A Night of "Magic" Torino, the Occult Underground

Torino, line many cities with an ancient past, has a history of the Occult and religious beliefs that today would seem silly. I definitely was not silly to the Women branded as witches and the Men branded in a like manner. Torino had a history of hangings in the central Piazza mostly in the 17th and 18th centuries. In fact, history says the hangmen were so disliked (it could be you next) that the city had to pas an ordinance protecting their rights to services and access to food. I would assume they were not alone in this need.

The nighttime tour(it started at 9pm) took us around to various spots and buildings and sculptures in the city that had history. Many of the buildings have stone carvings protecting their windows and doors.
This sculpture is an eerie representation of men trying to climb out of the underground, Hades, whatever you want to call it.
The angel Michael is guarding the entry to the Upper world. All very steeped in tradition, religion and folklore, Just about every culture thru the ages has had a version of St. Michael (Mars in Roman, Ares in Grecian culture, Horus in Egyptian) And the stories are similar. Protect ion from the underworld, which also is common in these cultures.
So there are many different ways that were used over the years as a protection.
Here are some of the carvings in the buildings and on doors.
Many doors and entryways are elaborate carvings when looked at closely represent good (angels and people) or are designed to ward off evil (gargoyles). Its interesting that many of these were built into the homes of the very wealthy for protection, as well as into the entry points of Bank buildings and churches. Even then, they new where the challenge points to evil began.

During the day, you would probably pass by these moldings and hardly even notice them, but at night, they have an eerie significance all their own.
Torino is also known as the home of the Shroud of Turin, the cloth that was supposedly wrapped around Christ for his burial. It is not currently on Display and they are making a new church to contain it. But it is represented in the square by the symbol on the wall in the Piazza Reale (Royal Square)

This is the facade of the Royal Palace Which was the home to the last royal  family.

As you might imagine, there are parts of Italian history that they do not like, like the German occupation during WW II. Mussolini's Fascist built a very conspicuous headquarters in the late 30's and also occupied several of the palaces for their dominion. The tall thin building, Taller than any other structure in Torino,  was their headquarters during the war.

There are many more pictures of ghost and goblins (appropriate for Halloween eve) in the picture on my link here  Torino Magic

The Abbey of San Michele

Went by car northwest of Torino to the small town of Giaveno, about a 1 hour drive. The town is at the base of the Piedmonte mountain range, which is quite severe. It is so difficult to cross that Torino was considered of strategic military importance since it was difficult to be attacked over these mountains. The quest of this visit is the 1200 year old Sacra di San Michele, Abbey of St. Michael.
The building was actually constructed that long ago, but over the top of 3 prior abbeys and churches. So the are has a very long history of religious influence. It was started by the Benedictine monks, but currently is operated by the Rosminian Fathers.

It took us almost as long to scale the 962 meter Mount Pirichiano as it did to drive from Torino. You can see from the picture how it is perched at the very tip of this mountain. And as you can see from the next picture, it is massive in volume and size.

The engineer in me can't help but wonder how before 1000 a.d. they were able to construct such a fortress.  Even touring it is exhausting. There are lots of stairs and no elevators, so bring your walking shoes.
This abbey is one of three dedicated to San Michele, the warrior angel. One other in the Apulian region of southern Italy and the third in Normandy France. They form a triangle which is to protect all of Western Europe from evil by St. Michael, the Guardian Angel.
Even as difficult as it is to get around, Mass is still said in the main chapel every Sunday. Judging from the sounds of the monks practicing, I would say the experience would be worth the trip.

 Of course the church is all marble with the tombs of the founding monks circling the outside of the nave of the main church, realizing these sarcofogi are 1000 years old is amazing.

There is the usual link to the rest of the pictures I took today. Warning, so of them gave me acrophobia like I felt looking over the walls of the abbey.  I didn't care if the church has stood for over 1200 years and been the target of many wars, It would be my luck to be there during some calamity or other, or a wall finally giving way.

That was as close to the edge as I was going,.

 
The rest of the photos, 
including a lot of the mysticism of San Michele, can be found here:Abbey of San Michele

The Basilica at Superga

I made some editing corrections this evening 11/4/13 at 19:00 local time.

Ivan who was the tour leader for all these wonderful places I've been over the past 2 weeks, was unhappy with my clumsy representation of this place and time, so he suggested   the following, which I just incorporated in my blog here. Thank you Ivan. 

BASILICA OF SUPERGA 

by Salvatore Ivan Italiano. 

Turin war-plight in September 1706.

Turin and Austria armies are allied against the Franco-Spanish armies. The independence of Turin is at stake.

Meanwhile atop the hill of Superga -

Prince Vittorio Amedeo II and Eugenio of Savoy were inspecting the
Franco-Spanish army positions which were been besieging Turin for four months.

Given the criticality of the situation, a vow was made before the statue of the Holy Mother. In case of victory a church would be built atop the hill to honor Her. A reproduction of the statue can be still found into the chapel. 

