My 15-Minutes of Fame

While I was in Italy, I was asked if I’d like to participate in an article for Apartment Therapy about participating in The Remote Experience. I answered a few questions, sent in a couple of photos and last week, heard from the writer that the article was posted. The next day, it was highlighted in their daily email…with my photo featured! It was actually pretty cool seeing it in my inbox.

Here’s a link to the article if you’d like to read about my trip with The Remote Experience, Jessica with Terminal 3 and Dana with Remote Year.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/remote-work-experience-3-women-took-their-office-global-this-year-235033

The writer actually asked quite a few questions and significantly pared down my answers. Several were interesting questions, and things that we’ve talked about amongst ourselves frequently. So if you’re interested, here are a few:

What advice would you give someone who is interested in/will be participating in a similar program? There will be times that parts of the program annoy or frustrate you. But don’t lose sight of why you chose to be a part of The Remote Experience. Yes, you could have done this by yourself, and yes, for a lot cheaper. But would you have? Knowing you have an instant community, that you’re not flying off to some unknown country by yourself, was a huge comfort for me. And having a company focused on ensuring that I have the ability to work uninterrupted was a big seller for getting my company on board. After two months with The Remote Experience, I feel I can easily do this on my own in the future, that I would feel comfortable being an independent digital nomad. But there’s no way I would have ever gotten to this point without them.

What do you wish you had known before starting this program? That European summers are hot. Like, really, really hot. And AC isn’t used. So be prepared to sweat. A lot. I studied abroad in the fall and spent two weeks in Italy last year in the spring, so I haven’t been here in the heart of summer since I was 11. And I was not prepared for the heat, or the fact that you don’t really get a break from it since AC isn’t common in most stores, restaurants or apartments. On a more practical note, I bought an international cell phone plan through my phone carrier. It’s significantly more expensive than simply getting a new SIM card in each country. I wish I had realized how easy it is to switch out your SIM cards and saved myself a lot of money.

Is there anything that you thought would be hard about this process that turned about to be easy, or vice versa? To be honest, my biggest worry was about working – that others would be here solely to party or recreate their study abroad experience rather than as a professional. Luckily, that hasn’t been the case at all. My other worry was about the people. I was essentially going on a 4-month trip with a group of strangers. So while I knew that I would be living and working with everyone, I had basically prepared myself to be exploring and traveling Europe by myself in case I didn’t click with anyone. And thankfully, the complete opposite happened. Our group is varied in terms of backgrounds, interests and age, but we all share the same adventurous spirit. I feel so fortunate to be sharing this experience with them, to have made 15 friends that I never would have crossed paths with otherwise.

What has surprised you most about this experience? The welcomed flexibility of being social or taking some time for yourself. Most of us had been working remotely prior to coming to Europe. And many of us lived alone in our various cities. So we’re used to a certain level of independence. To be living and working with 10-15 others was a big change. But everyone seems to share the same mentality that if you want to do things with others, great, send a message out and see who is available. But if you need some alone time, everyone understands and there is no judgment; go have lunch by yourself or take a weekend away and meet up with everyone when you’re ready.

Would you like to continue working abroad or are you looking forward to being home again? Would you consider doing it again sometime in the future if not right away? This is a tricky question! Hypothetically, yes, I’d love to continue living abroad. But if I’m being truly honest with myself, it’s probably not a long-term reality at this point in my life. I moved to Chicago 10-months before leaving and am eager to continue to explore the city; at times I feel I know Split or Turin better than I know Chicago! And while my company was very supportive of my going to Europe for 4-months to realize a personal dream, I’m not sure they’d be on board to let me continue this living/working situation indefinitely. All of that being said, I can absolutely see myself living abroad again, possibly for longer than a few months. I’ll just have to see what doors open in the future.

