Zurers in Italy 2022 (finally)

[jan]

We had a really wonderful meal at Trattoria L'Oca Fola.
Love Torino!!!

 

[Ian Sutton]

Ah Vitel Etonné (the startled calf IIRC), I believe a play on words for their signature dish and regional speciality Vitello Tonnato, a dish that sounds incongruous, but is a long-time favourite.

When we first started going there, there was a very good wine shop / cellar in the basement, then it became more food focused, including a great spell where they used aperitivo hour to showcase / try out new things on the menu. It has been up and down (even within the same week), but we've happily followed it through this evolution and will continue to do so. A very fine choice, not very far at all from Piazza Castello, but also not so obvious to get huge passing trade.

If there on Saturday or Sunday, worth checking to see if there is a craft / speciality market in Piazza Carlina - they seemed to have something on there on a semi-regular basis, with the theme often different each time. EDIT: No, but it looks like the antique book market that used to be held there, is in Piazza Carlo Felice (opposite Stazione Porta Nuova) on Sunday May 1st, presumably in the central 'garden'.
Data/e: 1 Maggio 2022
Orario: 08:00 - 18:00
https://www.guidatorino.com/eventi-...rcato-di-libri-antichi-a-torino-2-2022-05-01/
From memory it also includes stamps, postcards, posters etc. so interesting to browse even if buying.

There are some other events on at the weekend

Le 10 cose da fare a Torino questo weekend

Gli eventi più belli del weekend a Torino tra arte, gastronomia, concerti, spettacoli, sagre e molto altro ancora

www.guidatorino.com

including a vintage steam train ride leaving from Torino and taking in Langhe, Monferrato and Roero (wine country)

 

[Jim Zurer]

Zurers in Italy 2022: Thursday April 28​

Day 3: Torino​

The weather outside is sunny, bright, but a little cool this morning... our first full day in Torino. Breakfast choices at the hotel are quite impressive... in keeping with its 4 star rating. Before heading out, I have some work to do.

Since we are big Carlo Levi fans, our first expedition in Torino is to the special Carlo Levi show at the GAM-- Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna. Levi was born here 120 years ago and this show celebrates that anniversary. We decide to test the waters for driving our rental car in the city. Getting the car out of the garage is less challenging than it was getting in, since the garage is now empty. Following the GPS directions in town is pretty easy... the route takes us around the more congested center and we get to see parts of the modern city that we hadn't seen before. We are pleasantly surprised to find many empty pay parking spaces near the Gallery and even are able to use a credit card in the Parcometro (after three tries).

The Carlo Levi show is in one room and has many portraits of family and friends (and some self-portraits) as well as paintings he did in Aliano in the south where he was a political exile under Mussolini. Here is a link to the show and some of the paintings.

https://www.gamtorino.it/it/mostra/carlo-levi

(If you haven't read his memoir about his time in Aliano--Christ Stopped In Eboli--we highly recommend it.)

We then wander through the rest of the Gallery...there are a lot of installations and contemporary works, a few of which attract our attention but we are happier when we get upstairs to the more representational paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. We may not be good candidates for the Venice Biennale. This is our first museum experience since the beginning of the pandemic and we find being masked is a challenge, so after about an hour and a half we leave. We stop in the bookshop to buy the catalog of the show and retrieve the car.

We then head for the big riverside park along the Po (I am also a very big fan of "the mighty Po"), the Parco Valentino. We are taken on a roundabout route headed for a place to eat lunch but just as we enter the park, we are stymied by construction which has closed the road. We decide to put off this excursion to another day when we can find an alternate route, and head back to the hotel.

We have a late lunch at a Spanish restaurant on the Piazza Carlina across from our hotel. The menu features a long list of small sandwiches--two or three of them make a lunch.

We sit outside and enjoy the warm weather and the people watching. While waiting for the sandwiches, I walk over to a nearby tourist information sign and learn that-- for the second day in a row-- we are eating lunch close to the Jewish ghetto (yesterday in Biella and today in Torino.) I will do some exploring in the area after lunch.

