Sunday, May 17 – Torino (free day!)

Our first completely free day. Because of this I can only speak to what I did that day! You’ll have to contact the others if you really must know what they did (although Kelli’s blog probably has some information on it too).
I had seen signs and brochures for the Fiera Internazionale dei Libri – the International Book Fair – in Torino occurring WHILE WE WERE THERE!!!! In case you don’t know me personally here is some background: I have spent my entire life looking at, drooling over, reading, re-reading, buying, borrowing, checking out from the library, reading in stores, and reading the spines of books, books, and more books. I have a degree in English Literature, mainly because I knew I would thoroughly enjoy it (and my parents thought theatre and English degrees would look better on a resume than theatre and music degrees). Also, I will soon be certified and have MA in teaching English as a language and literature in general. So, I was giddy, thrilled, and ecstatic that the Fair corresponded with our visit and a free day.

I set off on foot down the road that eventually led to the fair, then joined a crowded bus, almost all of the passengers got off at the Fair location – an enormous convention complex (part of which would later be the location of the Rotary District 2030 Conference). I arrived too late to see Salmon Rushdie, who was speaking that day. (the popular speakers, although included in the main admission price, required you to get a free ticket to get in). I got a ticket for a panel of writers talking about current Global Crises. As there were no visuals, the panel was difficult to follow, but I caught the gist of their arguments related to the economies of the world, globalization, and the environment. I then wandered the fair in heaven. I certainly couldn’t buy much, but that has never stopped me from enjoying books! There were all sorts of exhibitors, covering every genre and language (although 99% were in Italian). I bought a couple of books and got many book-related give-aways and merchandise. There were books on display that were simply modern works of art – the current versions of the hand-made manuscripts of the middle ages - as well as affordable works of art (where the art is in the mass-printed stories, characters, and descriptions). It was a wonderful day for me! (probably not up most people’s alleys though).

Panel of authors discussing various global crises.

Book sculpture at the fair.

As the overall theme and sponsorship of the Fair was related to Torino’s Egyptian museum (“the largest collection after the British Museum”), there was a discount if you went to both the Fair and the Egyptian Museum the same day (and the museum had extended hours) so I went there in the evening. It was an interesting, eclectically displayed museum. Some parts were more like stored, scientific catalogues on display. A couple of mirrored rooms are intricately designed to best highlight and show off all sides of the pieces featured in them. Other spaces are re-constructed to be close to how they would have in their original settings. Most of the artifacts came from a tomb-explorer and collector from Italy who found many intact tombs, or at least the “non-precious” stuff that was left behind by tomb-robbers. One temple/chapel was a gift to Italy from Egypt for help rendered (it was once more of a temple, but at some point had been blessed and marked with Christian crosses, so is now also a chapel of sorts).

One of the Egyptian sculptures...and its reflection in the back.

One of the mirrored halls at the museum.

Plaque in the Egyptian museum in honor of the past gift of a Torino Rotary club.

My dinner afterwards (very late – I was starving while touring the museum!) was small, but wonderful. I had a perfect cup of cioccolatta (a thick, bitter-sweet hot chocolate – basically you are drinking a melted chocolate bar! – delicious!), a small sandwich, and a gelato dubbed the “Margharita” complete with 3 fruit flavors of gelato, whipped cream, and “cat tongue” cookies sticking artfully out of it.

Back at the hotel I watched “13 Going on 30” on TV (dubbed in Italian) and organized the papers and things that were accumulating in my hotel room.