Finally, Turin

There have been requests, mostly (exclusively) from my friends, to write about our visit to Turin. Following some inexplicable inner schedule of mine, Turin, despite setting itself firmly as one of my favorite Italian towns, kept being postponed. So as the first post of this year, I’m finally writing about it. It might have something to do with the fact that I have been missing Italy for the last couple of months- and only an occasional day trip to Trieste soothes my Italian longing. Hopefully, we’ll be back soon enough. Until then, here is a story about Turin.

Turin was one of those places I have been building up expectations for, similar to London, Umbria, and the Japanese village of Shigaraki. Needless to say, it exceeded my expectations, because this is Italy after all, and because it is a proper Italian town, with beautiful, vast piazzas, historic bars, great food, specialized shops, cool neon signs, home of the creamy gianduia chocolates and Guarino Guarini’s fantastic architecture- and all that somehow overlooked by tourists.

I have to mention that our visit was made so much better thanks to a handful of great local tips that I got from Emma that lives in Turin, and writes one of my favorite blogs, The Gap Life Diaries. She sent me an email with a list of her favorite places, I added a few places I read about elsewhere, and we were settled.

We found a great apartment a nice walk through the park away from the city center, with terrazzo floors, high ceilings, stained glass windows, and a view of iconic Mole Antonelliana from the bed.

We came to Turin just before lunch, as I was resolute to fit in as many restaurants, eateries and bars as possible into three days. So, having seen Oh Crispa!, Chinese street food that serves dumplings and baos (we longed for, ever since we tried them at Bao in London) on Mimi Thorisson’s feed, we easily decided on our first lunch spot. The place was quite busy and apparently very hip with the locals, but we got the table after a short queue and ordered baos, dumplings, and noodles. The food was good, but we expected Bao’s baos, and that is another level of thinking about food. Good place for a quick lunch.

Since we were in the San Salvario neighborhood (and in need of dessert), and Emma suggested a gelateria that was “contender for best gelateria in Turin”, who were we to ignore that tip? Gelateria Mara dei Boschi was firstly a cool place interior-wise, and secondly pistachio and coconut ice cream with a waffle on top was delicious taste-wise. We haven’t returned to that place only because the list of places to eat was quite long.

In the afternoon, we took a walk around the center: through Giardini Reali, to Piazza Castello with glowing sunset reflecting in Palazzo Madama’s windows, browsing the narrow streets around Chiesa di San Lorenzo, then passing through fancy Galleria San Federico and ending at vast Piazza San Carlo. Chiesa di San Lorenzo and Chapel of The Holy Shroud are some of Guarino Guarini’s Turinese Baroque fantasies, their extraordinary domes so well known in the art history books. Guarini was an architect and a mathematician who worked in descriptive geometry (one could see that quite well in his geometric patterns in architecture), active in Turin in the second half of the 17th century. We visited San Lorenzo on that first afternoon. Inside, the atmosphere is governed by the interaction of shadow and light, and the contrast between sharp geometry of the ribs and the light penetrating the dome, making it look both majestic and light.

Piazza Castello in front of the church was resembling a movie scene at that part of the day, and that part of the year- late, golden autumn afternoon on a lively Italian piazza. We entered the narrow streets behind San Lorenzo, where cool neon signs had just lighted up at dusk and old-style shops turned on the lights in their vintage shop windows. I already loved the city, and knew we would enjoy the next two days.

We joined the evening passeggiata, a stroll that is a purpose in itself with the Italians, with a vague aim to get to the Piazza San Carlo. On our way, we passed through Galleria San Federico, an atmospheric covered passage from the 1930s, with marbled floors and walls, glass vaults and domes, elegant shops, and a crown jewel, Cinema Lux. Its Art Deco entrance had another one of city’s cool neon signs, and shell-shaped decorations- the entire ensemble reminded me of more glamorous times in a city like New York (to which I’ve never been, but one could imagine).

From Galleria San Federico, we stepped on the Via Roma, which was closed for traffic and buzzing with life and live music coming from a group of young street musicians. Via Roma opens out straight onto the majestic Piazza San Carlo, whose colonnades and vastness reminded me of Spanish plazas, such as the one in Salamanca or Madrid. Under the porticos we found Cafe Torino, an institution in Turin, with the lush interior, Art Nouveau spiral staircase, a decadent display of sweets, and the iconic red Martini sign, again evoking the atmosphere of some old, elegant times.

