Catching Time: Turino Tuesday (and Wednesday)

So, though it looks like we just gallivanting around Italy drinking wine and eating cheese... we are actually working quite hard. Not that I'm complaining by any means. However, I have had a few people ask about my "vacation" to Italy. No, no my friend. We are working hard and playing hard, as it should be. :o)

So on Tuesday of this week, we took the train to Turino (Turin for those in the states). Being the fancy pants that we are, we took first class (Yay for free coffee!).

Upon our arrival to Turin, we checked in at the dorms (a sister campus of our own), and went to Eataly... think Wegmans, Whole Foods and your favorite authentic Italian restaurant exploded and that is Eataly. :) We got lunch which for me consisted of wine, meat and cheese. Yessssssss. :)

So following lunch the groups branched off with most of the students and Cathy going to the cinema museum. Myself and three other girls (Alison, Blanca and Megan) met with a sweet woman named Sara by the castello (castle) in the city center. The castle was turned into a museum with artifacts from the Roman-era to the early 1900s. The focus was the influence on fashion an society an how that changed over time (and still changes). It was fascinating and the art history/history buff in me was squealing.

After the tour, we went back to Eataly for dinner. I got rolled chicken, russet potatoes and a mixed salad. For dessert I had this delicious and rich chocolate cake (originally from Austria if I remember correctly) and a cafe'. DELISH!

I spent some time shopping in Eataly and came away with shopping bags (reusable and insulated), balsalmic, candies, soaps, espresso spoons and some other food items.

Day 2:

We started off early on Wednesday because we had to catch our train back to Milano by 2pm. So after a fast breakfast at the dorm we headed back to the castle to meet with Sara for a historic tour of downtown. We went to the church that once housed the Shroud of Turino (the shroud said to be covering Christ's body after the crucifixion), as well as the palace and castle. We also went to the city square where some higher end shops now exist.

A cool part of the day was seeing the statue/fountain that was featured in the Italian movie Deep Red that we saw last week. :o)

After the tour I hobbled back to the dorm to pack up and get ready for lunch. Cathy and I returned to Eataly for one last go-round before our trip home. I got a veggie gnocchi dish which was okay but not my favorite. But I DID have one of the most amazing drinks of my entire life... espresso with chocolate fudge and fresh whipped cream (I'll have to ask Cathy the name of it again).