I hope you enjoyed a little peek at the beautiful city of Torino!
This post is all about the food!
Food is very important to Italians; they talk about it a lot. And as I very much enjoy food, especially Italian food, well, I must admit I was in heaven. :)
Ok, so first off, it's not all about the food. In Italy the coffee is incredibly important, and not just any kind of coffee, but espresso! This was my second espresso (made Napolitano style!) and it was amazing. I like to think of it as a glorious kick in the mouth-it's fast, strong and hits hard. By the time I left, I had apparently proven myself, as Silvia's brother called me a true coffee drinker. What a compliment!
Gianduiotto is a chocolate that is native to Torino. It's only made there and it's fantastic!
Silvia took me to a piadineria--isn't that a fun word?? This is piadina--it's something between a sandwich and a quesadilla. Amazing.
Spaghetti and meatballs! Classic :) Best I've ever had, of course!
This is bicerin (pronounced beech-er-ine for my fellow Americans). It is also native to Turin. It is a hot drink made of espresso, hot chocolate and topped with steamed milk. I actually saw a clip of Rick Steves, the travel king, visit this very (historic) café and try this drink, which is how I knew, despite an instinctive desire to do so, you're not supposed to stir it; just drink it as it comes. So good!
Chocolate and espresso make me happy! :)
This was supper one night, made by Silvia's mom. The point of this picture is the mozzarella, described by Silvia and her family as the best in the world. They may very well be right!
Italian pastries! With, of course, espresso!
We went out for pizza! Silvia wanted margherita and I wanted spinach and ricotta, so we shared.
And yes, I ate this whole thing.
After pizza, gelato! Strawberry and chocolate for me. Amazing :)
My last night in Torino, Silvia and her brother said they had a surprise for me. I could not imagine what it was. The whole half-hour car ride, I wracked my brain trying to think what it might be. But I was shocked when we pulled up to this place! Maison du Chocolat!
And this is what we ate for supper (along with hot chocolate so thick we had to eat it with spoons). Mine is the bottom right one, a banana covered with chocolate and coffee-flavored ice cream and coffee beans.
Me, Silvia and her brother Ale
After that supper--which mostly consisted of chocolate and coffee--I was pretty happy :D
And then, to book-end my trip, we had espresso! Yes, after the super-thick hot chocolate and the chocolate and coffee-covered banana, Silvia and Ale took me to an espresso bar (because I hadn't had proper espresso from an espresso bar before!). It's a wonder I ever got to sleep that night. :)
But I did, and woke up in time to catch my train to Germany.
My trip to Italy was absolutely incredible! Writing about it now and posting pictures actually makes me want to go back more and soon!!
We will see what God has in store for me in the future with this beautiful country!
I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into my trip.
Next up, Amanda hits Germany!
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