Turin Travel Diaries #2 - The City of Black and White Magic

Hello dear travel lovers. Turin is called the city of white and black magic. That's actually one of the main things that brings people here. I want to tell you what this actually means. According to belief the triangles of good and evil converge right here. Turin, London and San Fran apparently make up the Dark triangle. It is a very interesting triangle. But it’s also part of the White magic triangle with Prague and Lyon. If you have the question, why these cities, I asked that same question just like any normal person. I’ve got no clue. It is very strange. But the interesting facts do not end there. The distance from here to Rome is supposedly 666 kilometers. In other words Turin is connected to the eternal city by such a strange, demonic number.

The city is located on the forty fifth parallel, meaning it is exactly equadistant from the equator and the North Pole. In fact Nostradamus was the first to notice this special status of Turin. He has a saying to the effect that you will find heaven, hell and purgatory right here.

Turin has a white heart, Piazza Castello and a black heart, Piazza Statuto, which used to be a necropolis and a place where executions were carried out. There are many masonic symbols and hidden secrets there. And everything I have told you might sound like nonsense. Of course, it mostly excites those interested in esotericism. But there are many such people in the world. The city actually benefits from this a lot because it attracts extra tourist interest. The city administration does not resist this at all. There is even a gate whose official name is the Devil's gate and it has its own legend. In short know that black and white are very important symbols for Turin, at least for those who believe in such mythological and magical symbols.

I continued my Turin walk at San Carlo square. The greatest ornament of this place is the symetrical churches built at the beginning of the fifteenth century. Santa Cristina and San Carlo with their baroque facades, serve as a kind of ceremonial gate for tourists today because many people arrive at the train station and proceed toward the center through San Carlo square. Here we are greeted by classic Piedmonteso architecture and the city's first, but not only, historic cafe. You’d need a whole day just to hit all the famous cafes in this city.

I think Caffè San Carlo is one of the prettiest spots. It’s been around since the early nineteenth century. Apparently all the big thinkers used to hang out here when Italy was becoming a country. Now it turns into an elegant bar during the day and a restaurant in the evening.

We continued our walk and passed through the San Federico gallery. For Turin this is just an ordinary passage in the city center. We skipped Gelateria Pepino this time around. I’ve already talked about that place in my older posts. But I really wanted to enter Galleria Subalpina. First of all it is visually very impressive. Also two historical venues are located here: Caffè Mulassano and Baratti & Milano. This cafe opened in the nineteenth century and got so famous it ended up serving the royal family.

One spot you can't miss is Caffè al Bicerin. You have to try the Bicerin drink while you're there.This coffee is a traditional, hot Turin drink consisting of hot chocolate and milk cream. The exact recipe is unknown. It is supposedly kept secret. Most people say that the most delicious Bicerin in the city can be sipped here. They told me not to stir it, just drink it as it comes. I gave it a shot and yeah, it’s definitely something special. It cannot be compared to a latte or a machiato. It is really quite delicious, not too sweet but not too strong either. Those who do not like espresso should not worry. It does not have such a heavy concentration. You’ve gotta do this if you ever visit. The place opened in the eighteenth century, so it’s one of the oldest spots in town. Also a few years back Bicerin became the official drink of the whole region. I’d definitely recommend giving it a try.

It’s so easy to fall in love with Turin. You’ve got the Alps in the distance, amazing food and way fewer crowds than Rome. After a while, you start thinking, I could totally live here. And this is possible. You can actually get a residence permit now with a digital nomad visa.

Then I met the main symbol of Turin. Actually I had seen it before because this tower can be seen from evry observation deck. You will probably be surprised, but this place is a synagogue. At least it was initially. Now it is one of the highest museums in the world. It has an interesting story. The Jewish community gained its full rights in the nineteenth century. Then, Turin became the capital of the United Kingdom of Italy. The Jewish community decided to build a large, grand synagogue worthy of the capital and allocated great resources to it. They hired the famous architect Alessandro Antonelli and gave him the task of building a large structure. They agreed and construction began. However Antonelli constanly started changing the terms of the contract. He changed the height. Its current height is around 167 meters. Naturally as this happened, the cost constantly increased.

Eventually the Jewish community pulled out, saying This isn't what we agreed to. The money ran out, but the tower was mostly done by then anyway. Many people liked the project. The lower part is Neo classical and the upper part is Neo gotical. The tower is very very beautiful. The municipality took over the remaining financing. When the project was completed, the Risorgimento museum, which tells the story of Italy's unification, was placed here first. Later the Cinema Museum opened inside, which is a very symbolic situation for Turin.

Because at the beginning of this century, Turin was the capital of Italian cinema. Edison's kinetoscope was shown here for the first time. Later, Italy's first film studio opened in Turin. The success was so great that dozens and according to some sources, hundreds of film studios began to be established in the city. This success of the industry was also in line with the general development line of the city. At that time Turin was no longer a political center. The capital had already moved to Rome. However, the economy was accelerating with all the power of internal combustion engines. The heart of this economy was Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino or FIAT, as we all know it.

The company founded here turned into a real industrial giant within a few decades. It built Lingotto the largest automobile factory in Europe. During the same period, the Lancia company also established its factory in Turin. This was a large production facility and a brand with a deep history. Besides these, there were about ten more companies in the automotive field in the city. In parallel metalurgy, the chemical industry and the production of civil-military aviation components also developed. While this economic power raised living standards and made Turin one of Italy's leading cities, it also caused it to be the target of many air raids during the second World War. Especially industrial zones suffered great damage and about half of the buildings were damaged. Turin became a symbol of how Italy rebuilt itself after the war.

That’s it for now. I’ll share more about our Turin adventures in my next posts. See you soon.