A quick post about the 5th Annual Motor Show going on in Turin now. We visited it yesterday and they have quite an assembly of cars, boats and other technology to look at. Even the university here had a few entries to demonstrate what they work on and learn, and apparently race!
Our entrance to Valentino Park and the Motor Show 2019The palace and its entrance to see some special vehicles on display
The Cars
Aston Martin
Automobili
Bentley
Mercedes-Benz
BMW
DR
Chevrolet Corvette
Bugatti
Fiat
Ferrari
Ferrari
Formula 1 Racecar
Italdesign
Lexus
Mazda
McLaren
Tesla Model 3
Porsche
University Racing Car
Pagani
XEV
The Food
There is also an extensive food pavilion which is definitely worth the visit. There are foods from all over Italy and other parts of the world including Brazil.
The food pavilion
And then there is the food, from fish to meat to vegan if you so desire.
The Carne Mista, or mixed meat plate, bread and a Barbera
The Fritto Napoletano plate, fried anchovies, squid, shrimp and seaweed balls
Of course, there is plenty of dolci or sweets which we got to go, since we had already eaten too much…
So that’s that, the 2019 Turin Motor Show. If you are a car enthusiast you probably have already attended or booked your trip. If not and you are in the area it is definitely worth a stop. We enjoyed it and we no longer own an automobile nor particularly like them! 🙂
After reading several reviews and actually knowing someone in the states that has the last name Rivoli, my wife and I decided on a road trip today to that namesake.
Entering Rivoli
From Turin‘s Porta Nuova (Turin‘s main train station) we traveled using Trenitalia‘s service to Susa (not to be confused with Porta Susa in Turin), getting off at Alpignano. Then after going under the railroad tracks using the tunnel, since we were disembarked on track 2, we took the GTT 1432 bus from Piazza Tulio Robotti for eight to ten minutes to Rivoli at Fermata 13264 on via Don Murialdo.
The narrow streets of Rivoli
Once you step off the bus and find your bearings you begin to realize that you need to ascend a hill, your ultimate destination being the old Savoia Castel and new Museum of Contemporary Art. Passing many shops and colorful buildings, some needing ownerships, others busy with activity, you slowing ascend the via Fratelli Piol, or main street.
The city itself is actually very well-kept, like other Piedmontese, they obviously have some pride in keeping their community clean. I admit it must be a struggle for them as well as other communities, from what we’ve seen, but this seems not to deter them. The Europeans as a whole still seem to feel they have a right to just pollute and it will not affect them (I will write another article, specific to Turin, on this later), even though they vote and their government seems to do otherwise.
Chiese Santa Croce
After some walking, browsing and curious on looking into shop windows, one will arrive at a fork in the road and clearly see the Church of Santa Croce. A cinnamon and stout marvel of Christianity. With a mural of Christ with his cross above the large wooden doors, but no longer owned by the Catholic Church, but rather the Res Publica – Galleria d’Arte Democratica for art exhibitions and shows.
The Old Grande Ristorante del Castello
Upon reaching the top of the hill you arrive at the old castle, or the Castello di Rivoli. Built by the Savoia and houses the Museum of Contemporary Art it is well worth the travel and the climb.
It commands an amazing view of the surrounding area as well as Turin and other parts of Rivoli itself.
A view of Turin afar, as viewed on a smoggy day from the Castle
When one faces the East North East one also enjoys an amazing view of the Alps too!
A semi-clear view of the Alps, yes they are close here
I will admit the day was somewhat warm and humid.
Another view with Chiesa Collegiata di Santa Maria della Stella
However, compared to North Carolina standards, at fifty percent humidity, it was not totally intolerable. We would therefore call this a warm day, though uncomfortable. Some other sites on our descent included the following.
After a full stomach and enough shopping we had had our fill of Rivoli and it was time to leave. This is where we caution everyone about the deplorable state of some of the fermatas or bus stops in Italy, you just cannot read some of them or they are CLEARLY WRONG. Pay attention to the numbers that are marked on them. The information that your internet application has is probably correct. Also, do NOT have an expectation of bus color or that you will see a bus number when it approaches, ALWAYS ASK THE DRIVER, especially when you are in an out-of-the-way place. It will make your life so much easier, though a bit uncomfortable (since you will have to use your limited Italian.)
Tickets for Two
After crossing Corso Francia multiple times between Fermata 2794 and 2823and feeling like fools, we finally caught the bus we wanted for Alpignano, albeit on the wrong side of that street.
We finally arrived at the station with plenty of time to spare, stamped our tickets, and waited for our train, which of course was five minutes late – but, it did arrive! Buona giornata!
Occasionally, you come across a restaurant, caffe or bar which just hits all the buttons correctly. For us this occurred last evening at Caffe Vini Emilio Ranzini.
