Living in a tiny country has gotten me used to frequent traveling, so after my ACL reconstruction, I felt like I was grounded in Luxembourg. Although I did a fair bit around the city, I didn’t go anywhere else for over 2 months. I had actually booked my flight to Turin the day after my surgery in anticipation. However, I always equated Italy with warm weather (yes, I know the Alps are there, but that’s in a high elevation right?), so I wasn’t happy when I checked the forecast and it was colder than Luxembourg… The good food more than made up for it though 🙂
Day 1 – Torino
Working in an international environment really has its perks. Nico and I got several recommendations for where to eat and what to do from people who are either from Turin or had lived there before. First up was to get some bicerin. It’s a drink from Turin that is basically thick hot chocolate with espresso and milk. We went to the popular Cafe Al Bicerin, est. 1763, where the decor is reminiscent of an old timey candy or coffee shop. We had to wait in line outside because the space only fits about 15 people cozily. If you’re in the mood for anything savory, you’re out of luck, but damn was the bicerin a perfect start for a cold day.
After we finished filling ourselves up with sugar, we took a stroll around the centro and then ducked into some indoor sites when it started raining. We visited the Turin Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, where the Shroud of Turin is stored. It sits in a closed off area in a box, behind a curtain, behind glass. Super exclusive. They pull back the curtains once a day (?), and I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the box. Afterwards, we checked out the Royal Library, Sabauda Art Gallery, and the Armory Museum.
Angela's Great Adventure 