We all wake up groggily, with little sleep from the previous night. But we make ourselves start moving so we can get out and enjoy the morning before it heats up (a bit of a reverse from the existing schedule).  

My dad is merciful and picks up coffee and pastries while we are still getting ready, so we enjoy a nice little breakfast before starting the day.

//Grandpa note: Found a place called Buster’s Coffee and still no one spoke english.

We are excited to explore Turin, since we arrived late last night. When we walk past our building, we find ourselves on a square with organ music floating out of a church. Directly ahead is a large enclosed park with dogs running around off-leash. While it isn’t condoned as an off-leash dog park, people are using it as such. Oliver isn’t very sociable, but I think he appreciates the off-leash time to explore. The kids run around a little too. It’s definitely the most scenic dog park I’ve been to, and it makes me miss ours up on Russian Hill in San Francisco.

//Grandpa note: Maybe the nicest dog park ever.

 x

I run Oliver back to the apartment, while the rest of the family visits the church. When I meet up, the church volunteer gives me a piece of fabric to drape over my shoulders. I forgot about dressing decently in Summer. Oops. The church is very nice, but we’ve seen so many on this trip. What makes Cattedrale di San Giovannie Battista special is it’s the supposed home to the shroud of Turin (Jesus’s burial cloth). There’s a reproduction on display. It’s very strange, and I find the whole place unremarkable.

The street next to the church opens onto a huge square. Now we feel like proper tourists. Directly in front of us is a long street with beautiful columned walkways. Most shops are having their summer sale. Mom and I pop in a couple stores but want to return without the rest of the fam if we can manage it.

//Grandpa note: I have never seen so much shopping.  To Grandma’s credit she did not break the bank.

We walk to the Museo Egizio, known to have the greatest collection of Egyptian art outside of Cairo. It’s not inexpensive (15 Euros/adult), but the collection is huge. We can’t make our way through everything before Oly falls asleep on my dad and Lillian begins complaining of hunger. I would still recommend it. Just go full and well-rested. There are many mummies, and other burial objects from even before there were hieroglyphics! It’s very interesting. My parents are so sweet and take the kids to a nearby cafe while Stefan and I finish the visit.

//Grandpa note: This museum is amazing and if anything it has too much to see.

When we meet up with them, they are seated on a patio on a square where a musician plays. It’s lovely. We enjoy a wonderful lunch of focaccia, pasta (the kids are obsessed), caprese salad and jugs of the house white wine. We sit for hours until we decide we must go home to let the kids rest.

My mom and dad collapse when we get home and somehow the kids get their second wind. Great. After running around for a bit, they finally settle in front of a movie. Ah peace and quiet. So far the plan of going out early and resting in the afternoon is working out very well.

//Grandpa note: I don’t know if i would say “collapse”.  I just merely rested my eyes for a couple of hours.

We make a couple “happy birthday” phone calls, then decide to leave for dinner. Of course right then we hear thunder in the distance. It’d been raining a bit during rest time, but we thought it was done for the night. We head out in search of the place I found on TripAdvisor. Thunder gets stronger as we walk. We reach the restaurant, and it’s closed. We begin to search for alternatives on our phones, and the heavens open. This downpour is serious!

Luckily we just reached a street with covered walkways, so we have some refuge. Otherwise we’d be soaked. Stefan finds a place using Google and confirms it is open on Sundays. We just have to walk a few blocks, crossing the streets in the pouring rain. It’s kind of fun strategically choosing the least deep place to hop off the sidewalk and sprint across the street. My mom gives up and takes off her shoes to not ruin them (why did she wear leather ballet flats anyway?!). So we reach the place Stefan found, it’s very booked, but … they find us a table! We just have to leave in an hour and a half so the table will be ready for the next reservation. No problem.

This place is so great. First, it’s lovely. The cheese and desserts are in display cabinets to look over. And the staff is really great. Before anything, our server asks if we’d like to order their special ravioli for the kids to come early. Yes, please. Everything on the menu looks good, but we settle for a couple starters that are supposed to be known in Piedmont (the region Turin is in). The oddest is veal with tuna sauce. In my opinion, the tuna completely overpowers the veal. I would not eat this again, but I’m glad I tried it. The veal tartare is amazing.

For main dishes, I have asparagus and ricotta ravioli in butter/thyme sauce. It’s simple and delicious. Stefan’s veal may be one of the best I’ve ever tasted. And my dad’s handmade ravioli with black truffles is superb. We finish with blue cheese of me, apple cake for mom, chocolate something good for Stefan and ice cream with berries for the kids. This meal was excellent, and I would definitely recommend this place to anyone visiting Turin.

It’s not raining when we leave the restaurant (at 2 minutes till 9pm), and the sun is still glowing over the buildings. We notice a cool fountain across the street that eluded us on our run to the restaurant. We play for a few minutes, then head home.
Italy feels welcoming and easy. If we could sleep, this may be the perfect place for vacation.