italy

A Day in Turin

Over the summer, I spent several days in Turin, but I spent one day really exploring the city. And so, I want to share what my highlights were from that day.

We started the day off with a trip to the Egyptian Museum. Ever since I was a child, I’ve always been obsessed with Egyptology, so this was quite the treat for me! This is a massive collection with rooms of artifacts that we explored all day. We saw the book of the dead, mummies, statues, amulets, pottery, and of course… cat mummies. The museum itself sits in a gorgeous building as well, in the heart of Turin.

After the museum, we walked around the city to look at some popular sights. I had the best guide, as my boyfriend lives just outside the city. First, we saw Piazza San Carlo. There’s a large statue in the center of Emmanuel Philibert by Carlo Marochetti, and there are twin churches behind. It was laid out in the 1500-1600’s, and this is a beautiful piazza of baroque style.

Then, we walked to Piazza Castello, where the royal palace sits. The architecture was gorgeous here.

In this piazza, we saw one of the many “Turet” bull drinking fountains around Turin. The name of the city in Italian, Torino, means little bull. So these little bull fountains are a fun tribute to the city name.

Now for the food! We ate so much this day. Lunch was at Poormanger, a restaurant specializing in baked potatoes with interesting toppings. I had a potato with pesto, tomato, and of course some cheese. My boyfriend had a carbonara potato, which was covered in egg, Parmesan cheese, and cured pork. We also had caponata, a blend of eggplant, tomato, peppers, and onions in a savory marinade.

For dinner, we headed to Piadino, a shop for piadina just outside of Turin. What is piadina? It’s basically a wrap with savory or sweet ingredients. I ate one with chicken, lettuce, tomato, and yogurt sauce. For dessert, we even had a piadina with Nutella!

There’s so much more to see and do in Turin, so I’ll have to make another trip soon. But I’d definitely recommend checking these sites out on your next trip to Italy!

A Beautiful Day in Rivoli

Rivoli is a historic municipality about 9 miles west of Turin in the Italian region called Piedmont. This beautiful city is a mix of new and old, with such a lovely charm.

We started our walk by getting gelato at La Romana, a cute little shop right by the Piazza Martiri della Liberta. I got two scoops, one strawberry and one blueberry with elderberry and lemon. My boyfriend got a bit more elaborate of a cone. He chose to have the cone lined with melted gianduja, which is a chocolate with hazelnut. He then got a scoop of coconut, a scoop of Ecuador dark chocolate, and a nice topping of whipped cream. We ate our gelato by a fountain in the square.

Next, we took a walk up the main shopping street toward the castle. The roads were cobblestone paved and the buildings were colorful and bright. The architecture was incredible.

We stopped to look at all of the sights along the way, including the view of a bell tower off in the distance.

Once we reached the top of the hill, we came up to the castle. This was the former castle of the Savoy king. It also has the best view, looking out over all of Turin.

After sitting here absorbing the view of the city, and the view of a random man doing Zumba in a spandex bike suit by himself, we walked back down the path toward town again. We passed beautiful ornamental prune trees and more historic buildings, and eventually found ourselves back in the center of Rivoli.

We decided to get some dinner and take it back to the castle to eat at sunset. We went to pick up some delicious gnocchi from Bistrot Rigatony. We got one gnocchi dish with several kinds of cheese in a creamy base. We also tried gnocchi with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil. We also got a few desserts. We then finished the day with dinner at sunset at the castle park overlooking the town.

Don’t miss out on this beautiful town. It’s definitely on my list to return to again. I recommend visiting Rivoli on your next trip to Italy!

Designer Shopping with a View in Milan

I’m not one to buy fancy designer items typically. I like sales and good deals, and I almost never pay full price. But even I was excited to see this all-designer shopping mall in Milan, just for the views! The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is Italy’s oldest shopping gallery, dating back to the 1870’s, and a must-see for fans of impressive architecture.

While most of the stores are designer brands, you’ll still have plenty to see even without spending an arm and a leg. It’s free to enter the mall, and the atmosphere alone is worth the visit. The buildings are ornately decorated, and the iron and glass vaulted ceilings are a masterpiece.

If you are fortunate enough to have the resources to shop here, you’ll see big name brands like Prada, Versace, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, and many others. Or, you can also window shop and just explore.

I definitely recommend checking out this gallery. It’s a beautiful site to look around. It’s right next to the Milan Cathedral, so you can see both in the same day, which is what I did. It’s all in the same plaza area. So check it out next time you’re in Milan!

American Airlines First and Business Class

Finally! I’m fully vaccinated, so I can travel again! Of course, while still wearing a mask. So, I’m off to explore the world. First stop? Italy!

I used a travel hack to get a free first class/business class ticket to Milan. I signed for the American Airlines Advantage Barclays Aviator Red Card which gives you 60,000 points if you make a purchase and pay the $100 fee within the first 90 days. The first class ticket was 59,500 points, so that is a first class ticket one way for the price of a pack of gum and $100 annual card fee. Of course, you still pay for the taxes for the flight, which came to $51. Still, a no-brainer.

My first flight was a standard tiny plane from my home town. Nothing fancy really. However, the service was excellent. Since I was technically first class, I got priority boarding, a drink (rare during Covid times in the main cabin), and even a snack which only first class received. My second flight was the same, pretty standard. The third flight had a bit more leg room and a better seat design. Again, complimentary drinks, including alcohol if you like. I just had water…. It was 10:00 am, and I had to figure out an airport change at my next stop.

Which yes, leads me to my next stop. The airport change! I changed from La Guardia airport to JFK. And then came the REAL fun. Because I was flying business class out of JFK, I got access to the admirals lounge for free! Here I got to eat tons of great food including a create your own Mac and cheese bar and a custom guacamole station, as well as other healthy snacks like hummus, veggies, fruit, and salads.

Finally, my last leg was American Airlines flagship business class to Milan. These seats are amazing little mini suites with lie-flat beds. You press a button and can recline the chair all the way into a bed. They even provide a comforter and pillow for your bed. I could watch TV While in bed, in my own little pod. It also came with all the first class food perks! I had a vegetarian ragu with some delicious sides of chicken and hummus, fruit, and mini chocolate cheesecake. This was by far the best flight I’ve ever experienced.

Finally, I arrived! Where did I explore first? You’ll have to check out my next post to find out! Stay tuned!