I started today by following the suggestions of my guidebook. It said to go to the Italian Museum of Risorgimento. This was listed as one of the top two things to do in Turin. Think of it as a museum about how modern Italy became established as a united, independent state. Sound interesting? No, of course not – it was boring as hell. I don’t know what the heck I was thinking. I could have gone to see the royal armory instead, but no … I had to listen to the guidebook that I already didn’t trust. And once you’re in, there’s no easy way out. I spent my time there speeding through and looking for a bathroom.
I passed the rest of the morning going from chocolate shop to chocolate shop buying giandiuiotti and giandiuie, planning for a tasting of both at a future TC night!
Lunch found me returning to the restaurant that had rejected me the night before. I had ravioli stuffed with veal and served with a pesto sauce, duck breast on a bed of arugula, and apple strudel with zabaglione. All were outstanding, although I think that, excepting dessert, I had done better the night before (I know it isn’t fair to compare lunch and dinner, but it’s my blog, so I’m doing it).
Incidentally, this was better than any apple strudel I had during my visit to Austria, and I told the waitress that. It wasn’t called strudel, because if it had been, I wouldn’t have ordered it. Perhaps I’m more of a strudel person than I thought.
I visited Mille Vigne again, this time to pick up a few bottles to take home, and then spent the afternoon in a pastime that Detroit and Torino share …. Cars! I went to the national automobile museum, which was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed looking at the old European cars, of which there were many Italian models on display.
One fascinating observation was that the European industry didn’t start marketing cars to the masses until Austin Motors started doing so in 1937. The museum treated this as though it were a new thing, but to my mind they were sorely behind, as Ford had done this with the Model T three decades prior. Then again, there was little mention of an American car industry, and almost none of the Asian manufacturers (excepting a single display of production numbers). One could almost guess that the entire history of the automobile happened in Europe, with a focus on Italy.
After this I visited Lingotto, the prior Fiat factory that has since been converted into a mall. Among its credits is a test track on the roof, for which there is a spiral ramp at one end of the building.
Dinner found me at the original Lavazza cafe and restaurant for my last night of this trip.
I had 5 different amuse bouches
A gratin of greens (like a small quiche, really)
Agnolotti stuffed with ricotta and served with a thyme scented butter
Herbed rack of lamb with apple chestnut sauce and potatoes.
Conclusions: loved the gratin and the agnolotti, but mixed feelings on the lamb. I think it was sous vide, and unfortunately the chef needs to raise the temperature on the machine a bit. It wasn’t just rare, it was almost black and blue, which is too bad, because the flavors were otherwise great. It was served with small bits of roasted and browned potatoes that were enchanting.
I eschewed dessert, but they were gracious enough to bring me some sweets with my espresso.
And with that, this trip draws to a close, my friends. See you in September.
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January 16, 2026
I really missed an opportunity with this one and buried the lede.
In later years the focus would have been on the automobile industry, and the focus almost exclusively on European production, eschewing other global manufacturers. Then again, I was focused a lot on food at that time in my life.
Also note the reference to TC, or “Top Chef” night, my weekly dinners with friends. Those were a big focus of my week for years and I miss those evenings, seated around the table, eating shared meals and telling stories. The eddies of life take us all on our own routes. If we are lucky enough, we get to float along with great people for a long time, and I have been especially fortunate in that way.
Sometimes we drift back together, and those times can be magical.
Also, I realized this is the last post from this trip. I often wrap things up, but failed to do so here, so added a few sentences to make that clear.
butterblogger 