I don’t want to call this place a hole in the wall, but that is the first impression a foreigner, an American, will have. All in all it might measure twenty by thirty feet inside, sixty or seventy square feet maximum, including the bar. But, the food is unmatched by other restaurants much larger in size. So, either there is a huge kitchen somewhere we could not see, or the chef is a magician.
To be honest, there is an outdoor patio in the back where they are able to seat perhaps another forty or so guests. We were fortunate this evening to get our own table inside next to the door and near the bar, to watch all the comings and goings (people watching is an acceptable hobby in Italy.)
A Piola Menu
As can be seen by the rather large display above, the menu is displayed on the wall. This is typical for a Piola, a Torinese-style restaurant that has daily offers of food at reasonable prices (or in Italian, a termine piemontese dal significato di osteria, bar).
Tagliere of Salumi and Formaggi, along with other great stuff to eat
For our dinner we selected the Salami and Cheese plate for two. To accompany this, we also ordered the vinegar roasted zucchini squash, roasted peppers and Polpette di Carni (or hot meatballs).
The meat tasted as one would expect, a nice selection of salami and prosciutto. The cheese selection was very good, especially the blue cheese which reminded us of a Stilton and the other whiter cheese above which reminded us of a sharp white cheddar.
Nizza, San Luigi, 2015 – DOCG
The meatballs and zucchini were to die for. It was actually difficult to tell what kind of meat, were in the meatballs (and frankly we were afraid to ask since horsemeat is an acceptable meat in Italy.) But, the spices and the particular way in which they were cooked (it looked like deep-frying but not sure it was), was very tasty. The squash on the other hand was served cold, but the vinegar gave it such a pop in your mouth, you wanted to order more.
The Wine
This specific place also sports a rather nice wine list. Since we were looking for something red to pair with the meatballs, salami and cheese, we went with a nice Barbera. The Nizza from San Luigi, 2015 was an excellent choice. Dry and aromatic with fruity overtones of cherry, it combined very nicely with our meal. A wine which is sure on my short list of choices when I visit my local wine store in the future!
Erick relaxing prior to eating
Patti enjoying the wine
In Conclusion
Though it was our evening out to celebrate our 37th anniversary, we had expected to spend a bit more. So, when the bill came and it came to a total of 37€, we were delightfully surprised. Not only because we thought it so inexpensive, but that we got such good food and atmosphere at such an affordable and reasonable price.
The bar at Caffe Vivi Emilio Ranzini
We are sure the menu changes often, weekly at least, perhaps even daily. Our plans are to go back for lunch. One word of caution. They do have Summer hours (9:30-2:30, 5:30-8:30) starting in June, which are reduced from the hours posted on Google. However, we would recommend this place for either lunch or dinner and it’s just two blocks off of via Garibaldi!
For the next few months, the Museum Reali here in Turin is sponsoring an exhibit of some of Leonardo da Vinci’s works. So my wife and I thought it would be a great opportunity to see the originals of his work for which up to now we have only been fortunate enough to see in books.
The tickets are actually purchased at the ticket office, for which there are plenty of signs to point you in the correct direction (you shouldn’t get lost.) The entrance fee is a bit high, 15€/person, but we thought it is Leonardo and his works usually do not disappoint. So we purchased our tickets and headed to the museum.
One word of caution, though it is advertised that there are some fifty plus works in the collection, they are not all produced by Leonardo. Some are only attributed to him through his working with colleagues and apprentices. So one must pay attention to the note cards for each piece or, if you have paid for it, the audio headset (we no longer get these since we have always found them not to work very well.)
Dioramas and Models
The collection boasts of a few models and dioramas which the visitor can enjoy. Though not directly built by Leonardo, they are from designs that he had put forth in his many notebooks and journals.
Allesandro Siriati’s – Scythed Chariot, 1956
Anatomical Studies and Drawings
Most the of original Leonardo works have to do with his studies of human and animal forms. He was particularly adept at musculature and studies of the face.
Hercules with the Nemean Lion, 1505-08
According to the museum, the above drawing was probably an initial sketch for a proposed statue that never was made. It was apparently destined to stand next to his statue of David in Florence once it was completed.
da Vinci – Male head in profile with a Laurel, 1506-11
There are several sketches and drawings of the human head. Some, like the above, just to capture the heroic nature of some of his models. Others for more exact studies into the human proportions of the face and all of its parts.
da Vinci – Studies of the Proportions of the Face and of the Eye, 1489-90
The one on the left above was a study in the proportions of the eye. This was subsequently glued onto another sheet to join it to his study of the proportions of the overall face. Both show Leonardo‘s interest in the mathematical proportions of his subjects and how they were involved with one’s ability to see, providing us evidence of his overall curiosity of the human condition.
da Vinci – Self Portrait, 1517-18
The portrait to the left is described by the museum as being a self-portrait of the master himself. Though an obviously brilliant work with its economy of lines, etc., it does evoke a sense of wonder as to whether he could have achieved such details from himself, given the deplorable state of mirror technology at that time. It is also very possible that it is either his idealistic image of himself or perhaps more likely of a philosopher of old. In either case it has become our accepted representation of the master who has earned the right to be so represented by his enormous collection of works and detailed analysis of everything he had undertaken.
