The word for Turin, (or Torino, as the Italians call it), is BIG. Everything in this town seems supersized. Enormous piazzas, grand buildings, tall, tall covered walkways, everywhere and everything seemed so b i g. It was not the typical European town with an ancient centre full of tiny, winding and labyrinthine streets. No, this city was built and designed on a large scale and mainly in a grid. Very impressive architecture.
This is a second hand - used clothes and items market we just happened upon that was utterly nutty. It was jammed full of people selling everything from used shoes (many, many, many shoes) to old cell phones and adapters and wires and cables of every description as well as half full bottles of shampoo! Cassio got a decent tie for 1 euro to wear on formal nights on our upcoming cruise (more about this soon). The market was a fun place even if it felt a little sketchy and dirty. We also noted that this area of town seemed to be predominately populated by people of arab descent and then a few short blocks away, we encountered posh, upscale "pretty" families lunching at a chic bistro. It was a city of contrasts too.
On our second day in Turin we visited the Automobile Museum. I am not a car person, but I tell you, it was riveting and I kept looking at the cars, trying to identify the gradual changes and evolutions from the very earliest models to the most futuristic "cars" of tomorrow. We got there two and a half hours before closing and I figured for sure this would be enough time. Nope. We ended up seeing everything but had to rush through the last third. It was well presented and had informative videos that put a cultural and historical spin on the importance and influence of the car in our world. Excellent place.
More large scale places in Turin below:
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