EU after 12 years (15): Driving in Italy

I have heard that Italians have a bad reputation for driving but I think this is from the view of outsiders. What I mean by that is Italians drive and park the way it seems unacceptable to the residents of other countries but it seems that it works in Italy!

Parking cars in the middle of a street which is used not only by vehicles but also streetcars.

I went from Silvio Berlusconi Airport (Malpensa) all the way to Gruyeres in Switzerland at late night in a very high at the elevation of 2006 m (6581 feet) and then drove back from a different way and reached the same spot without smallest issue but was that out of luck? 

Parking and blocking the pedestrian crosswalk seems to be normal

I think it was not about luck. It mostly was the fact that I was not in a busy urban area or a busy highway. The entire road was not busy at all and of course I didn't drive in any cities. What I noticed though is lack of attention to driving rules in the two Italian major cities that I visited. Why? Because there's no traffic law and there's no enforcement!

Most of the streets do not have posted speed limited signs

I barely saw any speed limit posted in any city and no traffic cop. Drivers drove 60 KPH in busy and narrow roads and no one seemed to be bothered with them! They barely stopped at the pedestrian's crosswalk and they honked a lot, which all is different from their usual calm, relaxed and smiling behaviour! I have nothing more to say and direct your attention to some of the pictures that I have taken during my trip.

(Photo, top: I don't know how this SUV is squeezed between the two but the driver did it! Is that a no-parking sign in the back?!)

EU after 12 years (14): Food Experience in Turin; Berberė Pitza

I had a few recommendation from a young Italian woman who works at the hotel I was staying in Turin. This was one of them: Berbere Pizza. I think this pizzeria (A pitza restaurant, in Italian, I don't know why pitza it's not written pitza when we're writing in English!) has different locations through the City of Turin but the one I tried is their " Central " (Centero) location, close to Piazza San Carlo. 

I think the place has no tables inside due to the size but there're a few outside. This is the case with many food establishments in Italy due to limited space and the other thing is people like to be outside. I do not! Nevertheless I was given a menu which I found has English version as well and I ordered a sort of Pitza with Sausage on it. I probably have to wait only 10, maybe 15 minutes. The Pitza was not very hot but warm enough and the amount of so-called Sausage was too little. I then ordered a Margarita Pitza which is very popular in Italy but has the least amount of ingredients and probably the simplest. It was not bad but the same problem was there: The Pitza didn't come oven hot and generally these two Pitzas (Pizze in Italian as a plural for Pizza) failed to impress. I didn't order any desert and I think they offer that. Before leaving I had a little chat with a very pretty German-Italian young girl who spoke very good English. Very nice girl, polite and respectful. I'm always impressed with this type of young people whether a man or women because there're not many of them around in today's society. 

Barbere failed to impressed for someone like me who was trying Italian food or to be specific Italian Pitza (Pizza Italiana) for the first time. I'm not a fan of sitting outside but as I said it's something very common in Italy and even here in Canada people like to sit outside when they got a chance to enjoy a meal or a beverage. An African drifter came and sat at one of the tables that belonged to the restaurant and I know unless it was very busy, no restaurant staff would tell them to f_ck off but you never know what people, particularly, refugees are up to these day. He sat and ate a sandwich, I think but there has been many stories that people got smacked for no reason on bright daylight. Turin, however, felt safe and I saw nothing the entire time I was there. There was this once demonstration which ended quickly but police and security is present at critical spots in the city. Do I go to Berbere they next time I'm in Turin? I'd rather to try something better. However if you're looking for something that is considered affordable and okay, I think that is the place. By the way why would someone call his restaurant Berbere?! This word is translated to Berber in English which means the indigenous people of North Africa??!! I'm not going to get into the whole history of Berbers! 

(Photo: The only thing that has come from Italy to North America which somehow has resemblance to the actual Pizza Italiana or Italian Pitza is the word Pizza which is written in the same way that is written in Italian! The actual pitza in Italy is completely different from what we are offered here in North America. This was the first pitza that I ordered) 

EU after 12 years (13): The Sketchy Market of Turin

There are lots of refugees in Italy and generally in Europe and their life is completely different from Italians. It's almost the same in Canada but not to that extent. I went to this open market in Turin where the majority of the vendors and shoppers were non-Italian refugees from Africa and Muslim countries.

It is about 15 minutes walk from where all the high-end brands have their shops. In fact the more you walk toward north on Via Milano (Milan Street) you see less and less Italian businesses until you reach Cordo Regina Margheritta and at all four sides of this intersection you see both temporary and permanent shops.

You can by all sorts of merchandise in this market but the only good things are fresh fruit and vegetables and some other type of food. The other things are at Wal-Nasty-Toilet-Mart or Toilet-Dollar-Store quality level. Most of the vendors there don't even speak Italian. I heard mostly Arabic. 

The first time I went there one guy called me towards him and his bunch of buddies and even started walking toward me but I ignored him and nothing happened. I don't know what in me triggered him! I wore a pair of sunglasses which I always wear outdoors and it hides my identity(!), I had a pair of green pants on, which I know was a very bad choice because it looked like soldier's pants and made me like a drifter(!), and a black jacket. Is that suspicious to some refugee who just hang out in a open market with bunch of wannabes?!