Poetry and Literary Works
Though actually not known for it, Leonardo did some writing. The museum has several examples of his poetry on display.
Autographed Sonnet with Self Portrait while Frescoing the Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, 1508-12
The most notable of which is the self-portrait above. The sonnet describes Leonardo‘s “Beard in the Sky” position while painting the Sistine Chapel.
Flight and More Familiar Works
Mechanics seemed to have been one of Leonardo‘s passions. Most of use are somewhat acquainted with his works on the subjects. Even the Wright Brothers read his works on the subjects as an introduction to flight mechanics.
da Vinci – Codex Atlanticus, 1493-94
In the above codex Leonardo explored the mechanics and structure of the bird wing. He was very interested in how this could be expressed mechanically with the use of wood and rope. The above design is also articulated in a model which hangs very near the above sketch.
da Vinci – Codex on the Flight of Birds, 1505
Finally his Codex on the Flight of Birds goes into great detail. There are some eighteen or so pages of documentation around this subject for which he had hope to pull together into a book on the subject, but never completed it.
Conclusion
An excellent primer on Leonardo‘s studies, as well as his excellent ability for detailing with pen and ink. There is also a short video on how the writing instruments and inks were developed in that time period which we found very informative.
Though a bit expensive, if you are at all curious and can afford it we think it worth the time and expense.
Since Turin is a city, there are no shortage of grocery stores. Â We’ve been here for several months now and have discovered stores that satisfy all of our needs and wants. Â When we first moved here, we just frequented the regular grocery stores, as we had too many other important issues to handle. Â But, now that we have more time, we have set out to discover all the ‘Mom & Pop’ shops.
Our nearest large grocery store is Lidl – a 10 minute walk.  It is a German grocery chain, however, here it has mostly Italian products.  (We had a Lidl in North Raleigh that had both American and German products). Here, as in the States, it carries mostly off-brand products with only a few brand-name ones.  We found their produce to be very good, as most are grown locally or within other regions of Italy.  Here in Italy, unlike the States, vegetables are seasonal. Certain produce are not year-round, with the exception of imported red peppers from Spain. Prices are quite low, even on brand-name items.  We usually buy our paper products, olive oil (our favorite is Molini brand), milk, butter,  and eggs at Lidl.  We have also purchased chicken and sausage and found it to be very good.
Animal products, in general, are all raised in Italy. No matter if you shop in a grocery store or at the Farmer’s Market, everything is weighed, including iceberg lettuce and celery.  Items are typically not sold as ‘a head’.  You also have to wear plastic gloves to handle the produce.  You weigh the produce, and place the price tag label on it, not the cashier. Though there are still exceptions where the cashier weighs it.
There is a HUGE grocery chain store called IperCoop that we had discovered while staying in the AirBnb.  Now that we have moved to our long-term apartment, it is quite a distance away.  We now have to walk and take a tram to get there, which takes approx. 50 minutes roundtrip.  We do go once in a while, as we find their prices to be competitive.  When I say HUGE, it is big, even by US standards.  It is like a Super Walmart or Super Target.  It has a pharmacy, electronics, and gardening section, besides the usual bakery and butcher.  Their produce is great – Farmer’s Market fresh.  I wish it were closer, as it would be our go-to grocery store.  I am going to digress here a little bit – the IperCoop reminds me a lot of when I was growing up and I would go shopping with my Mom to Shop-Rite in Hudson.  Hudson had a large Italian-American population, so we were able to buy items in-store, that we were never able to find once we moved to North Carolina.  Of course, in Italy, we see these very same items that aren’t in your average American grocery store. Yes, we’ve eaten them all!
Calf’s Tongue and Pig’s Feet in IperCoop – With a Glimpse of Tripe to the Right 🙂
There are also numerous mini-markets throughout the city, equipped with meat, produce, etc. – just on a smaller scale than a regular grocery store. Â We don’t purposely go to them, but when we are out and happen to see one, we stop in to see if there is anything we may need or what they are offering.
