Tuesday, July 4th

After breakfast, I paid my bill and thanked the owners once again for a wonderful stay and for offering to have their son drive me to the train station in Savigliano. As we left the hotel, I quickly realized that their son was a “new driver.” He zipped along the road at a very fast pace, passing huge trucks on the two-lane road. I mentioned to him that I had plenty of time before my train left. He continued to drive at a very fast rate. We had a nice conversation during the drive, even though I was a little nervous about his driving skills.

I was happy to see the Savigliano train station once again. We arrived quite early and so I had lots of time to spare. I thanked him and gave him some money for gas. I bought my ticket and then headed to the binario where my train was departing. I knew the tracks pretty well at this station by now.

An announcement was made about the train being late. I panicked a little when I heard the words Torino to Savona being mentioned. For some reason, the announcement put the idea in my head that the train that arrived a few minutes earlier and stopped on the other side of the binario was my train and I was waiting for the wrong train – the train that was coming from Torino instead of the train that was going to Torino. All I could think of was that once again, I would be stuck in Savigliano with all of my bags for hours. All the people waiting with me assured me that I did not miss my train and that I was waiting in the correct place. There was not much I could do but to trust them and so I tried my best to stay calm.

My train finally arrived and it was packed. I boarded the train and then I walked almost the entire length of the train looking for an open seat. I finally ended up standing in one of the areas where you get on/off the train, between two of the cars, for the 50-minute ride. My nano ipod has come in handy for occasions like this! 

Torino

I was so happy to finally arrive in Torino. It was around 11 am. I knew in advance that there was a huge taxi strike lasting almost a week, so I figured out the route to my hotel from the train station the night before while still in Saluzzo. My hotel was not more than a 15-minute walk from the train station, which was nice. Torino is a great city for those who get lost easily (like me). Almost all streets run in straight lines. My hotel was very easy to find.

When I arrived at my hotel, I was told that it would be another hour before my room would be ready. Not a problem since I no longer had to lug my bags! Torino is filled with stores. It’s a shopper’s dream city. I would be able to find plenty to do while waiting for my room to be ready.

I wandered around the main shopping street, Via Roma. As I continued to explore Torino, trying to orient myself, I ended up in the pretty Piazza Castello. This was where the medals were given out during the Winter 2006 Olympics.

I stopped at one of the little tourist booths that were set up all over the city. Two very friendly people were waiting inside. I already had a map (from Katia). I wanted to purchase a Torino card which gives you access to most museums as well as many other benefits (one being free transportation on all the buses and rail cars). I also picked up a few little walking tour booklets while there.

After returning to my hotel and unpacking my things, I ventured back out to look for a place to have some lunch. I discovered this fun little bookstore that had a little bar inside serving great food, with seating both inside and outside. I ordered some quiche and some tomatoes with olive oil. Very delicious!

After lunch, I walked around the city some more and then went to the Mole Antonelliana.  La Mole Antonelliana is the tallest building in Torino and at one time was the tallest building in the world. I had heard so much about the Mole and was excited to finally visit. I used my Torino card to purchase both a ticket for the lift to the top and also for the entrance into the Museo Nazionale del Cinema (National Museum of Cinema).

After a wild elevator to the top of the Mole, I spent the next couple of hours in the Cinema Museum. This turned out to be one of my favorite places to visit while in Torino.

For more on my visit to La Mole Antonelliana & the Museo Nazionale del Cinema (Cinema Museum)… with details about my visit (with photos) check out my April 2008 blog post.

Here’s a tease…

World Cup Mania

I was so fortunate to be in Italy during the World Cup. I’ve been aware of Italy’s passion for football (soccer) since my first trip to Italy, but being here during the World Cup really helped me appreciate and understand the game. I was told that the two ways to cheer on Italy’s team were Forza Italia and Forza Azzurri (azzurri meaning blue for their blue jerseys). I could feel the excitement build after each Italy win. If I had only known in advance, I would have made sure to not fly out the morning after the final (but that’s another post).

The day of my arrival in Torino was also the the day of the Italy-Germany semi-final game of the World Cup (i Mondiali). I asked around and found out that the match would be broadcast on a huge outdoor screen in Piazza San Carlo. I was pretty excited to be in Torino for this event. What a perfect way to spend my first evening in Torino! 

After I left the Mole, I noticed little stands of flags sprouting up all over. The energy and anticipation for the semi-final was everywhere.

I stopped back at my hotel to change. I grabbed some focaccia for dinner at a nearby shop and then headed to the piazza. 

I couldn’t believe the scene when I arrived at the piazza. It was CRAZY!! There were so many flags waving and horns blasting constantly!! There was singing and the cheering. Just being in the crowd with everyone was such an amazing feeling! This was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.

When Italy came out before the match began, fireworks started going off. There was colored smoke everywhere. Right by the statue in the middle of the piazza was a bright red glow that looked like the statue was being set on fire. I became a little concerned, but then figueed it could not be a fire since all the police, who were positioned all around the edge of the piazza, did not move. I finally realized that it must have been the one of those red smoke things but for a minute there, it really looked like the statue was going to burn up. 

Throughout the first half, the horns continued to blow constantly and the cheers and singing continued. There were three brave Germans in the crowd standing near me. Their faces were painted in the German colors. Katia and I were sending each other SMS messages back and forth. I called Francesco to tell him where I was but then could not even hear him on the phone. I tried to call him back after walking over to the edge of the piazza but my phone went dead once again! It was a great first half although there was still no score. *some photos were cut off in this collage… click on one to see the full photo

The minute the first half ended everyone evacuated the piazza! My guess was everyone was going somewhere to use the bathroom. At least that’s what I needed to do! I headed back to my hotel. Since this was my first night in Torino and it was a pretty big city, I decided to watch the second half of the game in my hotel room. I wasn’t sure how safe it would be to walk alone late at night, especially not knowing how the crazy crowd would react when the game ended.

The second half of the game ended in a tie. The match then went into overtime. Italy scored two goals back-to-back right at the end of the overtime period. The town went wild each time they scored! It was now 11:30. The celebration began and went on for over an hour. 

FORZA AZZURRI!!