Turin

If you go to Turin, you have to stay in one of the hotels in the old Lingotto Fiat factory.

The roof is the old test track.. There is now a large mall in the old factory.

The Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli, a painting museum on the roof, is free if you stay in the DoubleTree.

"American" fast food in the mall.

Old Wild West is a pretty popular chain in Italy.

They could work on their theme.

Would you get tartare from a mall food court?

An Italian spin on the fortune teller machine.

I guess cars could still drive up to the roof.

Eataly is Italian Whole Foods with restaurants inside (including a one-star Michelin restaurant). It was right next to the hotel.

There was also a museum inside dedicated to Carpano Vermouth.

Fresh or preserved.

Take your pick.

You can get cheap delicious wine from many grocery stores in Italy by filling up your own bottle with the local tap.

Barbera (left) and Nebbiolo (right) grapes are used to make the wine in Piedmont. We liked Nebbiolo better, but the wine on the right is a Barolo, which has a special distillation procedure that makes it taste a little fortified.

Valentino Park, next to the Po River, has statue that looks like ripped Karl Marx.

The park has a recreation of  Medieval Castle with many cool shops and cafes.

There may be better places to use the restroom.

The Mole Antonelliana is the most recognizable building in Turin's skyline. It was completed in 1889, and was originally supposed to be a Synagogue. It now houses the Cinema Museum.

View from the top.

The Cinema Museum is a fun place to spend a few hours.

The perspective exhibit was pretty cool.

The elevator that goes to the roof travels through the center of the building.

It can be an unnerving ride.

Turin has some excellent Paninis.

Now that's a fancy McDonald's.

The Baci Perugina McFlurry gives gelato a run for its money.

Poormanger has the best baked potato in town.

Italy is not good about copyright infringement.

The Shroud of Turin is housed in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. There was almost no one there.

The Palatine Towers, originally built by the Romans in the 1st century BC.

The Green Count is a famous Medieval leader of Savoy. Amadeus VI successfully fought in the 100 Years War and a Crusade.

Nice hat Zucchero.

 

We were lucky enough to be in town for the Feast of St. John. The Faro (bonfire) occurred while we were there.

The town square was filled with oddities like old people dancing and religious protestors during the day.

The evening of the bonfire began with a parade of the neighborhoods, many in traditional costumes.

Gianduja, Turin's Falstaff, and his wife Giacometta.

Even this dog enjoyed the parade.

Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom.

Turin has a a large Peruvian population.

Can college students take anything seriously?

This was definitely a Pagan ritual at some point.

Hopefully they never used a real bull.

Or a person.

I didn't see the way the bull fell, but if it falls a certain direction, apparently its lucky.

What mob doesn't love a good bonfire?

And gelato after.

Our last stop was the Egypt Museum. It had an impressive collection, but was unfortunately focused on Turin's acquisition of its pieces.

Not everyone in Italy dislikes refugees.

Book of the Dead

They wrapped mummies in some pretty odd spells.

Egyptian pillows look pretty uncomfortable.

A cow being sacrificed.

Egyptians wrote their names in their coffins so they could pass successfully into the afterlife.

Taweret, a domestic Godess.

What good museum doesn't have Smell-o-Vision.

 

Crocodile Mummy

Poor Fido

You've got to keep your prisoners down, even in death.

Hall of Sekhmet. Priests begged Sekhmet every day not to end the Pharaoh's life.

Let's end with Bes.