Our all-time favorite is the outdoor Farmer’s Market.  Our closest one is about a 15 minute walk in the San Salvario area of Turin on Via Madama Cristina.  It is open every day, except Sunday.  (Stores are closed on Sunday, except for Lidl).  There are many Farmer’s Markets throughout the city.  This happens to be our closest one and it is big enough to have everything we need. Besides produce vendors, there are cheese, meat, bakery, fish and flower vendors.  Everything is grown locally in the countryside outside of Turin.  The vendors bring their produce of the day and it is all so fresh! My favorite so far are Piccadilly Tomatoes.  They have the most intense fresh-from-the-garden taste!  It is more of an effort to shop at the Farmer’s Market, due to having to speak (a bit in) Italian!  Remember, no pounds here! Everything is in kilograms, (2.2 pounds= 1 kilogram).  You are not allowed to touch the items.  You have to tell the vendor which one you want, or how much.  If you touch produce, you will get yelled at.  Ask me how I know 🙂
Farmer’s Market on Via Madama Cristina
Piccadilly Tomatoes – YUM!!
Squash with Flower Blossoms, Onions, Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella, Fresh Pasta, Celery and Radishes
Squash flower blossoms are one of my favorites.  Again, my Mom used to make them. Of course these are seasonal, as the squash are picked very early.  The squash are so tender and the blossoms are delicious.  Erick had them for the first time and enjoyed them too. We also purchased fresh Agnolotti pasta – a Piemontese specialty.  They can be stuffed with a variety of fillings, including horsemeat, beef, rabbit, pork or veal with spinach.  I didn’t ask the vendor what filling was in the ones I purchased; maybe I should have, but it was delicious anyway!
Patti shopping for fresh Agnolotti – The lady to my right told me that I needed to pick a number. Hey, I’m only trying to look right now! LOL Â I guess she thought I might cut in front of her. Â Erick joked about how we all must be related, due to how short we all are. Wise guy!
Fried Squash Flower Blossoms – SOOO delicious!
Just a common bunch of broccoli and garlic
After we leave the Farmer’s Market, we usually head to the bakery nearby.  Who doesn’t love the smell of freshly baked bread? We go to Panificio Ficini Valter on Via Claudio Luigi Berthollet.  Everything is weighed in Italy and I mean EVERYTHING.  You don’t pay for one loaf of bread – instead it is weighed.  I don’t have pictures of bread. I guess it gets eaten up too quickly.  For a large ciabatta, you will only pay about €1.20 (approx $1.34).  Even in Lidl, they bake bread and it is super cheap and delicious.  For a baguette, you will get charged €.39 (approx $.44). Bread shops here also make slices of pizza and panini. It is all so delicious.  Another bakery we go to, which is a 10 minute walk from home is Perino Vesco on Via Cavour.  They are all amazing!
Next stop is the butcher.  Erick and I are not huge meat-eaters, however the meat is so lean and fresh here, that we always want to buy something.  Chicken breasts are truly a deep yellow color.  All the beef is so lean and tender.  Of course, they will cut everything to order. We go to the one closest to the Farmer’s Market – it doesn’t have a name.  It literally just says “Macelleria” on the outside sign. Right now, I can’t even think what street it is on.  There are butcher shops closer to our apartment, so I’m sure we will visit some others soon.  They are all so crowded (including the bread shops) that it is difficult to take photos and I don’t want to get yelled at 🙂
Beef Flank Stuffed with Seasoned Ground Beef – It was delicious! Â Meat is the most expensive item here. Â But, 5.35 euros is still a deal!
Now to talk about foods that we are used to buying in the US – I cook a lot of Italian-American food, but there comes a time we want something different. Â We were in Conad (another grocery store that we really like) one day when Erick spotted some fixins to make Tacos! That is one thing I like about living in a city in Italy – better access to other ethnic foods that you wouldn’t ordinarily find in smaller towns. Â Lidl from time to time will do an “American” week or “Mexican” week, but since we’ve been here, have not seen it. Â Well, we didn’t have to wait for “American” week! Conad has taco soft shells, and salsa ALL the time! No brand-name items but they tasted just as good. Â There was no taco seasoning, but we substituted chili seasoning instead – it worked!
Taco fixin’ – all was pretty inexpensive. Â Imported from Sweden!
Another food item that is difficult to find here are pierogies.  They are a great alternative to potatoes, rice and noodles.  Thankfully for Google, I found a grocery store called Mix Markt. This time a 20 minute walk took us to this (Eastern)European/Middle Eastern/Russian market.  It had items of course that we had never seen before nor could identify! 🙂  We found potato pierogies from Austria – Bingo!  The highlight of this grocery store were these cans of fish or should I say cans of crap! 🙂
Cans of Crap in Tomato Sauce or Spicy Hot! Â For 10 Euro Cents More You Can Get Filet of Crap! Take Your Pick!
We believe this is Carp (misspelled) in a can – goldfish? Who knows? Â Imported from Portugal. Â Either way, Crap or Carp, no thank you!
So my wife and I thought it would be a great opportunity to see the originals of his work for which up to now we have only been fortunate enough to see in books.
