Three days touring Torino.

August 20, 2016 to August 22, 2016

Museums, basilicas and cycling through city streets and along the Po.

August 20 Saturday,

August 21 Sunday,

August 22 Monday.

Three days touring Torino.

Museums, basilicas and cycling through city streets and along the Po.

Saturday. Great breakfast- if we were not cycling we’d consider showing restraint...perhaps. Our hotel’s daily fortifying breakfast generally sets us up till late afternoon.

Misty rain to start today- Turin has great appeal as a city for both walking and cycling, it has grid streets, it’s chock full of statues, palaces, stately buildings and museums. They are not exactly discreet but nor are they overwhelming. The ‘mole’ which houses the film museum dominates the skyline with its gigantic dome, but most other buildings are of a smaller size and look more northern European than Italian.

From Mussolini’s era. Brutalist architecture.

The shops under the porticos are so classy they’re a little intimidating but so interesting they’re hard to resist.

Turin became Italy’s capital after the unification of Italy. We catch up on our Italian and French history at the Risorgimento museum- fascinating stuff but demanding a fair bit of time and concentration- my brain hurts! It provides an in depth insight into the mood and influences current in 19th century Europe- especially the influence of Napoleon on the rise of democracy.

Flash, but today’s 10 year old boy would struggle to get into it.

Boney’s surrender to the Tars of Old England.

On the battlefield medical intervention.

Veteran engaged in activity requiring apron.

Room of Deputati del Parlamento Subalpino

The film museum is equally engrossing- particularly the section on the development of moving images, shadow theatre and illusion. The facilities provided for movie watching involve lying full length on a comfortable chair? Chaise longue? And looking up at a large screen and listening through headphones in the curved headrest. Becoming part of a Star Wars action sequence is also fun.

The Cinema Museum is housed in the Mole Antonelliana, once the highest brick building in Europe.

legend has it that in 1895, when the Lumière brothers' “L'arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat” — one of the first motion pictures ever — was shown to an audience in Paris, some people ran away from the screen in panic.

Outside we come across several people with disabilities begging. Some displaying amputations are quite confronting. Quite a number have dogs they also need to feed.

The Victor Emmanuel boulevard is wide and streets are organised in a grid pattern which makes finding one’s way relatively straightforward.

Cycling along the Po is quite pleasant and rowers and kayakers are in evidence but it clearly needs a clean up. The hills are hidden in cloud at the moment but must be picturesque covered in snow.

The many war memorials must present a bit of a problem for Italy since they record ‘caduti’ – fallen, in campaigns such as Abyssinia and Libya which some mhight think as less than honourable. One memorial includes soldiers from the early fascist years of WW2 as well as those fighting later for the allies.

Statue of King Umberto riding into battle in Turin.

Forcaccio bread and pizza are on offer in Turin, as well as risotto and their more recent claim to fame – nutella. We try the first three with gusto.

Sunday we go to the Basilica di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice which is the centre of John Bosco, who dedicated his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth. He developed teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian Preventive System. According to legend, a vision of the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to John Bosco in 1844 or 1845 and revealed the site of the martyrdom of the Turinese saints Solutor, Adventor and Octavius. The Basilica dell'Ausiliatrice was built on the site of their death. The church is heavily decorated and marble used extensively. We have a cup of coffee after the mass in the community centre.

It’s a fine day and so we elect to go for a bike ride around the city and then through the park beside the river in order to establish the feasibility of cycling down to Stupinigi into Piedmont. As with most parts of Italy you are assured that the cycle routes are there, it’s just that finding them and then keeping to them is the challenge.

Sculpture "Eco" by artist Marc Didou in Via Verdi.

We are successful enough to feel that we could reach Pinerolo, Saluzzo and Cuneo- which could be as far as we can go before hitting the mountains. Keen cyclists cross over in a day and the view from the top must be great, but we aren’t sure which route is best for tourers. Tourist offices are little help unfortunately.

It’s pleasant and cool under the trees, we see the landmark of the Fiat factory across the road and having established our route for Tuesday, we return and enjoy our lunch under the trees watching Turinese at play. Back through the city, fortified by a frutti di bosco and lemone ice cream as well as a forcaccio fix we head for Hotel Arturo, on the way picking up some fruit and vegetables at a market in the neighbouring piazza.

And so a pleasant long weekend passes and by Monday night we are were ready to head south.

Today's ride: 22 km (14 miles)
Total: 3,185 km (1,978 miles)

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