Day Trip To Chieri
Surrounded on the three sides, by what are generally called the Hills of Piedmont (for which Superga Hill is one), sits the town of Chieri. A town that goes back to ancient times, due to the richness of the area and the Po river valley.
From Turin it is easy to get to Chieri. One can either take a bus or take the Sfm1 train from Porta Susa, which runs about every thirty minutes, it is about a thirty minute ride to Chieri and the last stop for this train.
The main pedestrian way, via Vittorio Emanuele II, is a short walk from the train station and has numerous cafes and bars, here you can purchase a coffee or other drink, before you explore this quaint little town.
Town Of A Hundred Towers
During the early middle ages, the town once had numerous towers, especially built into the town wall, which were erected (like in many other towns in Italy) as defensive structures. Most of these were destroyed by Frederick Barbarossa’s army when they laid waste to the town in 1154. However, a few still remain, one of which can be seen below.
Church of Sant Giorgio
This is the highest point and from here you can get a commanding view of the town, as seen in the two photographs above and the beginning photograph.
Other than that, there’s not much else to do in Chieri, except perhaps amble through its quiet streets and perhaps do some shopping. Here is a short slide show of some of the other things you can see while here.
Restaurants
With limited time we were only able to visit one restaurant while here, though several that came up on our search were not open until the evening. However, you will find the choice below to be exceptionally good, if and when you have the chance to visit this charming little town in Piedmont.
Trattoria della Erbe
This trattoria sits on the corner of the Piazza Umberto I and via San Domenico, is fairly non-descript, but the food is authentic Sardinian and quite good.
The menu changes daily and is posted on both a board outside and on the window next to the entrance. The menu is restrictive, as for most small establishments like this one, but everything we ordered was quite tasty and delicious. We started with some antipasti, a Caponata Siciliana, served with eggplant, onion, peppers, green olives and other goodies, not hot, but just warmed a bit. A slight tinge of vinegar mixed with the tomato based sauce was just right to get the taste buds to pucker for more. Our mains, or primis, came out a short time after and included the Levantine di Mare for Patti and for me, the Ravioli Sardi. Both were delicious and portioned correctly, just enough to leave a little room for dessert!
The dessert was actually unexpectedly delicious and savory. A Sardinian Seada or Seadas, that can only be explained as a kind of dough pocket filled with assorted cheese, heated and served with honey. The sweetness of the honey and the saltiness of the cheese make for an unexpectedly tasty treat.
Top that off later with a caffè and Sambuca (to make caffè corretto of course) and you have the culmination of the great lunch.
All in all, Chieri makes a great day trip, if only just to walk around and soak up its quiet stillness, after being in Turin for a few weeks. If only to experience some great Sardinian food at this trattoria!