Before I left for a 6-week solo trip to Europe, a friend gave me a card that had a quote inside that really stuck with me, and I think about it all the time when I travel—b/c traveling is amazing, but it’s not always easy—it said: “We don’t remember days, we remember moments.” What has been your favorite moment of the trip so far? I started writing about a solo-trip I took to Zermatt, Switzerland where I skied in the Swiss Alps on July 24^th. While that was pretty incredible, I actually think my favorite moment is much more low-key. Our first night in Torino, we met our local ambassador, Chiara, who invited us over to her apartment to watch the Italy-Germany Euro Cup quarterfinal game. A few of us joined her and about 20 of her neighbors and friends in their apartment courtyard where they were projecting the game onto a wall. I looked around and couldn’t believe how lucky I was, not just to be in Europe, but to be so welcomed by these strangers into their everyday lives. Skiing in the middle of summer in the Alps is simply amazing, but anyone can plan a trip like that. Joining a group of friends to watch a game at their home isn’t something you can ever plan or organize, it’s an experience I never would have had if I weren’t on The Remote Experience. The program provides the opportunity to truly immerse yourself in the local culture, experiencing it as if you live in these cities rather than just visiting.

Gaudí’s Park Güell

Anyone that’s been to Barcelona knows that Antoni Gaudí’s influence is visible across the city. And for anyone that hasn’t been to Barcelona, Antoni Gaudí’s influence is visible across the city.

Gadudí was kind of an odd bird, but he was a pretty incredible architect. And he’s left many amazingly unique buildings around Barcelona as part of his legacy: Sagrada Família…

…Casa Battló…

…Casa Milà…

…this random fountain…

…and the light posts in Plaça Reial.

Apparently, at the turn of the century, a lot of people didn’t really like his style, which makes sense as he is definitely a modernist and these did NOT go with the rest of the architecture of the time or area. Little known fact about Gaudí: he was killed at 76 after being hit by a tram. He liked dressing up as a pauper so when he was taken to the hospital, the doctors and nurses didn’t recognize him and he wasn’t given adequate care.

My first foray into Gaudí’s work was Park Güell. This was a planned housing community commissioned by Eusebi Güell who assigned the design to Gaudí. They had planned to build 60 houses on a hill overlooking the city, including a community park to enjoy the fresh air. Gaudí made it through the entrance to the community and part of the park and another architect erected exactly two houses, before the project was deemed a failure.

It has since become a municipal garden and it feels like you’ve stepped into a cross between a Dr. Seuss book and Candyland.

One of the entrance gates built by Gaudí.

Part of Gaudí’s park.

The entrance gates to the park.

I love all of the mosaic tiles.

This actually felt more Flinstones than Candyland or Dr. Seuss. 

Sarah, Jillian and I enjoying Park Güell.

We also looked through the Gaudí House Museum which is located in the house Gaudí lived in for several years before his death.

It was interesting to learn a bit more about Gaudí as a person and some of his design techniques.

Overall, I really like Gaudí’s style. It’s playful, bright, different and has so much attention to detail.

The Olympics Party Lives On

I’m having some major Olympic withdrawals. It’s no secret that I LOVE the Olympics and for the last couple, I have hosted Olympic watch parties.

For 2012, we watched the Fierce Five win team gold in the gymnastics team all-around, complete with patriotic outfits and a gymnastics cake.

I can’t actually take credit for the gymnastics cake idea. I copied the cake my mom made for my 8^th birthday.

Gymnastics cake, circa 1994.

For 2014, we watched downhill skiing and enjoyed an Olympic torch appetizer along with a winter Olympics theme cake.

Can you tell I didn’t have something to copy for this one? Let me tell you, building frosting mountains deserves its own Olympic medal.

For 2016, I wasn’t going to let being in Barcelona ruin the tradition. And thankfully, NBC streamed everything online. We had a few connection issues, but we were still able to enjoy quite a bit of Olympic coverage. Enter, the Olympics cake: 2016 edition.

