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Published: August 5th 2016
Mole Antonelliana
This tower is one of Turin's major landmarks.The scenic bus ride through the Alps from Lyon to Turin was painless - and I paid just 15€ for the privilege. I could do with saving a bit of dough after splurging a bit in
Lyon.
And the heat re-entered my trip too - my last day in Lyon was a warm one and things went up a few degrees more when I arrived in Turin.
Turin isn't exactly on the tourist radar; Juventus FC and the famous Shroud Of Turin were the only things that put the place on the map for me but as a fairly important Italian city, I felt the need to check it out and see if there would be anything there to surprise me.
One thing that I had learnt about Northern Italy from my trip to
Milan some seven years ago is the amazing phenomenon that is the
aperitivo.
For a set price, you get any drink (beer, wine or even a cocktail to really get your money's worth) plus as much food as you want from the buffet. It's not gourmet food but it is still decent, healthy, Italian fare. For 8€, I wasn't complaining. I could have this for dinner for all three
The Shroud Of Turin
Well, not the real one. And it is behind a glass wall. Can you see Jesus's face? nights of my stay here and it would be the same price as my last meal in Lyon.
The temperature outside was balmy too - perfect for some
al fresco dining.
And for the first time in a long time (three weeks to be exact), I wasn't eating alone; I had company in the form of my dorm-mate Jason from Canada. Things were pretty lonely in France and
Andorra.
Italy were in action in the Euros on my first night in Turin so Jason and I thought that we might as well check it out down at the local 'pub'.
However with first place in the group secured, their match against Ireland had no meaning. This meant that there wasn't the intense focus and passion that you'd normally get from a huge group of Italians watching the football down' the pub. Italians are excitable by nature though, so there were still a few shouts going around every time Italy came close to scoring a goal.
Secretly, I was rooting for Ireland who had to win against Italy's second-string to qualify themselves into the next round and I had to disguise my excitement as disbelief when Ireland scored in the
Ponte Isabella
One of the bridges crossing the Po. 86th minute, what turned out to be the winner. It's hard not too like the Irish with their friendly, always-cheerful fans and good
craic.
Turin - or Torino in Italian - is a pleasant city to walk around; lots of majestic colonnades, grand squares, pretty architecture and resplendent palaces. There aren't too many blockbuster sights to see though. In many ways, the place reminds me a lot of its nearby northern cousin Milan.
One of the few sights to see however is the Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista - not because the church is overly impressive but because it houses the mystical Shroud Of Turin, which was apparently the cloth used to wrap up the body of Jesus Christ just after he had been crucified. The cloth has an image of a naked man with is hands crossed over his groin imprinted into the shroud. A photo negative of the shroud reveals this image to be of a man with a beard and moustache, as well as shoulder-length hair. Basically, the image looks eerily like Jesus / Chad Kroeger. There are blood stains down the arms of the image and puncture wounds on the hands and feet consistent with
Galleria Subalpina
Beautiful glass gallery that I stumbled upon in Central Turin. crucifixion. There are even spots of blood from small punctures on the forehead - where Jesus would have worn his crown of thorns. The shroud was the property of the House of Savoy who ruled from Turin, explaining how the shroud got there in the first place.
In 1988, the shroud was carbon-dated back to the 13th century - making it impossible for it to have been the actual cloth used to wrap up Jesus; but its mysterious history and startling imagery ensures its mystical status. You could say that it's
shrouded in mystery (sorry, had to be done). The actual shroud is not on display; a replica is instead, above a large case that contains the real thing - all behind a glass screen. There is plenty of gold in the church, which impresses, but otherwise I've definitely seen nicer churches both inside and out.
Turin's other main sight of note is the Mole Antonelliana, a massive 19th-century building housing the cool-looking Museum of Italian Film and also an elevator taking you 85m to its viewing platform for panoramic views over the city. Hmmm...but was it worth the 7€ entry fee?
Otherwise, my time in Turin was one
Piazza San Carlo
Another one of Turin's main squares. The Monument of Emanuele Filiberto is in the centre of the picture with the twin churches of San Carlo and Santa Cristina in the background on the left. of frustration and distraction.
One frustration came in the form of Airbnb for not allowing me to make a reservation request; an hour-long phone call later, my request finally went through - only to be rejected. After all that. You asshole. Finding reasonably-priced accommodation for every place I have been to has been an exasperating struggle. Another frustration came with Megabus not being able to accept my credit card for some reason.
And to be honest, considering the experiences I've been having, I was starting to question whether all this relative stress was worth it all. I just seem to be running into obstacles with every next destination I was going to and it is driving me mad. And the additional online problems with Airbnb and Megabus definitely weren't helping.
And it terms of distraction, most of my time in Turin was unfortunately spent preoccupied by the UK's In/Out Referendum, which took place while I was there. I had cast my vote by proxy and simply couldn't sleep as the results came in during the night - such was the magnitude of the vote and its impact not just on myself and millions of British citizens, but also every
River Po
Rowing practice takes place on Turin's River Po. European - and quite possibly, the world.
I won't go into the detail and into my opinion of the result - you can look on my Facebook page for that - but it was a result that left me absolutely numb. My enthusiasm to do anything the next day was completely extinguished. If it wasn't for my need to eat, I'm not sure I would've even got out of bed!
But I thought that a short walk - which inevitably led to a long walk - would be beneficial to clear my head and to get me out of the hostel.
I decided to walk to the River Po and the Parco del Valentino which runs alongside it. On a hot afternoon, loads of people were chillaxing in the park.
The riverside walk is pretty scenic - where the footpath actually ran alongside it, that is. Annoyingly, trees separated that path from the river.
Within the confines of the park, is the free-to-enter Borgo Medioevale, a re-creation of a small medieval village housing small shops and galleries. It was a little on the tacky side but it complemented the park well.
Apart from being charged 8€ for a panini
and a soft drink, the walk through the park did its job.
Back in the hostel, my Russian dorm mate Maxim decided to join me for another
aperitivo and later, a beer to drown my Brexit sorrows. The food at this particular bar wasn't as good as the place I went to the other night and lots of stuff ran out. There was a conspicuous absence of meat too, though that for me might be a good thing. Maxim was a nice guy and was cool to just hang out with someone after the day's harrowing events.
I may have decided to stay longer in Turin if I could have but the hostel was full so I decided to move on. Next stop: Verona.
A dopo!
Derek
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