What has two thumbs and loves being a tourist???

Last week a group of us headed out to Torino, which is about an hour’s train ride from Bra. We made the trek to see and amazing Henri Cartier-Bresson photo exhibit at the Palazzo Reale di Torino. But first, we stopped at Caffe Torino for bicerin, a local specialty drink of espresso, hot chocolate, and whole milk served layered deliciously!

We went M Bun for lunch, which is a great "slow fast food" burger joint that is really popular in the area.

We stopped next door at Grom for gelato and then did hours and hours of shopping.

Being my first time in the city and getting to do great things with great people, that day was so much fun and so distinctly memorable. Even though today was just as amazing it was so different than what I experienced today…

I dragged my ass out of bed after less than 3 hours sleep for an all-day adventure to see Trish off on her holiday and to tour the city with my two companions, Gai and Nicholas. Today’s trip was its own little gem starting out with snacks at a classic Italian gastronomia with a few involtini and stuffed zucchini in the park and a quick trip to an Indian fast food stand. 

Then we met up with our friend Ana, who is doing research on Peruvian immigrants and their native foods in their new city. Since she was really guiding us around, I decided to embrace my inner (and outer) tourist, but I had no idea what was I was in for.

As soon as we entered San Salvario, a heavily immigrant-populated neighborhood, I felt like I was back in California. There was an evident mix of people, shops and restaurants compared to the main parts of Torino where it is more stylistically Italian. It reminded me so much of the San Fernando Valley! Our first stop was S’il Voul Plait, a French specialty store that carried all things food from smelly cheeses to spices to canned lobster bisque soup. Then we landed in a Peruvian restaurant, El Puerto Peruano, where we ate tamales, papas huancaina, and lomo montado, which is lomo saltado but with a fried egg…yum! 

The truth is that it was so delicious, but not the best Peruvian food of my life, I’ve even had better food during my stay in Italy, but this was my favorite dining experiences (of MANY amazing ones) I’ve had thus far. There’s something about good food, great company, and a comfortable or familiar setting that gives one a warm and fuzzy feeling and that's what made this meal so special. El Puerto gave me such a sense of home right when I needed it, even if I didn’t know I did. From there we walked around San Salvario stopping in various international markets picking up random non-Braidese things like French peanut butter, Szechwan peppercorns, and American brown sugar. We also stopped at an AMAZING gelateria called Mara dei Boschi, which opened only 15 days ago, but makes the BEST gianduja (chocolate/hazelnut) gelato and an amazing chocolate sorbet (yes, sorbet not gelato). 

Our adventure ended with a walk across the city to the Po River and back through Valentino Park.

Today was significantly different than last week’s visit to the city. There is so much to see and do in Torino and I am nowhere near done touring the city, which is awesome for me because I get to keep going back…I get to keep being a tourist! There's something great about seeing a place through unfamiliar eyes. Things are new and exciting and I can't help but appreciate the opportunity to be there. I spent most of today freaking out (on the inside, of course) because I get to live in a beautiful country and see the sights, all brand new to me, which is a far cry from where I thought I would be not even a year ago.

The word "tourist" has gotten such a bad rap; nobody wants to look like a tourist (and it’s not because they don’t want to get mugged).  Maybe there is a difference between "traveling" and "touring" but I don’t want to lose the wonder of either. I can guarantee you’ll see me in the streets of Torino not once, not twice, but many more times staring in awe, taking pictures, and getting giddy over silly shit the Italians see everyday. Damn proud of it too!