After WWII, it became a state property and is now a museum with a UNESCO World Heritage site.

An impressive stairway entrance to the Palazzo Reale

The Palazzo includes the Sabauda Museum/Art collection, and an impressive armory collection.

Who knew that the Savoy opulence could rival that of Lois XIV? The Throne room of the Palazzo Reale

The armory

Italian unification, the Risorgimento, is more complicated than I could recount, but during our visit to the Museo del Risorgimento, housed in the Palazzo Carignano, I picked up a few basics. 

Palazzo Carignano...houses the Risorgimento Museum

Apparently the French Revolution in 1789 triggered anti-monarchical movements in other European countries. And just as there were reversals in the march for French freedom and democracy, there were similar setbacks in attempts at Italian freedom in Italy...from 1815 through to 1861, when the first Italian Parliament was held, and Vittorio Emanuele II was proclaimed King of Italy...to 1871 when Rome became the capital. Another key figure in Italian unification was Giuseppe Garibaldi. He had cut his teeth as a freedom fighter in South America, and in 1860 lead a thousand volunteers to Sicily to overthrow the King of the Two Sicilies (Palermo and Naples), which had been ruled by either the Spanish or French. Garibaldi's "red shirts" we're successful, and he found his place in Italian history alongside Mazzini, Foscolo, Rossetti, Menotti, Cavour...

A portrayal of Garibaldi at the Risorgimento Museum

Asti--in the Piedmont wine country

Asti is a small town southeast of Torino, and is surrounded by vineyards in the nearby hills. Asti was settled by the Romans in 124 B.C.E, and is known for it's Asti Spumante sparkling wine (made from the Moscato grape, and a bit too sweet for my taste). However, during our stay here in Piedmont, we learned about a great, light, Piedmont wine for the summer: Grignolino. It's a red wine that is light, and not too expensive. 

Grignolino del Monferrato--a good red that may be hard to find in the USA

And although not as well-known as the Palio of Siena, the Asti Palio pre-dates Siena's Palio. The horse race is in late September, coinciding with truffle season, so that would be an added reason for a Fall visit. Although our visit yesterday was not the right season for truffles, we did find a great restaurant that was serving fresh porcini mushrooms. 

One of two Roman towers that guarded the eastern gate of Asti (this one is the only extant tower) known as the Torre Rossa, First century CE.

There are several other Medieval towers in the city, similar to those found in San Giminiano in Tuscany. 

Since Asti still has some Romanesque buildings and is loaded with Medieval archicture, it has a very different feel than Torino (apart from the size). There are winding, narrow streets, whereas Torino's streets are straight, and for the most part, follow a grid pattern.

The Asti Cathedral, built in the 13th and 14th centuries in Piedmont Gothic style

La Sindone, or The Shroud of Turin

Although people in Turin (Torino in Italian) are not, understandably, celebrating the French National Holiday this 14th of July, we remember that one year ago, in Nice, tragedy struck. And thanks to our good luck, these attacks didn't happen two years ago, because we were in the exact place where the 2016 attack occurred.

I digress. After our last class today, we visited the Cathedral, or Duomo of Torino. It's one of the few Renaissance buildings in Torino. That's because Torino was a small, unimportant city until about the 1600s since the Savoys had been ruling from France. So the main architectural style is Baroque, or later, such as Classical Revival. I digress.

So, yes, the Sindone, or The Shroud of Turin, is in a Chapel (Capella Della Sindone) in the Duomo. The Shroud was the cloth used to wrap the body of Christ, and archeological research seems to point to the image of the body of Christ, showing, for example, where blood from the Crown of Thorns stained the cloth where an image of the face of Christ appears. The Shroud covered the whole body, so the cloth has an image of the whole body. Unfortunately, the Shroud is only on view about every 10 years; the last Exposition of the Shroud, granted by Pope Francis, was in 2015. The Shroud was first thought to have reached Edessa, present day Urfa, in Turkey, in 544. In 944, it was transferred to Constantinople. Long story short, it was placed in the Duomo in 1694.

The Shroud is in this this case in the Chapel of the Duomo 

I can't believe that two weeks went by so quickly in Torino

These past two weeks have really flown by as our Italian language studies finished today. Our classes were about four hours a day, so even though we're on vacation, it also involved quite a bit of work. But it's very satisfying, knowing that we may have, at least for now, developed a better understanding of the subjunctive mood. Not to mention "verbi pronominale"! Since we only had three students in the class, and we had the best teacher, Caterina, we covered a lot of ground. Caterina and her sister, Rosaria, are the founders of the school, and both are bravissime!

