Torino

Today Anka and Suzie joined Brian and me on our adventure to Torino - or Turin as it's otherwise known - the home of cafes, cakes, chocolates, piazzas, museums, shops, Fiat (stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino) and the shroud.

Torino is just over an hour's drive from our cottage and we drove along the freeway with snow-covered alps on our left and reached our destination (as Jane says) at about 11am just as the morning mist cleared and the sun started to shine.

Anka and Suzie started with the Museum of Cinema while Brian and I chose coffee and cake  at the most elegant and famous cafe "Baratti & Milano", established in 1858 and recommended to us by our friend Lexie.  I had Torta Baratti and Brian chose a little brioche-like roll filled with ham, cheese and lettuce.  It was all exquisite!

Turin is the most elegant city with wide paved footpaths, beautiful piazzas and elegant shopping arcades everywhere!  It took us about an hour to circumnavigate the main piazza - Piazza Castello - with a short stop at the Tourist Office and Il Duomo - home of the famous shroud.  

Then a rendevouz with the girls and another visit to Baratti & Milano for more coffee/tea and special treats - I opted for "una pasta" (tiny mushroom shaped pastry filled with custard and cream) and a Gianduja -  Baratti's famous little hazelnut chocolates.

We separated again while the girls did a bit of essential shopping for jackets and shoes and a visit to the Duomo and Brian and I spent about 45 minutes finding Turin's huge post office and another hour at least taking tickets from the automatic queue organiser  to arrange to send home some of our ever increasing volume of luggage.  It was very warm as we finally made our way along Turin's most beautiful street, Via Roma, packed with designer boutiques, and it became necessary to try Lexie's second recommendation for Turin - the tiny and most elegant bar called Mulafsano, where the middle-aged men waiters wear snow white shirts, long white aprons and bow ties - for 2 Italian beers served with exquisite bar snacks, including a tiny and most delicious pizza.


Another rendezvous with the girls before our drive home, and then a quick change before walking into our village for dinner.  And the destination - another recommendation from Lexie - Le Case Della Saracca.  

What a fantastic venue!  We were given the end room of the bar/restaurant to ourselves - really more of a limestone cave, dug into the side of the cliff.  The food and wine were amazing, the staff were wonderful, and we had such a fun time - much hilarity and nonsense, and even a bit more singing ("happy birthday" when the staff brought Lincoln's dessert decorated with a candle)!


And then a slow walk up the hill back to our cottages and a little Barolo digestive which Lincoln had bought in Alba, accompanied by more nonsense and laughter.  

Another fantastic day in Piedmont - due in no small part to those fabulous recommendations from Lexie.