The sandwiches are fine... Diana likes them more than I do-- and we indulge in an order of churros for dessert. At least we are back on track following our fairly light lunch rule.

Back at the hotel, Diana decides to take a rest and I set out on a longer exploratory walk. I walk through some lovely parks with trees and fountains, big beautiful squares, and then up a nice long pedestrian street to the Risorgimento Museum and National Library.

I stop in a small supermarket and buy our favorite chocolate bar--Nocciolato Fondente from Novi--and make a stop in the hotel to drop it off before it melts.

Diana goes out to the roof terrace to piece her new quilt project and I go out to continue my explorations.

I head up to the big Piazza Castello where all the Savoy royal buildings and gardens are and, en route, I walk through a glass-roofed galleria and extensive arcade of shops before spilling out onto the Piazza Castello. I make a stop at the tourist office to try and pinpoint the location of the iron gates of the ghetto, which I had read can still be seen. The person at the office marks a location on the map but is dubious about whether they are visible from the street.

I continue on through the royal complex and the gardens which are now a popular public park and walk past the Mole Antonelliana, the skyscraper that was built to be a synagogue in the 19th century but now houses the amazing Cinema Museum. (We were there twice on our previous visit to Torino in 2006 and may go again.) You can also take an elevator to the 500-foot-high observation deck where you get gorgeous views of the Alps.

Before heading back to the hotel, I walk to the address for the ghetto gates but don't see them. But I have covered a lot of ground and am pleased to be getting my bearings again.

We go to dinner at another Piemontese restaurant-- Il Porto di Savona-- which is located on the large Piazza Vittorio Veneto very close to the Po. On our walk over, we are struck by the large number of very busy restaurants on the narrow, crowded streets. The evening is pleasant and we decide to eat at an outside table. The meal is fine, except for the much too long pause before our pasta courses arrive. Diana has another very good carne cruda to start and a plate of tagliatelle with asparagus. I start with a mixed Piemontese appetizer plate--vitello tonnato, stuffed pepper, a tasty vegetable relish, a tomino cheese topped with a savory green sauce-- followed by a risotto with balls of raw Bra (beef) sausage and dabs of spinach puree-- a very attractive presentation and very tasty. For dessert, Diana tries their special nut cake with zabaglione which is successful and I enjoy my panna cotta which has a dark, almost burnt caramel sauce. The place is very busy and the service is spotty but we enjoy our meal. As we leave at about 9:30, the tables are being refilled by the Italians who are just coming to eat.

Tomorrow, the Egyptian Museum, which we didn't get to on our last visit.

Jim and Diana

 

[Pauline]

I stop in a small supermarket and buy our favorite chocolate bar--Nocciolato Fondente from Novi--and make a stop in the hotel to drop it off before it melts.

That’s @BryanS favourite too. I found one recently in the UK from Ocado (online food delivery). It cost £4.00 (€4.75). What did yours cost?

 

[Ian Sutton]

The food in Il Porta di Savona sounds good, traditional but with some thought/invention. In terms of service, was it a case of Italian service being more relaxed than what we're used to at home, or was it slower than normal for Italy?

If you like your chocolate and want some fancier stuff, the city has some very good places, my favourite being the 'chocolat' like Odilla on via Fratelli Carle in the Crocetta district (we often tie this in with a visit to the Crocetta market and a couple of nearby shoe shops and with a gelato stop, but Odilla is the highlight of that journey south of Corso Vittorio Emanuelle. More handily, there are others including the more widely known Guido Gobino, Guido Castagna, Venchi (even more widely seen than Novi), Candifrutto and plenty more. The tourist office used to curate a chocolate trail, so if that interests, it might be worth asking in the little tourist info kiosk opposite Stazione Porta Nuova.

