Ciao tutto!

Amo l'Italia! Amo Torino! I'm back from a lovely few days in Turin with Jon. It was a much anticipated trip back to Italy for both of us and we had a great time. Turin is a lovely little city which unfairly has a reputation as an industrial town. Don't believe the rumours though, it's very scenic but because of its reputation is still largely unspoilt by tourism which makes it a) a very nice place to visit, and b) still cheap to get to! It is also a chocolate capital, if you need any more persuading to go there! We did have to brave a Ryanair cattle experience but we managed to get there and back relatively unscathed! We got a great hotel in a good location and spent 4 lovely days relaxing and exploring the city on foot. There's great architecture, great food, great people, great shopping, gelaterias every few doors and did I mention chocolate?! The only thing we didn't get to do unfortunately, is head out of the city into the mountains. We had to admire them from a distance and walked up a couple of pretty steep hills in tribute!

It is of course, also the resting place of the mysterious Turin shroud. http://www.shroudstory.com/ You can't actually see it though, it is always either somewhere being tested, or buried deep inside some vault behind bulletproof glass. I believe the next possible viewing will be in about 25 years. There is a replica in the cathedral though, so we had a quick looksy. I'd been there before in 2000 and possibly seen the real thing but I can't be sure, it's possible I imagined it all and Sophie who I was with then has equally fuzzy recollection.

It also has a cool movie museum, the Mole Antonelli, which is a must. Not so much for the museum itself but for the building. Its dome makes it stand out as a landmark for the city. It opened in 2000 and I was there just a few months before it opened and disappointed I didn't get to see it, so of course it was top of my list of things to do on my return trip there this time.Inside in the centre is a panoramic lift that takes you from the ground floor right up into the dome where you can go out on an outdoor observation deck with amazing views of the city and its surrounding mountains. You're beginning to sense a theme in my travel stories aren't you? I am rather partial to tall buildings with views and all the better if there is a thrilling journey up! The ride up is great, although I'm sure it's a little hairy if you don't like heights. You go past the various levels of the museum and up into the hollow and very pretty dome, it's pretty awesome.

Turin is also a river town, the Po runs through it and as well as being very pleasant to look at, is also a hotspot for nightlife. We were sorry we weren't there in the summer when it's really bustling. We did head down there a couple of times and had a drink in an outdoor bar right on the river one night but it was still a bit chilly and a lot of places hadn't begun their season yet, but it was easy to picture how lively it will be when everything has opened up. Still, it was a really nice place to walk around in the daytime.

A highly recommended destination!