It's 10PM and we are just settling in for the night. That's huge for us early birds, but we did get off to a late start today.
It's hot. Too hot for us. We did a good job of staying in the shade and avoiding the sun for most of the day, but between about 3 and 5PM it was a series of rest stops in parks and on shady benches about every 15 minutes in order to cool down and stop sweating!! Not pleasant.
Aside from heat, it was a very nice day - we really enjoyed ourselves. In my opinion, unless you enjoy doing museums (we save that for bad-weather) a full day is enough for Torino; we covered all the major sites. From tomorrow on, we'll be on day-trips.
One of the reasons we picked Torino as a vacation destination was seeing it on "Amazing Race". Specifically the Mole Antonelliana which has an amazing panoramic elevator that whisks you from the basement via the huge cavernous interior to the rooftop terrace where you can get (weather depending) sweeping views over the town.
In hindsight, I would have done this instead: the building houses the cinematic museum, which takes up the huge interior space. There is zero line-up for that, while the lift wait is about an hour. I would have skipped the lift and gone to the museum, because watching the lift waft up from the floor and disappear through the ceiling is WAY more interesting than actually riding in it. Contrary to lore, you don't feel like you are floating in space AT ALL!!! ... You just look like you are. Kind of a let down.
The food is good, but I can't recommend Torino as a destination if eating is high on your list of things to do. NOTHING IS OPEN IN THE AFTERNOON!!!! it's a pain. If you want to stop in an place for a coffee, there are plenty. Mid afternoon desert? No problem. But an early super? Unless you want self-serve, fast-food, or zero atmosphere you are out of luck. Unlike bigger cities which have plenty of places every where you look, here you have to be "in the know" to find a good place. The huge piazzas that would be PACKED with restos & cafés anywhere else are just deserted here. Perhaps we are missing out on great places "behind the scenes"?? Very possible. If you see a menu you like: pounce!! Don't shop around... We learned the hard way that it's pointless.
I leave you now with a picture of one of our café beaks in the morning, and the Palazzo Madama (in Piazza Castello) in the afternoon. ENJOY!
No comments:
Post a Comment