I'll be interested in your thoughts on Museo Egizio. We went many years ago when it was an archetypal drab and dour museum. Some interesting items, but presented with little to entice the viewer into taking an interest. They had a refit, maybe a decade or more ago, which was very well received. Hopefully that makes it a much better experience.

p.s. if looking for a light(ish) pasta lunch near the museum, Pastificio 'De Filippis' on Via Lagrange is a long-established fresh pasta shop, but that also has a dining area above it. Their pasta remains very good indeed.

 

[joe]

Thanks for the reports and lovely photos, I'm enjoying the read. Torino is my favorite Italian city (not that I've been to all the larger ones), and is the first place we will return to.

BTW, if you're looking for a great gelato in your neighborhood, try Marchetti, on the Via Po (he has 3 other shops in the city as well, I believe). We had some last time, in 2016, and no reason to think it's still not the same high quality.

 

[joe]

And another museum that is perhaps less known : the Museo Nazionale della Montagna, just on the other side of the Po. The building itself is quite impressive, with a great observation terrace that will give you a memorable view of the Mole and the rest of the city. The exhibitions have an appeal, if you've ever had issues with mountains....

 

[Sharon J]

Thanks for the beautiful pictures. We leave for Varenna on Lake Como, then back to Nico's at Sant'Antonio outside Montepulciano in three weeks. SO looking forward to traveling again, especially to our favorite spots in all the world.

 

[Ian Sutton]

And another museum that is perhaps less known : the Museo Nazionale della Montagna, just on the other side of the Po. The building itself is quite impressive, with a great observation terrace that will give you a memorable view of the Mole and the rest of the city. The exhibitions have an appeal, if you've ever had issues with mountains....

Agreed, though it does reward clear skies / no fog.

Museo Pietro Micca is another quirky one (near Stazione Porta Susa). The museum itself is very basic, showing the history of the siege(s) by French forces, but the star attraction is the guided descent into the counter-mining tunnels under the city. Very atmospheric

Spoiler

(and very dark!)

 

[Jim Zurer]

Spanish, Egyptian, Argentinian, Japanese so far...probably more.

How about the Kirkuk Restaurant....

The food in Il Porta di Savona sounds good, traditional but with some thought/invention. In terms of service, was it a case of Italian service being more relaxed than what we're used to at home, or was it slower than normal for Italy?

If you like your chocolate and want some fancier stuff, the city has some very good places, my favourite being the 'chocolat' like Odilla on via Fratelli Carle in the Crocetta district (we often tie this in with a visit to the Crocetta market and a couple of nearby shoe shops and with a gelato stop, but Odilla is the highlight of that journey south of Corso Vittorio Emanuelle. More handily, there are others including the more widely known Guido Gobino, Guido Castagna, Venchi (even more widely seen than Novi), Candifrutto and plenty more. The tourist office used to curate a chocolate trail, so if that interests, it might be worth asking in the little tourist info kiosk opposite Stazione Porta Nuova.

I'll be interested in your thoughts on Museo Egizio. We went many years ago when it was an archetypal drab and dour museum. Some interesting items, but presented with little to entice the viewer into taking an interest. They had a refit, maybe a decade or more ago, which was very well received. Hopefully that makes it a much better experience.

p.s. if looking for a light(ish) pasta lunch near the museum, Pastificio 'De Filippis' on Via Lagrange is a long-established fresh pasta shop, but that also has a dining area above it. Their pasta remains very good indeed.

Well, we did get to the Egyptian Museum but we were done in fairly quickly by the crowds (many school groups) and the mask requirement. It was warm in the museum and the masks certainly add to the discomfort. We thought the displays were well done and the explanations good but there was so much material to digest that even on a good day with no masks, I don't think we could have done it justice. One thing we didn't like was the white signage on the clear display cases....very hard to read. We bailed after about 90 minutes....

I think this is a problem that we have with masking...I have still not gone to a movie because of the mask requirement. I just get too uncomfortable....

In terms of the service at Porto di Savona, we have had enough experience with Italian service over the past 29 years that we could tell that there was a problem in the kitchen. As a matter of fact, the waitress finally did acknowledge it and apologized.

