In Torino

Torino at night.

There are those who say they don't like Torino much. They say the town is a little too industrial for their taste. It's too far north. It has too many rough edges; it's too flat. Well, to me it's not any of those things. Torino is one of my favorite Italian towns. It gives me the same gut feeling as, say, New York: a bustle, sophistication, ethnic diversity and hustle that can charge your spirit and challenge your senses. It reminds me of Seoul in the 70's—it gives off an aura of knowing its purpose and having a direction. It also has a fantastic history (it was the first capital of a united Italy) and a rich cultural heritage that is under-appreciated; it's well worth a visit. Torino has things to do and stuff to build (it's the center of the Italian automobile industry, and an industrial powerhouse), and if you can't appreciate the city for what it is, then, well, too bad for you. I like Torino's attitude.

This is not to say that you can't have fun in Torino, or won't be stunned by the city's surrounding natural beauty. There are the Alps just to the north and minutes away; Genoa and the Med to the south; Cocconato, Milan and the lakes Como, Lecco, Maggiore and Garda to the east by an hour or three at the most, and to the west, there is France. The city lends itself well to be the center of an exploration of northwest Italy. And Torino has its share of typical tourist attractions including its covered walkways and, of course, being the home to the famous Shroud of Turin (Torino is the Italian name of the city).

It's a city to walk in; you can go almost anywhere in the city core using the distinctive covered walkways, a special attraction of Torino. They were built to provide a covered route from the palace to the river Po for a princess in the 19^th century and offer shade or protection from the rain.

Driving in the city, on the other hand, is not recommended unless you have suicidal impulses. It's like driving in the rest of Italy: dangerous but exhilarating. Traffic doesn’t necessarily follow streets; cars can—and often do—use sidewalks, parking lots or any other venue that may offer itself in aid of getting them where they want to go. The Italians don't mark lanes on many streets; it is traffic as the crow flies. Step carefully.

N. and L. wanted to see the Shroud of Turin museum, which they reportedly found interesting, although all they saw was an image of the original. The real shroud is not exhibited at the best of times, and the copy that was on display during our first visit years ago is apparently now only shown irregularly. We just missed a rare four week display of the original shroud, or what was represented to be such. If you're interested in religious relics, both the museum and the nearby church of the shroud are both worth a visit.

I was more interested in revisiting the Caffé Torino. We've made a point of having at least a coffee at the café during every visit to the city. We found it, as expected, much the same as remembered, although N. reported that she noted some deterioration from our last visit five years ago. The gold bull in the sidewalk that marks the café was still bright. I'm not sure why, but tourists like to step on the bull's rear end; it must bring them luck or maybe they just like the idea.

We stayed the night at a Best Western hotel in the city within walking distance of the rail station, the center of the city and beginning of Via Roma, the primary shopping street. If you like to spend money on the inconsequential, you can be happy in Torino. The hotel was surprisingly good, and as we had a penthouse room with a great outside balcony, there was a superb view of the city, particularly that night. Dinner at a nearby restaurant was less than brilliant and a bit pricy, but it gave us a chance at our first Italian pasta in far too long a time.