In 1706, Torino was being besieged by the  Franco-Spanish army. They were losing badly and were days away from being defeated. The King, Vittorio Amedeo II, met with his military advisors on the top of the highest hill surrounding Torino. There was a statue of Mary, and he vowed to the status to build a church in her honor of the city was saved. Very quickly, the tide turned, and his army was victorious. This basilica is the result of that promise made by the King that day.
 The basilica was built over the next hundred years, a testament to the King and his military. It also now houses the Royal mausoleum of the Savoy family, the ruling monarchs of Italy for many years, whose tombs were scattered in Italy and France.
In addition, in 1949, the Torino national football team was returning from a game and all died when the plane they were on crashed into the mountain near the church in a dense fog. There is also a monument to the team at the base of the basilica.


The church is very ornate and detailed, as can be expected for its noble purpose.

The main part of the church is very elaborate. This is typical of most of the churches I have visited, with very beautiful statuary and finishing details that show the craftsmanship that is the hallmark of Italian work. The marble in the floors is exquisite, well made and usually with elaborate patterns and construction. Its easy to understand why this architecture has lasted so many years, and through so many conflicts.

More picture can be found by following this link: Superga Basilica

This is the statue of Mary, now in the Church, where the King made his vow. to build the basilica. It was originally outside and was remade and moved into the church after its construction.

A seminary for Popes

 The church was also used as a seminary for priests, but a very select group of men, selected for their potential to lead the Roman Catholic Church. It was a seminary for Popes in waiting.

In one room is are several walls filled with the pictures of the pontiffs from the new pope Frances in the center of the picture to St. Peter in the number one spot on the left.

When asked if any of the seminarians actually ever became a pope the answer was no, but several of them were critical in the politics of the selection process, and one actually was elected Pope as part of an alternative church.

An amazing lunch of white Truffles

I had some editing errors on the food menu so I updated this blog on 11/4/13 at 19:00 local time.

Yesterday, on Thursday, as a part of the tour of the piedmont region, Ivan took me by train to the eastern part of the Piedmont state to the small city of Alba. Alba is the white Truffle capital of Italy. They train and use dogs to hunt the truffles, in season, in the hills and valleys of this area. 

The restaurant is below street level in the old part of town. From the pictures in the web album you can see the domed brickwork which makes up the interior of the restaurant.The restaurant, famous for its White Truffle recipes, is called Enoteca and its on the main Piazza.

Now for the important part, the lunch itself. Please don't count the calories, I didn't. But I have been very careful not to overeat while here, knowing we were going to have a lunch like this.

 The appetizer was Polenta e Salsicca. The polenta was firm but very creamy, and balanced the sauce extremely well. 

The wine was a 2011 Langhe Nebbiolo, a dry red wine (an early Barolo) local to the area. Really liked how it balanced the food. Even with my suspect taste buds, it was good. 

Now the best part.

My past dish was Produtiori del Bebbabesco, A very thin fettucci with a light wine sauce and grated slivers of white truffles. The truffles are a bit earthy, and were wonderfully balanced by the slight sweetness of the sauce. 

 Ivan doesn't eat pasta (and he claims he is Italian) so he ordered Tajorbim and white truffles, a sort of carpaccio of beef. For his main course (secondi), he had veal in a truffle and wine sauce (Stufeto al Porolo) and I had lamb in a red wine sauce, Lamb Elle Ebbe. I had to taste everything, and it was worth the calories, even if I have to walk everywhere for the next month.

Couldn't pass on dessert, after all this is waist busting time and don't know when I will get a meal like this again. 

 I chose the Hazelnut Nocciola with persimmons and pomegranate seeds, not truffles here. and our appertifs were regional as well, a Limoncello and a Bobolo Chimoto, both locally produced.

The only thing left was to find our way back to the train station and sleep on the 90 minutes back to Torino. 

It was a very magical lunch, something I don't think I will have the opportunity to repeat for a very long time. Ivan, our tour guide, went above his duty in setting this diversion up. And I had to purchase a white truffle and Piedmont cookbook. Just going to have to find a substitute.

There are more pictures on this web link: Truffle Lunch Pictures

Torino has the 2nd most extensive collection of Egyptian artifacts in the world

So I've been working for the past 2 days to get these wonderful pictures of the Egypt Museum, but Google upload was just not working. I have to use google for the pictures, to write my Blog. I will add the pictures later. Note, Just got it working again. 

     

I figured out how to create a link to these pictures in their entirity where I upload them to my Google Drive (in my picasa folders). In the future, I will limit the pictures to ones to entice you to look at the rest in the shared folder. I will put a link on the blog which can be linked to. This is the like of the total 120 pictures I took at the museum.

Egyptian Museum in Torino Photos

This museum, in addition to the statuary and the mummies (carcases, wrappings and sarcophagi), has an extensive collection of Pottery which you will find pictures of here. This stuff is beautiful.

