Posted by grazia on February 5th, 2010 — in Italy, piedmont
People can appreciate Turin, the ancient capital of Italy, simply walking around.
This is a city with a “Royal Past” and offers impressive monuments and buildings that bear witness to this important history.
To discover it you can start from Piazza Castello. A kilometers around this square it is possible to see countless works of art and museums.
First of all the Mole Antonelliana, which today is home to the Museo Nazionale del Cinema.
At the centre of this square there is Palazzo Madama, a medieval building with a Baroque facade, which now houses the Museo Civico d’Arte Antica.
Under the arcades there is the Teatro Regio, followed by the Royal Library, where there are many manuscripts, the Royal Armory and the self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci.
The Church of San Lorenzo is also worth a look. It is famous because it hasn’t got a façade and has a splendid Baroque dome. (more…)
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Posted by grazia on January 20th, 2010 — in piedmont
Turin is one of the most important cities both from the economical and cultural point of view.
Its surroundings are rich in history, art and traditions that are worth exploring and knowing. A holiday in this area offers pleasant and interesting days.
The territory of Turin consists in a modern, artistic and elegant city, in rolling hills, in lakes with crystal clear water and landscapes embracing the Alps.
All of it is characterized by valuable and very old traditions.
The city of Turin was the first capital of Italy and that’s also why it has so much history to tell. It lies at the foot of green hills and is surrounded by the river Po.
The symbol of Turin is the Mole Antonelliana, 137 meters high. Visitors can climb to the top thanks to a glass elevator that reaches the temple panorama over the vault.
This little trip towards the sky is an exciting experience as the view of the city and the mountains is breathtaking. (more…)
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Posted by grazia on January 4th, 2010 — in Italy, piedmont
The title is already a program, but the Via Lattea (Milky Way )is a ski area that includes the stations of Sestriere, Sauze d’Oulx, San Sicario, Cesana, Oulx, Claviere, Pragelato and Montgenevre. 
There are 72 ski lifts, ranging from 1350 meters at Cesana to 2800 meters at the top of Motta, offering superb views on all the surrounding mountains and allowing skiers to enjoy the vastness and beauty of the area.
Wide open spaces, scenic, snowy and lighted slopes, typical refuges for refreshment from the fatigue of the mountain, where to enjoy fine cuisine and modern resorts offering all the best comfort and leisure.
In Sestriere visitors can ski at night with artificial lighting on the slope dedicated to Giovanni Alberto Agnelli. (more…)
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Posted by grazia on September 30th, 2009 — in Italy, piedmont
Turin is one of the major Italian cities and is located in Piedmont. It has about 909,193 inhabitants.
Turin is a Roman and Baroque city and houses one of the greatest artistic heritages throughout Italy and it was at the beginning of ‘900, the cradle of Futurism.
One of the main attractions of this city, though unusual, is the Egyptian Museum. This is considered, for the value of the finds, the most important in the world after Cairo, and the most important in Italy. 
The Egyptian Museum shows several collections and the findings coming from the excavations conducted by the Italian Archaeological Mission in Egypt between 1900 and 1935. At that time archaeological finds were shared between Egypt and the archaeological missions. The current low requires that the findings remain in Egypt.
The museum is housed in the historic Palazzo dell’Accademia delle Scienze.
Every year is visited by a large number of people and in 2006 a total of 554,911 people has been reached.
(more…)
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Posted by grazia on September 23rd, 2009 — in Italy, piedmont
Le Langhe is a historic region of Piedmont and is located between the provinces of Cuneo and Savona. Le Langhe consist of hills with sharp ridges, marked by deep valleys and carved by streams.
The average height is 550 meters, and reaches 950 in Mombarcaro, with variety of crops for the different conformation of the ground.
The Langhe are famous for their high quality products: Langa Barolo, Barbaresco, of Asti, of hazelnuts, woods and pasture, but each valley has its own customs, traditions and different dialects.
The landscape is characterized by alternation of hills and valleys, by different horizons adorned with towers and castles, by the serenity of a silence interrupted only by the bleating of the sheep and the muffled sounds of farm tools.
Every little town has at least a small castle. As the towers of Alba (172 m), the major town of Le Langhe, where the annual Fiera Nazionale del Tartufo and the Palio of the Donkeys take place.
From Alba the road continues to Roddi (284 m), the ancient Roman Castrum Rhaudium, overlooking the hills of Le Langhe on one side and those of the Roero on the other. Also here there is a castle, peeking above the rooftops of the village with its high walls and mighty.
(more…)
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Posted by grazia on July 30th, 2009 — in Tuscany, Veneto, piedmont
The Tiramisu was so created with the name “the duke’s soup” in honor of Cosimo de Medici who brought the recipe to Florence making it well known in the whole Italy.
The legend also tells that the “the duke’s soup” became the favourite dessert for the nobles who ascribed aphrodisiac and exciting properties: hence the name Tiramisù.
The unofficial version, however, says that Tiramisu was created by a confectioner in Turin in honour of Count Camillo Benso di Cavour with the aim of supporting him in his challenge to unify Italy.
Also Veneto has its own version: it seems that the tiramisu was invented in the restaurant “El Toulà” in Treviso. The restaurant was located close to a brothel, and it was served just for “putting up”.
(more…)
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Posted by grazia on July 29th, 2009 — in Italy, piedmont
Truffle is one of the highest expressions of Italian cuisine. Fragrant, heady, involving, for many people even aphrodisiac, the Tartufo Bianco d’Alba (White Truffle) gives a touch of nobility to any dish.
Its use is now universal. A few grams are enough for a portion, they are enough to arouse emotions.
It must be eaten raw, on neutral food, so as to enhance the intense and overwhelming scent.
Raw meat, fried egg and rice are examples of how surprising the scent of truffle can be.
The slices should be small leaves, thick few tenths of a millimetre. For the truffle, scent is everything and this is expressed with greater force if the area exposed is wider. The volatile molecules are so free. It is even better if it comes accompanied to a hot dish.
Where to go to buy it?
The most interesting source of supply are truffle fairs, events filling the calendar for all the towns of the truffle area and attracting each year thousands of visitors. From early October until the end of November, there are splendid examples of truffles elegantly arranged on colourful stalls run by trifolau (people whose job consists in the search of truffle) in person or by dealers. (more…)
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