Off to Jazz Club Torino tonight...I will post our experience tomorrow.

 

[Jim Zurer]

That’s @BryanS favourite too. I found one recently in the UK from Ocado (online food delivery). It cost £4.00 (€4.75). What did yours cost?

View attachment 35534

I believe I paid Euro 2.85 at Carrefour Express....I could have gotten the larger size for Euro 4.00. The chocolate bars are often on sale in the service area shops on the autostrada....

 

[Jim Zurer]

Zurers in Italy 2022: Friday April 29​

Day 4: Torino​

Another sunny day.....so far we are lucking out with the weather this trip.

The breakfast room is more crowded this morning; it looks like a bus trip has checked into the hotel. We stay in the room after breakfast for me to write my diary/report (and Diana to proofread and edit) and get a late start for our expedition.

Today, the Egyptian Museum is our goal. In order to minimize Diana's walking and since I am confident about driving in the city, I plan to drop her near the museum and either find parking close by or I will return the car to the hotel and walk the ten minutes back to the museum. My plan is based on the Google maps directions which are quite straightforward, but the Renault's installed GPS chooses a much more complicated route. We drive around a lot of new territory so we get to see different parts of the city but only when I overrule the GPS and depend on my sense of direction (which is usually pretty good) do we find ourselves on the street next to the museum. By now, it is getting close to lunchtime so we decide to postpone the museum until the afternoon.

For lunch, I want to try to get to the restaurant on the Po in the Parco Valentino that we were unable to reach yesterday because the road was blocked by construction. I hatch an alternate plan to enter the park from another entrance but, though we find it easily, the access is limited to official vehicles. We give up, head back to the hotel, park the car, and walk across the Piazza Carlina to have lunch. We eat at Trappazino (the menu is based on Roman street food), where they use pizza-type bread stuffed (like pita sandwiches) with a variety of fillings. It is pleasant to sit in the sun and we enjoy our suppli....deep-fried rice balls...and trappazini....chicken cacciatore for Diana and tongue in green sauce for me.

After lunch, we decide to walk to the Egyptian Museum, which is mobbed with school groups. (Diana uses a cane, which seems to help.) We learn that the reason Torino has the second most important Egyptian museum in the world is due to the Savoy royal family looking for a dynastic connection to ancient royalty. They seized on the family's possession of the Mensa Isaica, a bronze tablet thought to be a key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics but probably of Roman origin.

In any case, the Savoys continually acquired more Egyptian artifacts and funded many archaeological expeditions and the results are housed in this museum.

We find that a combination of the crowds, the extent of the collection, the heat, and being uncomfortable wearing masks is too challenging. We last about an hour and a half and are impressed by many of the displays--statues, funerary objects, tablets, elaborate sarcophagi--and find many of the explanations well written and informative. But, as we fade, we move quickly through the halls, stopping to admire particularly striking exhibits but finally leave. I am including pictures of a few of the exhibits that we found most interesting.

We walk up the very elegant Via Roma to the Piazza Castello, pass through the arcaded shopping area, and stop at the traditional cafe Baratti and Milano. We sit in the courtyard of the Galleria Subalpina and I have the traditional Torinese drink--a Bicerin...a mixture of coffee, chocolate, and cream, while Diana has tea.

Our original plan finally comes into play...Diana sits in the lovely Piazza Carignano, I walk back to the hotel, get the car, drive back to pick her up and return to the hotel. Simple...

While Diana rests in the room, I go out to explore some more. I walk over to Jazz Club Torino to make reservations for dinner tonight and swing by Le Vitel Etonne and book lunch for Sunday afternoon. I continue down the big porticoed shopping street Via Po and finally make it to the riverside promenade.

When I return, we sit outside at the hotel's bar and have a prosecco with a wide array of snacks, watching the people go by as well as the long articulated trams (sometimes three cars long) navigating the curves of the piazza roadway.

