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Al Traforo des Cenisio FrejusA second wind ... that's what going to bed at 9:30 pm and waking up at around 8 am will do for you ... it will give you a second wind. With only two days in Turin, I needed it so that I would be able to at least get a taste of what the city had to offer.
My visit would start at nearby Piazza Statuto to see the Al Traforo del Cenisio-Frejus. It is a beautiful fountain of which I know nothing about (except that it is pretty). I just came upon it by playing around with the map that I downloaded on my iPhone (which are so ridiculously useful by the way!!) but there are no descriptions.
That would take me down Via Carmine and my first church for the day (there would be quite a few as it turns out). This was the Chiesa del Carmine. It is amazing to me how the exteriors of these churches are relatively bland and unassuming but you walk in and it is jaw droppingly ornate and stunning. There must be some reasoning behind that. The church was completely empty except for me and one lonely pigeon that was
flying round and round around this beautiful church. There was something very angelic and calming about seeing him just circling above quietly. And then he was gone ...
This would lead me to Piazza Savoia. I have just read both the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons and I have to say that the sight of an obelisk in the middle of a piazza just has some new meaning for me. I just can't help but wonder ... Just nearby to this piazza is the Porta Palazzo which houses what is thought to be the biggest open air market Europe. Whatever you need, they've got it! I poked around a little bit but did not stay for long.
I would then make my way to the Basilica Sanctuary della Consolata. Again, not much to look at from the outside but the inside is just ... I have no words. There was a mass going on so I sat for a few minutes and listened. I have mastered "non parlo l'italiano" and "non capisco" so by no means did I understand what this priest was saying. I was struck by one of the side chapels and specifically this
sculpture of a hand that was holding a small lantern. My guess was that it was one of these eternal flames. There was a nun sitting close by (she was handing out pamphlets and such) and she noticed my interest in this sculpture. She only spoke Italian and I told her that I did not speak it (I used my one phrase that I know!) but I asked that she explained "lentamente". She whispered it to me slowly. I got little bits of it but not really. I just thought that it as so sweet that she would take the time to even try. I continued through the church and just found things that were so different and had never seen in a church before. In the Sanctuary, there were a series of frames with drawings or paintings that seem to depict how a specific person had passed on. Some drawings were of illness and some where of violence, war and accident. Just fascinating to see ...
I continued walking through some side streets and ultimately ended up close to the Royal Palace. With all of the military and police that were there yesterday, it was obvious that there
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Pretty flowers close to the fountain was going to be an event at some point in time. I am sure glad that I squeezed in the visit to the Royal Palace because that area was clearly off limits.
So I walked some more and made my way to the Museum of Contemporary and Modern Art (well ... that was after I stopped in at a cute shop on Via Garibaldi and bought the cutest dress known to man!!). I think that I am actually starting to enjoy this art thing or at least the contemporary/modern art portion of it. I saw another Andy Warhol. Would love to know where that Tomato Soup Can is these days???? In case you are wondering the obsession with this particular work of his ... my grandmother had a mug that had that the Tomato Soup Can printed on it. Just part of my childhood memories ...
After a quick stop at the hotel to regroup, I made my way out again with no real purpose ... except eventually finding food! I walked some of the smaller streets, stopped in at a few churches and piazzas and eventually stopped at Caffe Roberto. I didn't realize it but it was
a buffet. You didn't actually get to serve yourself, your waiter did that for you. He must have thought that I had not eaten in a month because he kept saying ... yes yes you want to try ... so it was pasta, vegetables, meat, bread and some salad. I ate like a champ and it cost next to nothing. I have also learned how to order sparkling water. I now know how to say this in four languages ... how useful that is ... I don't know ... well it is when you are parched!
My last stop would be the Armeria Real. By that time, the activities around the Royal Palace were done so it was free access. No more Italian military men just milling about ... darn. The Armeria is the Royal Armours. I had seen one of these types of museums in Madrid and found it fascinating ... oddly enough seeing that I am such a pacifist!! It included a large collection of guns, shields but what really gets me every time are the armours. They are so intricate ... hard to believe that these were worn in battle. Unfortunately all of the signs were
in Italian so I got bits of the descriptons but not much. But still incredibly fascinating to look at. And the room it was displayed in ... out of this world!
And this is how my visit of Turin would end ... tomorrow Milano!
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Francine
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Beautiful churches! Strange though to see two almost identical churches on each side of a street...very religious country. Lovely art...I love the statues, angels and all. And yes, the three little old ladies are definitely the cutest!:) Ciao Ciao~