Rosaria, Virginia, David, and Caterina

History Matters

Oops...I forgot to mention that on Friday night, we attended a concert at the Piazetta Palazzo Reale, next to the larger Palazzo Castello, probably "the" main square in Torino. The Torino orchestra played Gershwin and Bernstien. Mainly tunes from Porgy & Bess and West Side Story. The best bit was the encore of America!, from West Side Story. Makes me want to listen to the whole album again. 

On the morning of Sunday, July 9, we found ourselves toiling away at our weekend Italian language homework (verbi pronominali--don't ask!) We finally took a break around noon and had lunch at a historic Caffé, Il Florio, on Via Po. Then we took a tour of the Palazzo Madama; it was the first Senate of the Italian Kingdom. The Palazzo still has some elements of the main Roman gate to the city. The Palazzo now houses the City Museum of Ancient Art, which includes some artifacts dating to Roman times, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, to the 18th Century. The Palazzo has large rooms with sumptuous decoration. Maybe not quite as impressive as Versailles, but still worth a visit while in Torino.

Here's the major extant Roman structure, the Porta Palatino, from the 1st Century BC, with a statue of Cesar Augustus 

While browsing the decorative art collection in the Madama, where there are several displays of glass objects dating from the Roman era, I came across a few small, delicate-looking glass objects. I had to re-read the description notes a few times because there were some place names that seemed to me, to be totally incongruent with these beautiful glass vials and glasses with sophisticated decorations in polychrome enamel and gold. They were from Syria...Damascus, Aleppo, and Raqqa, in the 12th and 13th Centuries. What a revelation for me to realize that these cities had this rich history; but during the past several years, these cities have been associated with ruin and despair. And the realization that so much of Syria's cultural and historical heritage have been lost made viewing these pieces more poignant.

Glass objects from Damascus, Alleppo, and Raqqa from 1160-1260 Common Era

Tour de Torino and environs

What a great Saturday, July 8, in Torino. On Saturday, we had our very first Bicerin, a Specialty drink of Torino. It is usually a winter drink since it's served hot. But here we are in the middle of the summer, but that wasn't going to stop us from partaking of the local offerings. Bicerin starts with a bottom layer of coffee, then a layer of hot chocolate (Torino is well known for its chocolate), then a layer of hot milk. If you're a fan of any of these ingredients, you're sure to like Bicerin. After our Bicerin, we headed for the Mole Antonelliana, at one time, the world's tallest brick structure at 167 meters (about the same height as the Washington Monument. It was built in 1863-1869, originally as a Jewish Temple. It is now the Museo Nazionale di Cinema. We took the elevator to the panoramic viewing area at 85 meters which normally gives one a good view of the Alps. But it was a hazy day, and the mountains were barely visible. Nevertheless, a good view of the city.

Mole Antonelliana 

In the afternoon, we connected with Torino friends who drove us to some sights about 10-15 km from the city center. Lucky us. Our first visit was to the Colle Maddalena, a hill about 710 meters high, and about 10 km from the center. On top of the hill is the Park of Rembrance, built 10 years after the end of WW I, and dedicated to the 4,000 Italian soldiers killed in WW I. The piazzetta at the top of the hill allows a great view of the city. There is a sculpture on the summit, Il Faro Della Vittoria. She's holding a lamp that can be seen at night in the city. 

Il Faro Della Vittoria, Eduardo Rubino, sculptor, 1928

As if that was't enough for one day, we also visited the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi, not far from the Fiat factory at Mirafiori (which, by the way, is only producing at about 10 percent capacity).

This "small" Palazzo was a Savoy hunting lodge. Note the deer sculpture on top of the cupola! 

Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi 

...and with our hosts, Enrico and Paula

With Virginia

To top off the evening, we had an apertivo at Enrico and Paila's beautiful apartment that overlooks the River Po and with a view of the hills on the other side of the river. And then...dinner at the Cappicino Monastery, part of which is a restaurant. As we had become accustomed to, it was on a nearby hill across  the Po, with a beautiful nighttime view of the city. An enchanting way to end a beautiful day!

