Monday, April 30, 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Saturday, April 28, 2012

People of Turin (1)

A group of students were passing by the cinema which hosted the GLBT film festival, and their expression....


Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Spring view of the Po

Just my first photo taken on the bridge looking at the Po in spring....

Mole view from via montebello

A clear spring sky, Turin symbol, La Mole points right to the sky and a pigeon decided to fly right into my shot....

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Caffè Torino

The caffè and bars are typical meeting places for the Torinesi. There are quite a number of historical caffè around the Turin center which offer good foods and elegante decorations to charm the people touring in the center.


Caffè Torino is one of the historical Caffè.




The Caffè Torino is now almost a hundred years old. It still maintains the original furnishings and decorations, which look as good today as they did when the Caffè Torino opened.



Outside the entrance of the caffè, there is a bronze figure of a bull (symbol of Turin) on the floor, it is believed that by stepping onto the testicles of the bull would bring good luck for the whole day.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

The Church of La Consolata

The Sanctuary of the Consolata (Consolata in the Piedmont), or according to the official name, Church of Our Lady of Consolation is a Catholic basilica located behind the same street and is one of the oldest places of worship in Turin.








 Dedicated to Mary, invoked by the title of "Consolation" is considered the most important shrine in the city and the Archdiocese of Turin, as well as a masterpiece of Baroque in Piedmont. Its construction is devoted to big names in architecture, such as Guarino Guarini and Filippo Juvarra Carlo Ceppi. The sanctuary was also usual place of worship of many saints social Piedmont. It has the dignity of Minor Basilica.











Bicerin

Bicerin is a traditional hot drink native to Turin, Italy, made of espresso, drinking chocolate and whole milk served layered in a small rounded glass. The word bicerin is Piedmontese for “small glass”. The beverage has been known since the 18th-century and was famously praised by Alexandre Dumas in 1852. It is believed to be based on the 17th-century drink "Bavareisa": the key distinction being that in a bicerin the three components are carefully layered in the glass rather than being mixed together.



The Caffè Al Bicerin has been serving the drink in Torino's Piazza della Consolata since the 18th century, and some authorities believe that the drink was invented there. Others believe that it originated around 1704 in the Caffè Fiorio which still stands on what is now Via Po.

( Text taken from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicerin)

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The beauty of architecture

Baroque style in white stone




Royal Gardens of Turin

The part behind the Royal Palace was once my favourite place to take a walk,  unfortunately,  it has been closed to public since 2000 and till now still not opened yet. Reason is for renovation work, yet 12 years seems to be a bit too long to renovate a garden.


 Looking from the window of the Royal Palace, the garden seems to be perfectly in place and lovely as before, so why it is still closed is really a mystery only the town government can answer.




The Royal Gardens are gardens that are located behind the Palazzo Reale in Turin. The gardens begin behind the palace and end in courso San Maurizio.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Piazza Solferino - The Angelic fountain

The angelic fountain, built in 1930 and consists of four groups of statues that refer to the four seasons. It was intended by the mayor Riccardo Cattaneo. It was built thanks to the minister of finance Paul Baiotti and named after the latter's mother (Angelica Cugiani). First it was decided to place it in front of the Cathedral of Turin in Piazza San Giovanni, was then chosen the Piazza Solferino, which was a better place to contain it.


The angelic fountain
The fountain is located in Piazza Solferino, which is a square in the historic center of Turin


Saturday, April 14, 2012

Garibaldi looking at Via Garibaldi

The status of Garibaldi looking at Via Garibaldi from piazza Castello




Giuseppe Garibaldi Italian  (Joseph Marie Garibaldi at birth), born 4 July, 1807 in Nice (French Empire), died 2 June, 1882 in Caprera (Kingdom of Italy), was an Italian general, politician and patriot. He is considered, with Camillo Cavour, Victor Emmanuel II and Giuseppe Mazzini, as one of Italy's "fathers of the fatherland".
Garibaldi was a central figure in the Italian Risorgimento, since he personally commanded and fought in many military campaigns that led eventually to the formation of unified Italy. He generally tried to act on behalf of a legitimate power, which does not make him exactly a revolutionary: for example, he was appointed general by the provisional government of Milan in 1848, General of the Roman Republic in 1849 by the Minister of War, and led the Expedition of the Thousand on behalf and with the consent of Victor Emmanuel II.

(Taken from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Garibaldi )

Via Garibaldi is located in the center of Turin and connects Piazza Castello to Piazza Statute. It is the oldest street in the city, originally bounded by the current Piazza Castello and Via della Consolata. Under Vittorio Amedeo II it was extended to the current Valdocco; nineteenth century was finally connected to Piazza Statuto. Always the main street of the city, for its length and the breadth, until 1882 was known as the Turin Via Dora Grossa . It is surrounded by eighteenth century buildings, with its 963 meters long, it is considered the longest pedestrian street in Europe.

Teatro romano di Torino

The Roman Theatre of Turin is the remnants of the ancient Roman Julia Augusta Taurinorum, including in the Archaeological Park of Via XX Settembre. Dating back to 13 BC, it was active until the third century and is the only facility of the Roman city to have left conspicuous evidence of the three successive phases of construction.


 The theater was built in the northeastern quadrant of the city, which is the most affluent neighborhood, surrounded by numerous patrician houses and not far from the forum. As usual, it was built near a slope to take advantage of the slope and near the walls which enclosed the town.



A lamp on the wall next to the theatre....

Friday, April 13, 2012

Palazzo Reale Di Torino

Inside Royal Palace of Turin



 Shortly after the unification of Italy, the Stairway of Honour was made.


On the main floor, rooms are decorated by allegorical images that celebrate the royal dynasty, hand-made by different artists.

Royal Palace of Turin or Palazzo Reale, is a palace in Turin, northern Italy. It was the royal palace of the House of Savoy. It was modernised greatly by the French born Madama Reale Christine Marie of France  in the 17th century. The palace was worked on by Filippo Juvarra. It includes the Palazzo Chiablese.

Taken from:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Palace_of_Turin