While the cake might not look like much, it was an all day affair. It took me a ridiculous amount of time at the grocery store, using the Google Translator app, to figure out what cake mix was going to be the easiest to work with and what ingredients I was going to need. It then took me even longer to try and find canned frosting, or ingredients to make my own frosting, before deciding whipped cream would make a fine alternative. Next up, finding a cake pan, which thankfully, wasn’t too difficult. Finally, I stopped by the market to figure out what I could use to make Olympic rings. We’re still not sure what the yellow ring is: they were the size of cherries, looked like tomatoes on the inside and had an indistinguishable sweet taste. Whatever they are, they are really good.

After purchasing all of my ingredients, I went home, took a look at our oven, and realized I had a bigger problem; I had no idea how to use it.

Luckily, my life-long-friend, Jennifer, had lived in Spain for 5+ years and I sent her the above picture, asking if she had any idea what any of the symbols meant on the left dial. She came to my rescue and I successfully heated up the oven.

Mixing the cake was interesting considering I only had a fork, but I survived. I then had to do some major estimations to figure out the cooking time for the disposable pan I purchased, which was an odd shaped rectangle, while the cake mix called for a 22cm round pan. (note: I didn’t realize how bad I was at estimating things until the first snow storm Patrick lived in Denver. I texted my Dad saying we had gotten 8+ inches!! He said Patrick had texted him 5 minutes earlier and said there was 3, maybe 4 inches on the ground. Whoops) I opted to simply check on the cake every 5 minutes.

I’m happy to report that the cake turned out well! Onto the decorating. Which shouldn’t have been hard, except Barcelona in August is hot. And no air reaches our kitchen. And I had been using the oven for most of the afternoon. So the whipped cream frosting kept melting, which was making my Olympic rings made of fruit pieces slide all over the place. I finally had to just start over, scraping the melted whipped cream and fruit pieces off. I reapplied the frosting, froze the cake, quickly reassembled the rings, and kept it in the freezer until people came over.

Thankfully, the Final Five again won team gold in the gymnastics all-around final, we had a great potluck and the Olympic cake was delicious. So despite the all-day, cross-continent effort of baking a “simple” box cake, the Barcelona Olympics Potluck was a success!

EatWith: Tapas with Papa

A few years ago, I read about EatWith, a concept where local people in cities across the world cook for groups at their homes. It’s a way to try different cuisines, meet new people and if you’re traveling, meet some locals. The cooks tend to be amateur chefs, often people that don’t want to deal with the stress or overhead of owning their own restaurant.

I can’t remember what prompted me to look into it in Barcelona, but they have a ton of options here. I started sorting through them to find one that sounded good, had great reviews and was willing to work around my aversion to anything coming from the water. Enter Tapas with Papa.

Camille, Catherine and I signed up to spend an evening with Joel Serra and 23 strangers for a 5-course dinner on “Papa Serra’s” rooftop.

When we got to his apartment building, we saw another group, looking slightly confused, waiting for the elevator and figured they were some of our dinner mates. We opted for the stairs and sure enough, we met them on the 4^th floor. Joel’s apartment has an incredible rooftop patio, with a view of La Catederal in the distance. The hanging lights, vermouth welcome drink and table setting would have made my mom proud:

As we sipped our vermouth, it was a bit awkward being at a cocktail party with complete strangers. But hey, I’ve been in odder situations . . . like traveling Europe with strangers. Or thinking I was interviewing for Washington Mutual when it was actually Western Union. . . twice. Or going to a wedding where I knew no one except the bride, groom and my ex-boyfriend, who brought his new girlfriend. But I digress.

As we sat down, we started chatting with those on our end of the table and discovered everyone was from Germany. Thinking that was a bit odd, we asked about the German-invasion at Papa Serra’s house and it turns out, our very own chef was actually a German documentary star! It aired in April and apparently ever since, his weekly dinner draws a largely German attendance. I did a bit of googling and found the documentary, but unfortunately it has no subtitles. If anyone knows German and wants to learn about Papa Serra/Joel, here you go. For the rest of us, here’s a quick synopsis of the documentary that you can have google automatically translate into English for you.

(Quick side note: for anyone traveling to a foreign country, you have to download the Google Translate app. Not only can you translate any language, you can hover your camera over text and it automatically translates it for you. It comes in handy when you’re trying to decipher a menu. Or bake a cake.)