  

The Egyptian Museum has been a highlight of Torino, so far. During the tour, you walk by the restoration center, and can look at the mummies and other artifacts that they are restoring. Plus, they let you take as many pictures as you want. No officious Docent running around telling you "No Photographie" or some such verbage like in most other Museums (I know. I'm constantly being yelled at).  And the articles in the collection are spectactular. They cover the complete spectrum on known Egyptian history and the history of the known world at the time . With every media type. They have woven baskets from 3000 bc, cloth shrouds from mummies, and yes, even mummies. Part of the collection was given to the Italians by the Egyptian governemnt, because they knew the Italians could save the articles. Marble, bronze, Mixed metals (a very difficult process 4000 years ago.).The guidebook says it is the most important collection of ancient egyptian Objects . It was founded i 1824 by Kink Carlo of Sardinia. It has been added to many times, by governments and privateers. There are statues of Ramses II and Amenhotop II, with sarcographi, mummies (lots) Weapons, musical instruments even papyri books.There is an entire temple carved for an emperor in 1400BC. Lots of this was excavate by italian specialists who created special equipment back in the early 20th century.

Warning, Be careful what you ask for

It was damp and rainy yesterday, and I'd had more than my share of strong Italian coffee, espresso and cappuccino. So I stopped into a Cafe and asked for a hot chocolate, just the right thing to take the chill off. And that's what I got a coffee mug full of dark rich liquified hot chocolate. Sort of the consistency of pudding. I looked at our guide and he said, that is what people drink here as hot chocolate. I thought it was strange when the waitress asked me how much whipped cream I wanted in it. Evidently the standard is 50% chocolate and 50% cream, and they leave it up to you to mix.
I ate it anyway, and it was rich, but very filling.

Oh, BTW, if you want American hot chocolate, you need to ask for a Maraccino (as in cherry, except the CC is sounded as a K), it comes pretty close, and come with a shot of espresso anyway.

I was so shocked about this process, I didn't even take a picture. You wouldn't believe be anyway.

Tylenol is not in Europe

Because of the blood thinner I take (Xarelto) like many blood thinners. I cannot take aspirin or other pain medications. Didn't think to bring my Tylenol. Tylenol is everywhere right. Well it isn't, in fact I couldn't even find generic Acetaphenol. So I found a Pharmacia with a doctor who looked it up.  In Italy, the generic is Paracetamolo. Was lucky to find a doctor, because other pharmacists couldn't do the cross reference. Thought to brings my medications, but not something like headache remedies. And with all the wonderful wine here, I need it. 

Thursday, went to see the Castle at La Venaria Reale

About 30 miles out of Torino is a marvelous castle of the Italian Monarchy. I've been having to learn a lot about Italian history to make any sense of the places we are visiting. I learn today that Prior to creation of the Republic of Italy in around 1860, Italy was a group of City/States run by a monarch in each political domain. Places like Torino, Milano, Florence, Rome , Naples were all governed by their own monarchs and he King of Torino became the King of Italy the first go around. In fact, Torino was the first capital. 

Don't shoot me if I get some of these fact wrong. Its a lot to try to keep track of. 

I do know the Savoy dynasty of France has a very long lineage also related to the monarch of Italy. 

This is the first castle in Torino, La Venaria Reale. It was dormant and not maintained until about 10 years ago when the EU decided to spend money to create a visitors attraction. And attraction it is. The gardens, when finished, will rival Versailles, as they did when it was fully operational. BTW, this castle started life as the "Hunting Lodge" of the royal family, with thousands of acres of land for hunting.

This is the map as provided when you take the tour. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed in the castle and The only pictures I took are of the outside. They have made amazing progress fo having been at it for only 10 years. I expect when they are done in another 10, it will even be more spectactular.

 
This is what the grounds look like at the present. This is only one small section or about 1/10 of what the finished gardens will look like. And yes, those are swans floating in the pool.

Looking at the back side of this massive building there is a water feature with a fountain.

And its getting to be fall around here as you can see by the trees changing colors.

Today I took a city tour

One way to get to know this city is to take a planned tour,which was neat because they gave you earpieces and had the tour in many different languages.

Note there are 2 different tours. But nowhere does it say the "B" tour is only on weekends. Spent an hour waiting for that tour bus  before the "A" bus came along and told me to hop on if I wanted a tour.

But by taking the tour, I know if 4 places I would like to go back to visit

The city has been in existence for a thousand years and the variety of the architecture reflects this.

Until 15 years ago, it was a very industrial city dominated by Fiat Auto, until they went bankrupt, along with other car companies. The city then reinvested in themselves, by renewing all this architecture downtown, and now is thriving on a very mixed economic climate.

Behind Already in posting

I'm finding it tough to get used to the time here, and living in a vacation environment. Like taking a shower this morning, it just doesn't have all the amenities and flexibility as home. Guess its been too long since i travelled.
Back to travelling. I'm going to make a study of Gelato bars in Italy while  I'm here. Can you think of a better subject? Not going to help my diet tho. Found my first candidate (of three tasted) here in Torino.

Its in the covered archway very near the Castle and Piazza Castello. 

he original castle is very old, as you can see its Medieval.

The covered walk for the king is now very nice shops, well kept.