We walk the three blocks to the Jazz Club for dinner and music--the club is a large open industrial-feeling space with a big outdoor terrace overlooking a skateboard park and a craft brewery.

The performers tonight are led by Max Gallo, a guitarist, and Gioel Severini, who plays the sax. The other band members are Summer Greislin on Hammond organ and Fridge Matte on drums (batteria). The music is fabulous--they are all excellent musicians and they play together very well. They begin playing at 9:30 and there is no break in the music which goes on until 11:15; everyone (including the musicians) is having a good time.

Photos from Max Gallo's Facebook Page

And here is a link to a clip from the show last night.....I hope you can get a sense of the music we heard.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1894339190754734&id=836755769846420&m_entstream_source=timeline&ref=external%3Awww.google.com

The dinner is not in the same league as the music...the kitchen was stressed, the food unmemorable, and, in the end, we are able to cancel our "seconds" and just enjoy the music.

We have a pleasant stroll back to the hotel, walking past restaurants packed with people at 11:30 pm on a Friday night.

Jim and Diana

 

[Ian Sutton]

You're braver (or more skilful / calmer) than us to drive in the centre of the city. I think we'd explode if we had to do that . Is your hotel in the ZTL area, thus giving you an exemption from the ZTL enforcement?

Baratti e Milano one of the historic coffee shops in Torino and it is very stylish indeed. We're a little odd in preferring the simpler charms of Al Bicerin (yes they were the creators of the Bicerin), a coffee shop historically owned and run by women, and with a cosy but respectful feel to it. It's a bit of a trek to get there in Piazza della Consolata, and we usually tie in a visit with a trip to the Piazza della Repubblica market... but it's still maybe a 5-10 minute walk from there. On our last trip we discovered a long-established herbalist nearby that really impressed us.

 

[Jim Zurer]

You're braver (or more skilful / calmer) than us to drive in the centre of the city. I think we'd explode if we had to do that . Is your hotel in the ZTL area, thus giving you an exemption from the ZTL enforcement?

Baratti e Milano one of the historic coffee shops in Torino and it is very stylish indeed. We're a little odd in preferring the simpler charms of Al Bicerin (yes they were the creators of the Bicerin), a coffee shop historically owned and run by women, and with a cosy but respectful feel to it. It's a bit of a trek to get there in Piazza della Consolata, and we usually tie in a visit with a trip to the Piazza della Repubblica market... but it's still maybe a 5-10 minute walk from there. On our last trip we discovered a long-established herbalist nearby that really impressed us.

The ZTL is only in effect from 7:30 to 10:30 on weekdays so it has not been much of an issue. The only city I abstain from driving in Italy is Napoli....the drivers there are truly nuts and there is a shortage of drivable streets. I have found that Torinese drivers are pretty patient and calm...which helps.

Yes, we have been to Bicerin but we weren't convenient to it when we needed to sit down. Location, location, location.....

We were headed to the market this morning but were unable to get too close. We drove through the middle of the madhouse this afternoon.

Have you been to the Museo della Resistenza? We may try to go tomorrow morning.

 

[Ian Sutton]

We've not been to that museum, but I like how it's a museum that has events that adapt to the modern day, making it more of a living museum.

If you do go there Ai Tre Bicchieri https://www.ai3bicchieri.it/il-ristorante/ is reasonably nearby. We had a good meal there on our last visit (or the one before) and they have a very good wine selection.

Yes the roads around the main market get rather gnarly / stressed, but we tend to go via tram which mitigates that. It can be a rather bustling experience so we tend to go with specific things to buy in mind, rather than browsing. e.g. the 2-3 funghi stalls, then onto the excellent local hazelnuts, before heading into one of the indoor markets for a very good cheese stall (and also to pick up some latte e menta caramelle from the sweet shop). We're less likely to buy fruit/veg there now, having found a stunningly good fruttivendolo on via San Quintino, 48 called Le Primizie di Osvaldo
(parallel to Corso Vitt. Emanuele and at the Porta Susa end). The early Kiwi fruit tasted like sherbet kiwi, their nespole were excellent, as were their fragoline del bosco (those tiny little strawberries closer to wild strawberries). That would have been around this time of year.