The pile of trash after the market is closed

I went inside the building at the northwest corner of the intersection. The building is half empty and the other half has these sort of small bistro and cafe which sell different type of food and they, mostly, seem foreigners with Latin Americans in majority! One would think what a Latin America has to do with Turin??!! I understand the Arabs of the deserts of northern Africa or other poor Africans but coming from counties such as Columbia and Venezuela to Turin looks insane. In fact one young girl with broken English made me understand that she was from Columbia. I don't know about the history of these people and how they get themselves across the ocean to Italy but I think the language could be one factor because apparently Spanish and Italian are quite close in terms of language. Appearance-wise, even I could easily tell a Hispanic from an Italian. I bought some bread with topic and then another type of bread which she thought it was Whole Wheat after I asked her and used for my breakfast. The quality was just okay.

Two of the Kiwis I've written about them and an Orange which is from Spain and a Pear. I bought the last two from Genoa but didn't have them until I want back to Turin!

I also saw a stand for different types of olives and other fermented food but my plan was to buy those when I got to Genoa. So I didn't buy anything. I didn't buy much in Genoa and missed the stand the next time I was there. One of the guys forces a Kilogram of Kiwis to me for €2 and then I bought one of those big Avocados for a €1 from an Arab woman who didn't seem very satisfied with this transaction and I ended my interaction with this market peacefully and positively. I ate Kiwis for the next 3 days and they were actually very good except for one which was overripened and I had get rid of it.

I'm sure there's other places in Turin that one can get fresh and quality fruits and vegetables. I just didn't spend enough time in the city to find out. You do it, if you're a big fresh fruit fan like I am and Italy is a good producer of them including those fantastic Kiwis, not like Canada that imports them from Australia. In fact the Italian Kiwis were way tastier than the Australian ones. I don't know why. Bigger, juicier and tastier. A combination and sweet and tart, a unique Kiwi taste, of course, but juicier. One might think why I insist on this too much. It simply because I appreciate fresh and wholesome fruit a lot. Something that we don't get enough of it in Canada. 

(Photo, top: You can buy pairs of shoes as low as €2 in this market and all sorts of other quality items in the same price range. Did you notice the flag hanging from one of the windows? I'm against bombing innocent children and generally civilians but hanging a flag does nothing to the crime which was committed to the poor people of Gaza. You are a truly believer of the freedom of Palestine, grab a rifle, leave your vending cart and go fight the war criminals who committed those crimes. The truth is you're all nothing but pretenders. You cannot split from your fancy life in Italy, which now compared with the condition you were in, is like living in a 5-star hotel in Monaco, you freaking phonies!)

EU after 12 years (12): San Carlo Suite

I went over my head and booked an expensive hotel in Turin. It's fully paid now. I mean I paid my credits cards off and I'm happy that I owe them nothing but it was a little bit too much. Do I regret that? No! I just think that if you book a luxury hotel, you rent a vehicle to make your trip easier and then try a few fancy cafe and restaurants, then you would want to buy a few good local products as well. That makes your trip ideal but that will cost a lot. I saved for trip for a long time and I regret why I didn't spend more! Why did I not spend as much as I wanted? The answer is simple: Uncertainty. This is what we all deal with in today's world. How many of us is certain of his employment of the next year? Unless you're a government employee, you can not be sure of that. That is why I wonder what these guys who have worked for my employer, being doing?! They have worked for more than 15, 20, 25 and some even 30 years and still live like a hobo! beat up vehicles, shabby cloths, rick of cigarette, you name it! 

I understand everyone has a different lifestyle but do we not come to this world once and work hard to enjoy what we like? I don't know what these guys are up to but their lives don't impress me. 

The view of Piazza San Carlo from the window of the suite. The Piazza was designed and built in 1688! Can you imagine that. Canada didn't even exist 338 years ago! The riding knight is a guy named Emmanuel Philibert who was the ruler of parts of Italy in Middle Ages. There's a whole lot more to the Piazza (Square) and else but I think it becomes boring for you!  

With that said, I booked this hotel in Turin called San Carlo Suite. Don't ask me why it's not " Suites " because that's what they say as their name. Perhaps this is something Italian. It is located in Piazza San Carlo which is considered one of the main squares of Turin. Here is what you get if you book a room there and I did too. I only state it here because I'm trying to justify the high price that I've paid!

1) If you arrive in Turin by train, it is only 10 minutes walk to the hotel.

2) You have money and want to spend on Italian fashion, there're all sorts of shops in walking distance. I'm not!

3) If you don't have much money and still like to enjoy with minimum spending, there're many businesses around.

4) It is a quiet place. Your good nigh sleep is guaranteed. No vehicles, no nothing.

5)  The hotel provides a Lavazza coffee machine with different type of capsules. That was very helpful to me and I enjoyed it.

6) If you're into cooking, with the grocery stores around, the hotel has all sorts of cooking pots and utensils as well a good size refrigerator to keep your ingredients in there.