We only took photos under the sign and headed for dinner to Silos, first of Emma’s dinner recommendations, just a street away from where we stayed. Silos is sort of a modern, industrial-looking restaurant (with exposed brick walls, high ceilings, and metal furniture), serving both traditional Turinese and modern, eclectic dishes. For our first dinner, we ordered vitello tonnato, thin slices of veal covered in a generous serving of tuna sauce and topped with a few capers. We tried it in Milan already (and it was delicious), also in some other northern Italian towns, but this dish is originating from Piedmont, and we had to try it at the source (on that evening and on other evenings, too). For the main dishes, we went for squid, or octopus on some fancy pure, but I don’t remember the dishes as much as I remember the elegant, yet relaxed atmosphere.

For dessert, we had another one of Emma’s ice cream recommendations, which was Gasprin, also in the neighborhood. Compared to Mara dei Boschi, it was more traditional, but if you ask me which gelato did I prefer- I’m not sure. I’d have to revisit.

The next morning we woke up to a view of Mole Antonelliana, peeking through the stain-glassed windows of our apartment. To wake up on an autumn morning in an Italian city, knowing that you have an entire day in front of you: to take a morning walk, have a breakfast, observe the everyday life, enter the unfamiliar shops, discover the architectural heritage, have dinner at local osteria- gives me indescribable joy. We started that day with a walk to the city center and sat for breakfast at Sweet Lab- a cafe whose interior reminded me of a dollhouse, with lace tablecloths and pastel colors on the walls, counter and cakes. We had eggs Benedict, American pancakes with chocolate and bananas, too sweet matcha latte and mint-flavored milk- not your average Italian breakfast. When in Italy, it’s maybe better to stick to the Italian pastries, coffee, tea, spremuta, a tramezzino or two, but sometimes a prospect of having a pile of banana topped pancakes seduces us.

Another walk in the center revealed another one of Guarini’s creations, the Palazzo Carignano with an undulated facade and oval entrance hall whose vault reminded me of a giant sunflower. Then, another one of Emma’s suggestions, the 19th century Galleria Subalpina- symmetric, 50 meters long passageway with glass and steel vault covering an elegant space filled with greenery on the ground floor. One of the historic Torinese cafes, which is also a producer of chocolates, is situated there. We entered the vast, vintage interior of Baratti&Milano, but the atmosphere seemed stiff and the prices touristy, so we skipped having a bicerin there. We wanted a more intimate atmosphere for this Turinese invention- a coffee with chocolate and cream (and we did get it, the next day).

Nearby Palazzo Madama is a peculiar hybrid of a Baroque palace in the front and a medieval castle in the back. The Baroque palace was designed by another one of the famous Baroque architects, Filippo Juvarra, whose monumental staircase is also well known in the art history books- and I had to see it. I very much enjoyed not only the staircase, but also the lush Baroque interiors and delicate artwork, marbled floors, delicately painted ceilings, and window blinds, foggy mirrors, and extravagant ballroom. There is a hidden garden behind the palazzo, which is unusual given the fact that the palace stands in the middle of the square, and you don’t really notice the garden from the outside. However, while walking its narrow paths, Luka noticed an injured little bird, apparently fallen from the nest which we could not locate. So the sightseeing Sunday turned into a bird-rescue Sunday, which included putting a little bird into a box and driving her to an animal rescue clinic just out of town.

That afternoon we had drinks with Emma and her boyfriend S, who took us to one of their favorite bars, Pepe on Piazza Maria Teresa. I especially liked the terrace in the shade of the giant chestnut trees and the fact that the blogging world connected us in a way that when we came to Turin we felt like we had friends there. In the evening, we went to the neighborhood of Quadrilatero for dinner in another one of Emma’s gems of recommendations- Piola da Cianci. The meaning of “Piola” in Piedmontese is a small, local trattoria or osteria, often family-run, and serving home-cook dishes typical of the region. Our favorite type of establishment and this particular one happened to be quite affordable too, the atmosphere jolly and steamy. We loved that place. People squeezed together either at the same table or on separate tables that were so tightly close to each other that you could get an insight into the whole menu from your neighbor’s plates. We had a little bit of everything- the tomini al verde (sort of fresh cheese topped with parsley and garlic sauce), the omnipresent vitello tonnato, typical Turinese pasta called tajarin with ragu sauce, gnocchi with salsiccia, roasted meat with potatoes, quarter of wine, then another one, and then local amaro San Simone that everyone seemed to be ordering as a digestivo. Naturally, we were there the next day for lunch, too.

