John Travolta "tries" to Speak Italian

 John Travolta has done a series of commercials in Italy for an internet company with a pretty showgirl called Michelle Hunziker. The commercials are silly but I get a kick out of John flubbing threw just those few words he has to say. In this one he asks Michelle to teach him some Italian words and he seems to learn just some cheeky ones.

Restaurant Review: Caffe della Basilica

My bet for one of the best restaurants in Torino has to be Caffe della Basilica. It is located in the city center right next to the church that holds the shroud of Turin. The menu changes every night according to the chefs mood, we rarely have the same thing twice, and it's always good. What makes this restaurant unique is that it is built on some Roman ruins. If you are lucky enough to get a table downstairs be sure and look down at the glass floor. You can see right down to the ruins which according to the waiters used to be Roman food cellars. The best appetizer I had there was a light and flaky croissant with a center of warm gorgonzola and walnuts. A wonderful second I had was veal roast slowly cooked in grappa. It is still undiscovered by tourists and definitely affordable. You can't go wrong with this gem!

Caffe della Basilica
Via della Basilica 3 - Torino
tel 349.3549553
http://www.caffedellabasilica.it/

Door Series #28

Found in Piazza San Carlo. These are the doors to a bank, can you believe it?

Torino Tour Guide: A Visit to Caffè Cioccolateria al Bicerin

 There is a delicious beverage unique to Torino. My guess is that you have never heard of it before but you have probably tried one in the form of a mocha. It's called the Bicerin and it consists of a warm and thick dark chocolate on the bottom of a wine glass topped with a shot of espresso and that is topped with a dollop of homemade thick and heavy cream. The drink itself is not sweet until you add the sugar BUT, and this is important, make sure you do not stir your Bicerin! This is the one and only rule of drinking it which is what I learned when I walked to the cafe last week to try this hometown favorite for myself.
The cafe is situated in the small Piazza della Consolata named after the opulent baroque church that dominates the square.

Choose to sit outside at the verde painted iron tables or sit inside at the small but cozy round white marble tables and velvet bench seating. I chose inside. The baristas were sure to remind me, in both Italian and in English, of the no stir rule when setting the concoction on my table.The adjacent church bells ring every hour which make a delightful accompaniment to the warm coffee mixture.

I tasted  it first before deciding to sprinkle just a small amount of sugar on the top and then watched it slowly dissolve it's way down to the bottom.This for me is the perfect way to drink it.
The Bicerin was invented in this very cafe in 1763. It became an instant favorite with both the working and upper classes as well as being affordable costing only 3 soldi, which was 15 cents of lira. It stayed the same price until 1913 when it was raised to 20 cents. Today ordering a Bicerin will cost you 5 euros.

 The cafe is now visited each day by both locals and tourists alike all whom are served by a female barista staff. Since 1910 Caffè Bicherin has been owned and served by only women.

The cafe has other beverages to try like an array of flavored hot chocolates and of course a full menu of espressos but when you are there I recommend trying what made them famous because it's really what they do best. Sit down, take a break and enjoy the atmosphere of the cafe culture of Torino!

Caffè Cioccolateria al Bicerin
Piazza della Consolata, 5
10122 Torino
http://www.bicerin.it/eng/chisiamo/storia.html

Italian Wedding Season

It is high into Italian wedding season and we attended our 1st of 3 weddings we have this summer over the weekend. As always the food was fantastic, it was at a beautiful villa, and everyone was dressed to the nines. Here are a few pics.

The Church:

Everyone in the wedding got to drive an antique car:

 There was pink champagne and a prosciutto carving station:

The dinner was 5 star fancy:

The cake was made of fresh berries and cream:

The happy couple:

The other happy couple:

Discover Something New About Your City: Part 3

Mozart Slept Here

That's right, on his very first trip to Italy, Mozart and his father Leopold stayed in Torino from January 14 - 31 in 1771. They stayed at the Hotel Dogana Nuova (The New Hotel Dogana), which is now called Hotel Dogana Vecchia (Old Dogana Hotel). It has 3 stars and a fancy plaque proudly displaying it's most famous customer. You can stay in in the deluxe Mozart themed room for merely 170 euros a night.
So Mozart came here at age 15 to preform for the Savoia royalty and probably anyone else that would listen, and as I walk through the neighborhood where he stayed and played I realize that it is almost exactly the same as when he was here. Cool.

