September 21, 2009

A Day Out in Turin

Caffe Torino, one of the first cafés in town - gorgeous interior and good coffee.

One of four Roman City gates into Turin. The battlements date from 1404.

Two statues of Caesar flank the Porta Palatina gates - the man enjoyed his own image.

Keeping clean in the city streets.

Home to the infamous Shroud of Turin, which is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.

Every self-respecting Italian has one.

Personal favourite of the day - Mum, Dad and Super Mario.

Regent Arcade, eat your heart out. I want to shop here!

The best Continental Deli ever - Eataly!

Shelves and shelves of delicious Italian gourmet produce.

You can dine in for lunch, amongst the butchers for a steak, or the fishmongers for spaghetti marinara.

Pesto, which originated from Genova in Northern Italy.

The least stinky fish market I've ever been too.

I'm not a fan of capsicum, but Eataly's packaging and presentation is beautiful.

Turin was the birthplace of FIAT, or Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino. I was unlucky enough to own a FIAT Regatta 100s once upon a time.

What was once the factory is now a shopping mall, but the original test track is still on the roof.

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3 comments:

  1. Love the photos!
    One question about the bird bath though... my interpretation on the public taps in Italy was that it was kind of like a public drinking fountain? The water seemed to flow 24/7. How does that work though? They just waste all that water?
    Oh well, I filled quite a few water bottles from them, and am still alive now. Although I have a feeling I might have looked like an idiotic tourist :-P

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  2. Not an idiotic tourist! Perhaps an ancient local though... Before people had plumbed mains to their home, Italians went to the public fountains for their water, which were fed by the great aqueducts. The water flow was regulated through the use of man-made underground reservoirs.

    Italy is the largest consumer of bottled water in the world, at 190 litres per person, yet the public drinking taps have their sources in the mountains (Venice's water comes from the San Benedetto region, a popular bottled brand!). But apparently 96% of water is perfectly drinkable, as they have strict controls.

    "Ti Voglio Bere" (I want to drink you) is a campaign in Turin to encourage locals to drink the tap water. Hopefully it catches on!

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  3. Your pictures are stunning!! Once I start to get more into my planning for my France trip I'm going to bombard you with questions, I hope you don't mind! :)

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