Two days in Torino

We went up to Torino (Turin) a week and a half ago.

The Egyptian Museum there is world class. We last saw such quality Egyptiana in Cairo.



Below is part of the Book of the Dead, showing the scene where Osiris is getting ready to judge the deceased. The ibis-headed person is Thoth, and the goddess wearing the ostrich feather is Maat.



After lunch, we headed straight for Al Bicerin, a cafe frequented by Nietzsche, Dumas, Puccini, and Italian Risorgimento figure Count Camillo Cavour.



Al Bicerin's signature drink, the Bicerin (how imaginative), is a delicious mixture of espresso, hot chocolate, and cream.



Fortified, we continued our museum crawl. Next up was the National Cinema Museum. It's in the tallest building in Torino, the Mole Antonelliana.



The museum features plenty of movie posters, artifacts like Chaplin's hat, and two big screens showing film clips. There are reclining chairs with speakers in the headrests if you care to watch those clips. The chairs are really comfy to people who have been on their feet all day. The museum is worth visiting only if you've bought the Torino Card, which gives you free admission to a lot of museums and tourist attractions.

Another reason to go to the Mole Antonelliana is to ride the elevator to the top. The elevator goes right up the middle of the building with only cables around it. It was foggy when we went up, so there wasn't much of a view. By the way, this is also included in the Torino Card.



For much of the day, there was some kind of firefighter festival going on in the city's central square. There were activities set up for kids, antique fire engines, and men in capes!



After it had gotten dark, they amped up the show with fire.



The finale was a couple of firefighters rappelling down a building facade while unfurling the Italian flag to a recording of the Italian national anthem. The crowd sang along.

Nearby is the Royal Palace, which housed the royal family of Savoy. They later became the royal family of a united Italy.



Torino is decked out with lights to celebrate the holiday season. Different streets had different light themes. This one's lights resemble constellations.