After making friends with all of our German dinner-mates, the conversation flowed much easier and we had the best time! Before starting dinner, Joel came out to introduce himself, the concept of EatWith and what we would be having. He’s actually Tasmanian and has lived in Barcelona for the last four years. He has a great accent and is quite attractive:

Joel served up five incredible courses as well as many bottles of wine . . . which he got from the local bodega.

Course One: Pan con tomate (grilled or toasted bread with tomato rubbed on, drizzled with olive oil and salt. This is a very typical Catalan appetizer and one I’d highly recommend) Olives (including ones Joel made himself). Quince paste with Manchego and goat cheeses.

Course Two: White gazpacho with green grapes, Marcona almonds and basil olive oil.

Course Three: Roasted chicken and butifarra sausage with curry hummus and salad. Butifarra is another very Catalan dish, which is the best-tasting sausage I’ve ever had.

Course Four: Roasted eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes and roasted peppers with rosemary and a basil sauce (everyone else had fish but Joel nicely substituted eggplant for me)

Course Five: Pound cake with fresh figs, whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

Everything was absolutely incredible! And the most amazing part? Papa Serra made all of this in his tiny galley kitchen!

When we signed up, the website indicated that dinner would be about 2.5 hours. 5 hours later, at 1:30am, I finally got home. I still had to pack for my weekend trip to Portugal with a wake-up call of 5:15. It’s a good thing the dinner was so fun and delicious; I didn’t even mind the lack of sleep.

I would highly recommend trying an EatWith, it was such a cool experience. And if you’re ever in Barcelona, absolutely do Tapas with Papa!

Please notice the long sleeves. This is the first, and only, night that it’s been somewhat cool since the middle of June. And by cool I mean below 80 degrees.

Papa Serra also has a cookbook that looks excellent. I was going to purchase one, but realized carrying it home would probably put my bag over the weight limit and figured I better just order it when I get home.

PS: The other day, I tried another bodega to fill up my 1.5-liter water bottle, Bodega Maestrazgo, and ran into Joel. He was getting ready for his rooftop dinner the next night. We chatted a bit, he invited me to try another one of his dinners before I left Barcelona and he gave me the Euro-double kiss as both a hello and goodbye. I was not sad about it!

Mountains and Castles and Wine. Oh My!

Our first Spanish excursion was up to Montserrat to check out the monastery followed by a trip to a 1,000-year-old castle, turned winery.

Montserrat is the number one day-trip from Barcelona. And it’s apparent based on the crowds. We took a bus then cog railway up to the monastery to check out the mountain views and the church.

According to lore, Benedictine monks found a black Madonna while constructing the monastery. They were unable to remove her, so instead, built the monastery around la Moreneta.

There was a long line to see la Moreneta, so this was as close as we got. See her? Up there in the middle.

There are still 60 Benedictine monks who live at Montserrat as well as 50 boys in the Escolania choir, one of the oldest boys’ choirs in Europe. They go to school as well as perform daily at the monastery. Unfortunately, it was summer break, so we didn’t get to hear them sing.

But we did enjoy looking around the church:

From the monastery, we hopped on a bus and drove to Oller Del Mas, a castle overlooking the Montserrat mountain range. Better known as the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range.

As I mentioned, this is a 1,000-year-old castle that is currently in its 36^th generation of ownership by the same family. The Mergenat family adheres very strictly to the rule that the eldest male heir inherits the family fortune. Can you imagine inheriting a medieval castle??

The previous-generation-Mergenat decided to turn the castle into a winery and they’ve been a small producer since.

We enjoyed a welcome drink of white wine on their outside patio…

…followed by lunch and three more tastings: a syrah-grenache blend, a grenache-samsó blend, and a full samsó. I sat next to an Irish couple who were so nice. Correction: the woman was so nice. I believe the man was equally as nice, but I could only understand about 30% of what he said, so I’m basing this off his smile, laughter and tone of voice. His accent was so thick; he might as well have been speaking a different language. Talking to them, however, has moved Ireland up on my list of places to visit. Specifically, Cork and Galway – they said it’s fine to skip Dublin.

