Travel Blog Wednesday 6th August 2014 to Tuesday 12th August 2014. Genoa to Torino

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10. Travel Blog Wednesday 6th August 2014 to Tuesday 12^th August 2014. Genoa to Torino

(There are 44 photos in this blog - so keep going at the end to see them)



Wednesday 6^th August 2014.

Up late, as the night before Tom had to go out at 2am and chat to the guys next door to us, asking them to call it a night. They were very loud, so not much sleep.

Tom in for a quick swim, and we load up and reverse out of the narrow spot. Gaye gave great directions and all went well.

The drive was easy being on the Autostrada. Total tolls from Genoa to Torino €15.

Not a bad campsite – ‘Avigliana Lacs’ in the town of Avigliana – based between the large and small lakes. Campsite a little run down – 2** - clean and free wi-fi for the whole campsite (not just near the office-best we have had the whole trip). Shower and toilet facilities in need of some TLC.

We will be here for about 5 or 6 nights.

Torino is the capital of chocolate and the world’s most famous aperitif, Martini.



Up late as woken at 11pm by disco next to lake that we are facing – it goes until 2am. In go the ear plugs.

We decide to bicycle ride around both lakes and on the way we drop into the tourist information office to get info on concerts that are on tonight and the next few nights in the old part of the town.

The big lake (Largo Grande) is about 8kms diameter and the ride is part on the path and part on the road and Tom has a swim half way round, and water temp is quite good – about 20º.

Then we find our way to the little lake (Largo Piccolo). We lock up the bikes and stop at the restaurant, have coffee and a misto antipasto which was very good, especially the mushroom stuffed with some type of creamy sauce and bacon.

Then we walk around this lake, approx 3kms on a dirt track. There was no-one around.

After dinner onto scooter and away we go – to a circle on the map.

We are so forgetful. We should have asked the tourist office lady to write the name of the place and address as we have been lost like this before. Circle on map that covers 3 roads means nothing 6 hrs later as there are several circles for each place they show us.

Well, we got to ride around the old part of the town – of which the streets are narrow, and full of river stones with rectangular paver for to drive on. Makes riding the scooter fun!! Tom had to concentrate as river stones are green with moss, but did OK.

We get back to motorhome and Tom annoyed, to say the least. Has a look at the maps in the light and see where we were meant to be – so close. Allora.



Up next morning and on the motor scooter to the train station. 2 tickets return to Torino €12.20. Only a 25 minute trip to the city. At the information office we book a walking tour for tomorrow at 10am.

Then off to the Museum of Cinema – the 2^nd most important Museum tourist site in Torino. 2 tickets for museum and sky viewing lift €28. We were there for 4 hours. Had to go out and have a break at 3pm as we were wilting. www.museocinema.it They call the Museum ‘The Temple of Cinema’ and we can see why – it’s fantastic – a “not to be missed” place to visit. Then we went back in and queued up for the sky viewing lift. Fantastic view of the city from the top. The museum is situated in the building called “Mole Antonelliana’, a symbol of the city of Torino.

Great place. The city is laid out on a grid pattern. Huge. A great day.



Saturday , up early and into Torino for the walking tour – a little early as usual, so we wander and come across a small piazza and have a coffee and cream brioche – yummo.

Then off to do the walking tour. There was the two of us and a young couple from Denmark.

The guide took us to The Royal Church of San Lorenzo and The Shroud, Palazzo Reale courtyard, up to first floor of Palazzo Madama, and more. We had a coffee at one of the fancy bars ‘Toro portafortuna, Caffe Torino in Piazza San Carlo’.

2 hours later and back to the start having learned about Torino. The guide was very good.

We had come across five people playing classical music so back to listen to them. There was 1 girl and 2 guys on violin, one on cello and one on base cello. Really good, we stayed for about ½ hour.

