Rain Rain Go Away! 

We got a slow start because of our leisurely mindset, also called laziness and because of our resistance to being out in the rain.  But we got all geared up to go to the Porta Palazzo farmers market about a 10 minute walk from here.    This place did not disappoint!  It is the biggest farmers market I can ever remember going to.  And not just in the sheer volume of stalls but how much each one has to sell.  There were mounds and mounds of tomatoes, citrus, zucchini, potatoes etc.  You can’t stop to take a photo because it is really crowded and busy and everyone who is not buying is moving right along.  All of the fruit and veg stands were under rows of dripping tarps.  Most of the shoppers have their own carello or at least a big reusable bag.  Ascross the street was a whole section of sellers with household goods and clothing.  Inside two large buildings were meat, cheese and bread stalls.  Each butcher has a huge inventory.  How much can they sell here?  We finally bought some breads and went back outside to get other stuff.  I wish I could have taken photos! Here is one of the buildings:

Walking home we decided to stop in at a church.  There were a group of school kids going in too but they were well behaved and this church was pretty solemn.  And this is what I really love about these big Italian cities.  You just pop in somewhere and low and behold, it’s the duomo of Torino and right before our eyes is the shroud of Turin!  Well, it’s not actually right before our eyes becasue they keep it under lock and key in a very special preservative environment but you can stare at the glass case in amazement.  I talked with one of the volunteers there.  An older, super earnest gentleman expalined a lot to me aobut the history of the shroud.  Even though it was all in Italian, I managed to get most of it and found the whole experience very moving.  Yes, I know it’s not REALLY Jesus’ burial cloth.  What moves me is the devotion and reverance around it. 

Anyway,  we came home and made a picnic redux with our fresh bread including a great penzerotto and the really flavorful tomatoes from the market.

Our afternoon walk was mostly window shopping out and back on arcaded, wide streets.  Got this shot of the leggo store window:

It’s the Mole building.

We had a dinner reservation at L’Acino.  Small place (seats only 30) with a big reputation.  The meal was good but not off the charts Piemontese cuisine like we had in the Langhe last time.  We started with stuffed zucchini flowers with ricotta and mint and they were up to the hype.  But the pasta dishes were not super.  I had the traditional ravioli al plin and these were just lacking in flavor.  Ken had tajarin with sausage ragu and it, too was just OK.  For an entrée we shared pork cheeks braised in Barolo wine which were good and homey but still didn’t nail it.  We also shared a great dessert—chocolate “bonet” like a pudding cake with a bit of caramel sauce and crumbled amaretti cookies.  Our wines, by the glass were better than the food.  For me a Barbaresco and for Ken, Barbera d’Asti.

The walk home was nice.  It wasn’t raining!