A Sip of Turin's History

A trip downtown last Thursday took us through some of Turin's historical streets - small, quaint, and paved with setts (rectangular stones, often mistakenly called cobblestones, which are round).

Go a little farther from Turin's historical center, and the streets are paved with asphalt and sometimes lined with grand arcades.  Tomorrow's chapter will be on these majestic streets.  But for now, let's concentrate on the areas the metro can't always reach.

Pedestrian streets are everywhere, and local cafés have tables set up outside, tempting passers-by to sit down, enjoy the weather, and have a quick drink or meal.

We were specifically looking for a small establishment called Bar Al Bicerin, to try the most authentic version of a traditional Torinese drink.

Bicerin (pronounced bee-cheh-REEN) is a hot drink made by layering espresso, chocolate, and frothy milk.  It was invented in Turin in the 1700's and was believed to have been invented in this very bar.  The writer Alexandre Dumas, on a visit to Turin in 1852, had a great many words of praise about bicerin, saying that it is among the things he will never forget.  By tradition, the Bar Al Bicerin is run completely by women, who guard the original recipe closely.

After lots of searching around town and asking locals for directions, we eventually found the Piazza della Consolata, where the bar has its tables set up alongside those from neighboring cafés.

The Piazza della Consolata (Square of the Consoled Woman) is so called because it is right in front of the Basilica Santuario della Consolata.

Cities in Italy tend to have a lot of these piazze (squares), where visitors can enjoy the shops and eateries.  Oftentimes these squares are in front of landmarks, and all the open space makes it convenient for taking pictures and spreading out crowds.

Well, our bicerin has arrived and it doesn't disappoint.  We are not sure whether or not to mix it, so both Kristen and I mix ours (Fernando was too filled with gelato to have room for one of these).  I think it tastes very strongly of chocolate and she things it tastes strongly of coffee, but we realize that this might be because I'm a coffee drinker and she's a hot chocolate drinker.

Tomorrow: More on the streets of Turin!