My last day in Italy, Easter Monday, was spent exploring the once-Olympic city of Turin. My guess is that most of the venues were outside the city center, predominantly in the mountains, because there is little evidence in the historic old-town that anything of the sort took place. It was a wonderful day, much improved weather-wise from Milan, and I spent I lazily wondering about. Most everything was closed before noon, except the churches, which were all full of individual worshipers. I have read that Turin is particularly spiritual, especially for northern Italy, and I concur based on the little I saw. Perhaps it has something to do with being the home of the much-debated Shroud of Turin, supposedly the funeral shroud of Jesus Christ Himself. Irritatingly, I discovered upon my arrival that the shroud would not be open to the public until the 2nd of May, less than a month from now. Nevertheless, I enjoyed still enjoyed the day. I spent the better part of one hour waiting in line to ascend the Mole Antonelliana, an incredible tower serviced by a glass elevator. From the top, you literally have an incredible 270º view of the Alps. It was well worth the wait. After that I toured some more churches, as well as surprisingly large collection of Egyptian antiquities, before strolling along the Po River. As it was a national holiday, every other Italian family was out, enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery with me. Along the river, there is a modern reconstruction of what a Medieval Turin would have looked like, complete with narrow passageways, public fountains, churches, and small merchants shops. I enjoyed Turin very much…the mood of the city was remarkably calm and relaxed, at least compared to Milan, and it seemed the most important thing in the world was simply enjoying the good weather.
Some of Turin's Churches
Main Square
Roman Ruins
Medieval City (re-constructed)
Along the Po
The Mole Antonelliana, and view from the top
(click to expand)
