Horrendous Driving Conditions on the Way to Turin

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We wake to another wet morning. Thunderstorms have been sweeping across northern Italy for the past week. In the south it is hot and dry. In spite of all this rain we have not worn our raincoats. We have been lucky enough to get our sightseeing completed before the rain starts. We just hope we can pack the car without getting wet.

Time for breakfast and a chance to say farewell to our friends in the bar. Today they are discussing the outcome of next year’s World Cup, a favourite topic in Italy. There is so much football on TV and in the papers. Perhaps they are discussing the future of their pension. We leave and thank everyone for making our stay enjoyable. Each morning we wake to the baking smells of the panificio next door. Today we visit the shop and purchase some delights for lunch. We thank the owner and explain how we smell her baking from our apartment. We do not understand each other but on this matter we do. She smiles.

The weather is on the improve so we head back to Stresa and follow the shoreline of Lago Maggiore south. We pass large homes hidden behind high fences and very secure gates. Some properties look as though there would be plenty of work for an experienced gardener. The upkeep of some of these homes must be incredible. We understand now why many are becoming luxury apartments. We stop awhile for a coffee in another resort town, Arona, before heading for Novara en route to Turin.

We are now enjoying some sun. The temperature is starting to rise and we are optimistic that we have left the thunderstorms behind. As we enter Novara we find a convenient roadside location for lunch. While enjoying our very fresh bread rolls and a wicked looking crema we noticed a large new building across the canal. In big words across one wall it said “Superstore”. We have time for a diversion so over we go. What a surprise. The Superstore is a brand new supermarket that opened just a few hours ago. Men in suits are everywhere. Young women are handing out orchids. The shelves and fruit and vegetable displays are a work of art. As for the shelves of pasta. Wow! We wonder how long the shelf stackers can keep up the effort. The polished floors are so shiny. We chat briefly with the check out assistant and say how lucky she is to work in such a new shop. We leave with a bag of groceries. Back in the car Jane wonders where we have got to. We give her instructions to take us to our accommodation in Turin. The roads around this new shop do not exist in Jane’s memory bank so after much recalculating she gets onto the road to Turin. Then it starts to rain.

As we drive across the Piedmont country side the sky becomes quite black. Rain becomes torrential. Wind is so strong it is making driving dangerous. Visibility is almost non existent, especially when a truck goes past in the opposite direction. A sudden flash and roll of thunder above the car makes us wonder about the folly of driving today. We find a parking area and wait it out. The conditions have been so bad we could not see the countryside we were driving through. Surface water is accumulating in low lying areas, especially at roundabouts. We soon have a clearance in the weather. It is short lived. We take refuge in a layby. It is not long before several cars join us. Our arrival time has blown out to a further half hour. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Soon the skies clear. We are not sure if we have got ahead of the weather or if it has been coming towards us. Once on the motorway leading into Turin we make up some time. The motorway ends at a roundabout. Italians do roundabouts well. The first is large and makes for easy entry and exit. The second has a set of traffic lights on entry set to red. That means stop, sometimes. At this roundabout it means proceed with caution. The third large roundabout is a bun fight. We make it through all three without a scratch and arrive at our destination perhaps not on time, but intact. A quick phone call and our hostess is there waiting for us.

The interior of this building has been renovated and our apartment is in the loft. A lift takes us to the third level. There are interesting ceiling levels with skylights giving views across parts of Turin. We will be very happy. Just one minor problem. After a load of washing had finished we cannot get the door open. A quick phone call, “Help!” Mariella arrives, gives the door a strong pull, and the door is open. Previous users have tried to open the washing machine door and from the large crack on the handle they also had difficulty. We didn’t want to be the ones to come away with a handle in our hands. We think a service man needs to be called urgently.

Tomorrow we plan to take a bus into Turin city centre. Thunderstorms are forecast.



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