Torino...so many piazzas...so little time

Piazza Vittorio, Piazza Castello, Piazza San Carlo, Piazza Carlo Emanuele II, Piazza Maria Teresa, Piazza Valdo Fusi, Piazza Reale, Piazza Cavour, Piazza Carlo Felice, Piazza C.L.N (?), Piazza Statuto, Piazza della Republica, Piazza Don Albera, Piazza Emanuele Filiberto, Piazza San Giovanni, Piazza Bodoni, Piazza Madama Cristina, Piazza Solferino, Piazza Carlo Alberto, Piazza Aldo Moro, Piazza LaGrange, Piazza Paleocara, Piazza Cesare Augusto...you get the idea. There are so many Piazzas in Torino that we could spend the entire two week visit trying to see them all.

One of the several important Piazzas is the Piazza Castello, right in the heart of the original Roman settlement

And we haven't even begun to mention the 35 plus museums and art galleries in Torino (we'll spare you the list). But it is worthwhile mentioning the Museo Egizio, which has the most extensive collection of Ancient Egyptian objects outside of Egypt. And there are innumerable Palazzos in the city which would take a lifetime to explore.

Our Italian studies take up most of the day, so we have to manage our time carefully so we can see and learn as much about the city as possible. Fortunately, the Italiano Porticando language school offers optional tours of the city's main sights; we're taking advantage of those special opportunities.

Ciao for today...David

Style and elegance in Torino

We've moved into our apartment on the Piazza Vittorio Veneto (known as Piazza Vittorio) a large Piazza about 110 yards wide by 350 yards long. To the west is the Via Po, one of the main streets of Torino, where you can find the University of Torino and the Piazza Castello. To the east is the River Po, and the bridge that crosses the Po, the Ponte Vittorio Emanuale I (King of Sardinia, 1802-21). On the east side of the Po is the Chiesa Gran Madre di Dio.

Another very elegant Piazza is the Piazza San Carlo, built from 1618 to 1638. Around the Piazza, under the portico, you'll find high-end shops like Prada & Armani, along with several banks and one of the oldest coffee shops in Torino, Caffé San Carlo.

Piazza San Carlo with the Chiesa Santa Cristina

Style in Torino? How about this Lancia convertible from about 1956-60?

...or perhaps this shop in the central district? Stile Floreale, or Art Nouveau...

Much more to do and see in Torino. Tomorrow we go on a walking tour of the historic center with our Italian class, and perhaps a few more photos to add to the Torino diaries. Oh, I almost forgot; today was the first day of Italian lessons...all went well. The school and staff are very well organized, and we're both placed in the highest level class which only has three students. Ciao! David 

Transition to Torino

Today was a travel day. We awoke before dawn in Lisbon to catch a 7:05 am flight to Milano. Not all things were under our control--such as the departure time. The hour long delay only had minor consequences for us since our next connection from Milano was a bus, and there was one every hour to Torino. 

On our last day in Lisbon, we ran across this beautiful example of Art Nouveau in Lisbon's Baixa Chiado district

And we both feel a bit more comfortable navigating the Italian language in our encounters with people here. And although we had spent a lot of time with our English speaking Portuguese friends in Lisbon,  when we were on our own, we quickly learned that our Spanish only goes so far in Portugal, especially the comprehension. Our Portuguese friends tell us that they can understand Spanish pretty well, but that Spanish folk don't understand Portuguese very well. I think we'll need to study Portuguese soon since we can imagine future visits to Portugal. 

So for the next few weeks, Italy will be our home, and for the most part, our "home" language on the street, in restaurants, museums, and of course, in the Italian language classes that we begin on Monday, July 3.

We had been tipped off by our friends from Torino that we should partake of "apericena". Apericena is derived from two words, "aperitivo" (aperitif) and "cena" (meal, dinner). And as luck would have it, there are about 20 restaurant/bars/caffés on the Piazza Vittorio (where our apartment is located) that serve apericena from 7 to 10 pm for about $13. For the $13, you get a cocktail (alpero spritz is my favorite; Virginia's are Campari and Martini & Tonic), and a wide range of Italian antipasti. It's really a complete "cena"! 

The most outstanding building in Torino, at 550 feet, is the Mole Antonelliana. Built around 1863 to 1889, it was originally a Synagogue, but is now the Museo Nazionale del Cinema. The Mole (pronounced Mo-lay), is located between our apartment and our Italian language school, so we'll see it every day.

Mole Antonelliana

A presto,

David e Sin Yi