 

[PokeyMindy]

Oh my goodness! We will be in Firenze on May 18th to the 21st! Staying at a convent there.
The next week we will finally get to take our prize week at Sant Antonio!

I'd forgotten all about the contest and prizes!! I'm so happy you guys are still able to make use of your fabulous winnings!!!!!

 

[SMJ]

Great to read a new trip report on Italy!
Thank you.

 

[Jim Zurer]

Zurers in Italy 2022: Saturday: April 30​

Day 5: Torino​

The sky is a bit overcast this morning...can this be the end of our streak of good weather?

After breakfast, we get in the car for a ride into the hills outside Torino. Our destination is the hilltop Basilica Superga, a big church on top of a hill visible for miles as you approach the city. We first do a little exploratory driving in town to scout out the location of the Museo della Resistenza, where we might go tomorrow, and the recommended laundromat...a laundry is in our future. After successfully finding these places, we cross the Po and head into the hills. The road up the hill is quite scenic...lots of panoramic views over the rolling countryside.

The Basilica is very imposing in its setting with 360-degree views over Torino and the surrounding area.

There is a large car park which is almost filled as well as many bikers and hikers who have made the climb. There is even a cart selling various kinds of Italian donuts. Diana sits on a bench while I take a quick look inside. I decide against making the climb to the cupola and we get back in the car to continue our scenic drive before our lunch reservation in Baldaserre, the village below Superga.

We make a circuit and enjoy looking at the green fields and the hills in the distance. The weather has taken a turn for the better--it is now sunny and warm--making the drive even better. We pass through a couple of small villages and then a couple of larger towns--Chieri and Pino Torinese--which are much bigger than we expected and quite busy on this Saturday. The road back to Baldaserre--the Via dei Colli--is notable for the striking number of parks, roadside picnic tables, and benches along the road--something we have not found in other parts of Italy.

Diana spots a place to park just down the street from the Trattoria Bel Deuit--Piemonte dialect meaning "the good way of doing things". When I made our reservation, we got the last table available--"the table by the door". When we enter the restaurant, we are greeted warmly by the friendly staff and shown to "the table by door". The boss jokes that we need to drink more wine to make up for the location. (The restaurant has a large rear room that gives you a view of the imposing church - that's where the good tables are.)

Lunch is fantastic.....we share a Piemontese appetizer plate highlighted by a mousse of whipped gorgonzola and a spinach pie. We skip the pasta course and both have versions of "frys"--meat for me with lamb chops, frog, and brains--and vegetarian for Diana--eggplant, zucchini, asparagus, cauliflower as well as pieces of apple, pear and chocolate. Diana enjoys two glasses of Arneis and I like my glass of Barbera. Diana says it is the best meal of our trip so far.

The ride back to Torino is uneventful save taking longer when I overrule the GPS and take some alternate routes. When we arrive at the hotel, we are ready to take naps. When we wake up, we are still pretty tired--the day has taken more out of us than we realized--and we stay in the room reading and relaxing. We aren't hungry for dinner so we just watch some television for the rest of the evening.

Tomorrow is a big Italian holiday--May 1--and the only definite thing on our agenda is to do a laundry.

Jim and Diana

 

[Pauline]

We skip the pasta course and both have versions of "frys"--meat for me with lamb chops, frog, and brains--and vegetarian for Diana--eggplant, zucchini, asparagus, cauliflower as well as pieces of apple, pear and chocolate.

Diana’s sounds good, but chocolate with the vegetables or is the apple, pears and chocolate the desert? Your “fry” is not appealing to me! Frog?!

 

[Jim Zurer]

The "sweet" part of the dish was served on the same plate as the vegetables...but they served as dessert for Diana. The best part of the meat "fry" was the brains---hard to find on menus nowadays, but when well-prepared delicious I think.