The Mozart Room:

Hotel Dogana Vecchia
Via Corte D’Appello 4
10122 Torino - Italia

Door Series #27

Torino Travel Guide: Porto Palazzo

The Porto Palazzo Market in Turin's city center is the largest open-air market in all of Europe
which makes it a labyrinth of food stalls to get lost in. It is also the most ethnically diverse
market in Turin, perfect for those harder to find and more unique items. Porto Palazzo is centered
in Piazza della Repubblica, only around the corner from the 1st century Roman ruins of Porta Palatina, the gate that was a major entrance to this once walled city. A rainbow of fruits and vegetables signal the seasons and cheese and bread aromas fill the air but there is so much more than food here.

Food stalls ramble into clothing, new and used, luggage, perfumes, kitchen necessities, and flowers.
Then there are the black iron and glass buildings. Chose to enter one of the several indoor parts of
this market and you will find the sights, and smells, of the fish and meat vendors. This is where you
will find whole swordfish on display, entire slabs of beef sliced into fillets right before your eyes,
and all the lovely dried and cured prosciutto and salami that Italy is so famous for. It is hard to choose
between the dozens of busy fish mongers and butchers but my advice is to just stop at one that catches your eye.

 The market is considerably cheaper than a typical Turin grocery store. This is a great reason to arrive
early and pick from the freshest foods for your dinner or to make a picnic to eat at the nearby
Royal Gardens (Giardini Reali). Each Saturday Porto Palazzo expands even more when a flea market
is added called the Balòn and the second Sunday of every month is the Gran Balòn where the flea market includes antique dealers.

Another part of the market experience is the vendor "shouting". With so many sellers there is
hefty competition. The food vendors shout out calls to entice you to their stalls. To you and
me what might sound like like a traveling circus caller shouting, "Step right up, step right up
see the amazing bearded lady", the Italian market version is more like, "Signori e signore, scegliere
scegliere, prego prego, fresco fresco!", (Ladies and gentlemen, choose choose, welcome welcome, fresh fresh). On your first trip to this market several people shouting at you might be overwhelming but this is the
Torinèsi way of attracting your business. After a few minutes you will feel truly immersed into everyday Italian culture. Enjoy it!

Porto Palazzo
Piazza della Repubblica
M-F: Morning to Noon
Sat: All Day
Sun: Closed (2nd Sunday of every month holds the Gran Balòn but not the food mark

Hotel Recommendation:
NH Hotels: Santo Stefano
Via Porta Palatina, 19. 10122 Torino. Turin (Italy)
Tel. +39 011 5223311
E-mail: info.nhsantostefano@nh-hotels.com

Talking Cheese Post

First cheese topic: Blue Mozzarella
Around 70,000 mozzarella balls have been confiscated by authorities here in Italy after consumers reported last week that the cheese developed a blue tint when exposed to the air. Some of these blue balls were found in Torino. The experts say, even though they recalled the cheese from this batch, the blue tint contains no toxins and is eatable. Right. I still keep checking my fridge for foreign blue blobs. So far so good...

Second cheese topic: I Indulged on Brie
This might just be the best thing I have ever tasted. First I took a piece of brie from our local cheese shop. Keeping the rind on I slathered the top with preserves. I choose apricot.

Then I wrapped the cheese in puff pastry and brushed a little egg on top.

I baked it in the oven at 175C or 375F for 20 minutes and what came out was a ooey gooey sweet and salty molten cheesy heaven.

Third Cheesy Topic: Business Dinner Food?
Pier's family decided to have a business dinner meeting at our house and so we had to serve dinner. Avocados were on sale so I chose to make a chilled avocado salad with black beans, tomatoes, caramelized onions and a sprinkle of goat cheese on top for the starter. I was the only one who finished mine. Nobody else liked it. It was hardly a traditional Italian dish and so I think that might have been why, but who knows? I don't think they had ever had black beans before.I guess for these guests I should have made the usual fair which includes prosciutto and grassini breadsticks.

That's all the cheese for today,

I Want My MTV!

MTV took over my piazza this the weekend and had a very big and very loud concert. It was live on TV and that was funny to be watching it live but listening to it out my window. I did go down to check out one act and that was Nina Zilli. I call her the Italian Amy Winehouse.

Panini stands opened for the concert in front.

To give you a taste of Nina Zilli: (she sings in english and italian!)

Mad Tea Party 2010

Your Late!!

Finally you are here! We have been waiting and waiting for you to arrive....

Welcome to our mad mad mad mad tea party. No wonder you're late. Why, this watch is exactly two days slow.

Curiouser and curiouser!

Have I gone mad? I'm afraid so. Entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.

 Thank you for coming to our ytrap aet dam, see you next year...Just don't be late!!!