But first, the next day started with a breakfast in another one of, you guessed, Emma’s recommendations, a quirky cafe right around the corner of our apartment, called Barbiturici. Named after a drug, the entire place is decorated in a pharmacy-infirmary style with old pharmacist bottles, first aid lockers, pills, test tubes, and anatomy books on the shelves. They are known for grilled sandwiches, but since we came in early, we had nice croissants and tea (and that for a fair price again, too).

I found Turin especially beautiful in the morning, quiet, misty, first rays of sun threading trough its arcaded pavements… so we took another walk around the center before heading for a bicerin at one of the Turinese historic cafes, the Al Bicerin. Bicerin is a traditional Turinese hot drink, made of layered espresso, chocolate, and milk or cream- and allegedly, it was invented at this cafe. We ordered two cups and a plate of baci di dama, Italian biscuits filled with chocolate-hazelnut cream. Since great Umberto Eco already described the flair of Al Bicerin that to us seemed as stepping back in time, when cafes had marbled tables and lured intellectuals in, in his “The Prague Cemetery”, here it is in his words:

“It was a magnificent place, with its wrought-iron frontage edged by advertising panels, its cast-iron columns and capitals, and, inside, wooden boiseries decorated with mirrors, marble-topped tables and, behind the counter, almond-scented jars with forty different types of confectionery. I enjoyed standing there watching, particularly on Sundays, when this drink was nectar for those who had fasted in preparation of communion and needed some sustenance on leaving the Consolata- and a bicerin was also much prized during the Lenten fast since hot chocolate was not regarded as food.”

Us too enjoyed observing the atmosphere and people: some sat for a long time, slowly sipping on their bicerins, some had a quick espresso at the counter, some emptied their bicerin glass as if it was a glass of water. We watched the waitress being rude to all of the tourists, and most of the locals, too. The bicerin was so abundant with coffee, cream, chocolate, we spent an hour sipping on it, the baci di dama were crispy and nougaty. We loved it all.

Afterward, we crossed the street to the Santuario della Consolata, another Baroque beauty in the layout and interior where both Guarini and Juvarra left their footprints. That day was loaded with beauty. Later I read Eco’s “The Prague Cemetery”, a fantastic labyrinth of the writer’s vast historical knowledge and imagination.

After another lunch at Piola da Cianci, we took a long walk, spotting Art Nouveau buildings, adorned with floral motifs and greenery (Emma wrote a nice article on Art Noveau in Turin, and you can read it here), visiting Eataly and a couple of shops I was interested in. Then, we went to Piazza San Carlo once more, as we’ve only seen it during the evening, and Piazza Vittorio Veneto which is another impressive public space in Turin, that opens out to the neoclassical church of Gran Madre di Dio which stands like a temple in front of the green hills on the city’s outskirts. Vintage shop signs, trams, and bars, decorative lampposts, chocolate shops, were all part of the street flair here as well. In the evening, we went for pizza at Scalo Vanchiglia, which Emma described as “yummy cheesy pizza”, and yummy cheesy, also doughy pizza it was.

Before leaving for Germany the next day, we went to the center for breakfast, discovering by chance a little corner cafe (with a triangle-shaped layout!), another reminder of a time that in other places in the world seems to have gone by, and that served delicious tramezzini (soft sandwiches filled with all sorts of delicious things). The last place we wanted to visit in the city was Circolo dei Lettori, a reading room that is also a cafe and a restaurant, and that just so happens to be in an old palazzo, and just so happens to have all the beautiful vintage furnishings interlaced with modern interventions. The place is unnoticeable from the street (as it should be, for a reader’s club!), and you have to ring the buzzer in the hall for them to let you in. You have to love Turin.
Our fall trip did not end there, as, after that cup of tea in the reader’s club, we took a drive to Germany, where we visited friends, Schwarzwald, a couple of distilleries, a couple of villages and towns in the neighboring Alsace region… and I’ll be writing about that in one of my next posts.

Thank you, as always, for reading, and if you feel like you’d love to treat me to a coffee as a little thanks for the time I put into writing these posts and to help this blog going, you can do it now through Ko-fi platform:

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Anja

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