7) The hotel is very clean.

8) The hotel is very modern. All the furniture and everything is new and the interior design is just amazing. 

9) You have access to many channels through the TV for the nights you stay in, which for me was all! Although I don't understand a word of Italian(!) so that didn't help much until the last two night that I discovered a channel with only music and I also learnt that I can reach YouTube!

I really liked the design of this mirror. While this was the only light in the bathroom I liked it the most because it helps you to calm at night with not might bright light. You could also adjust the light with the touch button on the bottom of the mirror.

I can say that for the above reasons, staying at San Carlo Suite, despite its high price worth it. Am I going to visit Italy again? Yes. Am I going to Turn again? Very likely. Am I going to stay in San Carlo Suite? Maybe? Why not? The only reason I might not stay in this hotel is I'm a sort of guy who likes to try different things. I would rather to stay at another part of the city to be able to discover other part but this is a great hotel, if you're not too careful with money.

(Photo, top: I stayed at two different rooms of San Carlo Suite. The first one actually was a suite, a big one. The second one was not much smaller and as clean as modern of the first one with a view to Piazza San Carlo. This is the second one upon my arrival with nothing touched yet) 

EU after 12 years (11): Food Experience in Turin; Iginio Massari

Galleria Iginio Massari, is a cafe (of Caffe in Italian) near Piezza San Carlo in Turin and that was the first place I ate in Italy. It was a breakfast. You need to understand that breakfast in Italy has a completely different meaning from what people normally eat in Canada and the US and of course other countries. I don't remember whether I had found the place online or just was walking by and then decided to go in. The man at the counter asked me something in Italian (which happened a lot during my trip) and I told him I didn't speak the language. I ordered a few things and he asked me if I wanted to sit outside. I'm a person who likes quiet and calm. He told me I could go to the basement. Their baking area is in the basement but it is separated from the dining area. So I didn't mind. All those stories that if you don't speak Italian, they pay no attention to you or you have to wait, are all nonsense. It never happened to me, not even once. The food came right away as there was no preparation. The sandwich was fresh and the drizzle of real Olive Oil gave a great aroma. The fast is that all the Olive Oils I have bought in Canada has not had more than probably 30% or less Olive Oil in them because they never had that aroma and the colour. The pastry was very fresh and delicious as well but the size of Italian coffee, of any kind, never satisfied me! That's why I used most of the Lavazza coffee cups that my hotel had provided me, usually, in the mornings! I would buy a small carton of milk from a supermarket and then would add to my morning coffee, usually 2 or three Italian cup size(!), and then would go for my breakfast! 

It was only after a few tries that I realized that different colours of milk carton have different amount of fat because they were barely they were put next together in the cooler. Here is a hotel cup of Espresso with a pink milk that I had bought from a local small grocery store the night before

It is important to mention that a breakfast like this could cost up to €15, which equals to approximately $23. That is not a breakfast that the average Italian eats. It is for certain people and while I don't know the average salary in the country, I'm sure that there're many places that offer less expensive breakfast, including the Italian version of McDonald's and many other cafes but I wanted to try different places at different levels and for me who barely eats out when I'm in Canada and his daily meal is probably one of the least expensive ones in the entire country, trying places like this is not so hard. I will certainly go to this place again in my next Italian trip if I end up in Turin.

(Photo, top: My first breakfast in Italy in Iginio Massari in Turin in Piemont province or as the Italian says Regino Piemonte) 

EU after 12 years (10): The Italian Unification History Museum

I didn't know much about the history of Italy rather than the Second European War part (that some call it the Second World War!) but then I asked myself how can you fit the history of a country like Italy in one museum and how many hours would you need to review that, if you did?! That's not Canada! 

I went to Italian Unification History Museum regardless of that while I was tired. If you really like to learn in a museum visit, rather than just spending time simply because you're there, you need enough breaks in between or having enough rest the day before. I had neither.

There's another issue with history museums: Kids group are brought in by schools to do project and teach them while looking at maps, objects and old documents. I had all the above issues in a day that the museum was not actually very busy. In fact this museum was less crowded than the Egyptian, perhaps for the reasons I explained in the post for that museum. 

I didn't realized whether this was a replica of the house of the representatives or an actual one considering the museum is located in an old building

One of the names that you repeatedly see in the museum and in the cities, streets are named after him, is Garibaldi. There's also a park in British Columbia,  named after him(!) which I used to visit when I lived in that province some 20 years ago. The reason why he is so recognized in Italy is he contributed a lot to the unification of the country. He was being displayed at the latest stage of the museum. I think I need to see it the next time I'm in Turin! One of the things that I didn't know before visiting this museum was the fact that Napoleon occupied Italy and ruled it for a very long time. The museum presents many old documents about that time and how he was defeated and then sent to St. Helena Island.

Overall if you're interested in the history of Italy and Europe, you're going to enjoy this museum but there's a lot to digest and require attention and you need to be rested. I'm planning to go there again as part of my second Italian trip!

(Photo, top: There're lost of paintings, statutes, artifacts and caricatures about Napoleon in the museum including this one that shows he's thrown in a trash bin!)