The city was designed and laid out following the original roman system of grids and so has wide streets at 90º to each other and all the old building are of the same height. The first tall building was built by Mussolini in front of the Royal Palace (just to nark them) . Now they have built more.

Then off to the markets at Port Palazzo - Balon. There were 3 or 4 fixed markets in the old buildings and then there were many tents for fruit and veggies, meats, formaggio, olives etc. Then there were the cheap clothes, household items etc etc. How anyone makes any moneys is beyond us.

After dinner, we head off on scooter to another concert in the old part of Avigliana at the Chiesa di Santa Maria in Borgo Vecchio. Did not get lost this time.

The program was – Marina Ghigino, a violinist and her sister Daniela Ghigino, on the piano. The violinist was one of the best in Italy and has played for the Pope. The hand that was on the neck of the violin seemed separate from the rest of her body, as it played so fast.

For one of Paganini’s tunes, she explained about the way it is played before they performed it. Wish we could have understood what she had said. The audience was in raptures. Then she played the piece. Brilliant and unbelievable. We were seated so close, what with being in a church, and could see her hand movements in detail – amazing. Only once before have we seen such hand movement and that was at Lizottes when James Morrison was on trumpet.



Lazy day on Sunday.

6.30pm off we go into the old part of Avigliana again for the parade and festival of ‘Calici de Stelli’ in Piazza Conte Rosso from 7pm-midnight. It rained a little on the way in, but didn’t get too wet. Very wary of the wet river stone streets and they are very steep.

We see an art gallery ‘Arte per Voi’ www.artepervoi.it open so in we go. A painter – Silvania Alasia, and a lady that does Raku pottery – Guiliana Cusino, were displaying their craft. The painter has mixed, Tom thinks, clay, sawdust, linseed oil and then by hand, makes formed pots. They are so light – they are not fired - but they are quite strong.

There are 2 other ladies there, so Gaye and they start talking in Italian and English. On and on they went. Tom and the husband of the Raku artist ended up leaving and talked outside as the husband could speak English, as he had worked for UNESCO and is now retired – the gallery is his hobby.

We buy €10 worth of €1 tickets to taste the wines on display and €3 for a neck pouch and 1 wine glass each and away we go.

Then the people who were in period costumes form a line and two groups on horses come into the piazza from different directions. One group represents the local lords and the other group represent the visiting lords. The local group read out the proclamation and then they dismount and the show begins with the belly dancer. The show finishes and they all walk or ride out of the piazza. It was all very interesting to see how tradition continues. We think we were the only non locals, and definitely the only Aussies.

Back on the scooter to home.

At one point, Tom had to stop as we were laughing too much, about Gaye being on the back in such a place – Tom thought Gaye would never be so game.



Monday afternoon we went on scooter up to the Sacra di San Michele Abbey (983-987 AD) www.sacradisanmichele.com Piemonte’s symbolic monument , and one of the most important examples of Romanesque architecture in Europe. For years it was a destination of international pilgrims. Since medieval times, Piemonte was a transit point towards Rome, a route from Italy to Europe via Susa Valley. It was awesome to see where it was built.



Tuesday. Up on train to Torino for our last day. We walked and meandered and Gaye took photos of places that we had been to on the walking tour.

We found the Caffe Cioccolateria Al Bicerin restaurant in Piazza della Consolate www.bicerin.it This is the place that served the first Bicerin coffee’s in Torino. We were very fortunate to go today, as this was their last day of trading for summer as they are on vacation tomorrow for one month.

The Bicerin was rich in taste – delicious. We had biscuits and cup cake with it. A great sugar hit!!! This is one drink we will definitely be having when we get home. Also purchased some traditional chocolate, created in Torino – the gianduiotti (cocoa and hazelnut based). Interesting how due to a shortage of cocoa when Piemonte was conquered by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Torino chocolate makers added toasted ground hazelnut and created a new flavour and the rest is history.

Then we walked to the Po River and along its bank and back to the station and home.

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