Tipsy off our tasting, we toured the winery. The grounds seemed a bit dry for growing grapes, but they seemed to do ok with the environment.

We climbed to the top of the castle tower to enjoy the view…

…then had a brief history in herbs.

Sadly, I cant remember what we learned about the herbs. They should have done the herbology lesson pre-wine.

We climbed back on the bus to head home to Barcelona. Which really means, we climbed back on the bus for all us to enjoy an hour nap on the way back home to Barcelona.

MOB: Makers of Barcelona

Like everything else in Barcelona, our office space, MOB: Makers of Barcelona, is much bigger than in Split or Torino. There are a lot of people that work here regularly as well as drop-ins and lots of different areas in which to work. We’re supposed to work downstairs…

…but I don’t love the basement and it smells a bit musty, so I prefer to sit upstairs.

The front of the office is actually a café and 3D printer.

They’ve been on summer holiday since our first week here, but I’ve heard they actually have great food. They come back next week so I’ll be stopping in for lunch. Our apartment is so bright, I tend to actually work from there more than going into the office. But a good sandwich and delicious Nomad Coffee is enough of a draw for me to head in.

Side note: Nomad Coffee is around the corner from our apartment and they brew a mean roast! I stopped in and tried a nitro cold brew. I’ve never had cold brew nor have I ever had nitro coffee, but it was incredible; a perfect pick-me up on a hot, August day in Barcelona.

Spanish Wine For The Win

I just discovered the best Spanish secret! Well, it might not be a secret, but I had no idea. And it’s an absolutely wonderful discovery.

I’ve seen bodegas all around the city. But most look like this:

Not exactly inviting.

But, my food tour guide indicated that she regularly fills up at her local bodega for table wine. I figured if it was good enough for my local foodie tour guide, it was good enough for me.

Embarrassingly, it took me four tries:

Visit #1: When I saw the bodega around the corner from my apartment, I actually thought it was a place I read about that had good paella on Thursdays (Bodega Joan vs. Bodega Jané, common mistake) so I stopped in to ask if they offered chicken paella. The owner was clearly confused, spoke no English and repeatedly pointed at the walls of wine. Obviously no food here. I walked out, then realized maybe I could buy the cheap table wine here so I went back in to ask about filling up. The language barrier was strong and he was even more confused so I fled with no paella and no wine.

Visit #2: The next try, Jillian and I were headed up to Búnquers del Carmel and figured we’d bring some wine to enjoy up there. Closed. Although the view was pretty incredible.

Visit #3: Bound and determined to get this bodega wine, I headed over, had an awkward sign language conversation with the owner about which of the 10+ wines I’d like to try and finally chose one. He luckily knew one word of English: “sweet”. Thank you kind Catalonian man for knowing this single English word. I blindly chose another option and a very confusing 45-second conversation ensued where he spoke to me in Catalan about needing a bottle and me speaking back in English that I would simply pay extra for the bottle. He finally went behind the counter, picked up a 1.5 liter empty water bottle and he finally got his point across – I needed to bring the container in which to fill, none were for “purchase”.

Visit #4: I walked back home, downed the rest of the water bottle I had in the fridge and came back. Success!

Happy to report that I finally purchased 1.5 liters of delicious Spanish wine for a grand total of €4.50/$5.09.

Home Sweet Home (for August)

Our housing in Barcelona couldn’t be more different than Torino. In Italy, our apartment was very quaint and it felt like I was waking up in a European town every morning. Although, my bedroom overlooked a courtyard where a very loud, often unhappy toddler lived. I could bank on countless meltdowns and endless running across the balcony on a daily basis.

In Spain, I feel like I’m waking up in an Ikea store every morning. Which to be fair, is still very European, just a different Euro style. It’s very clean as everything is brand new and absolutely everything is white or neutral color. From that aspect, I actually quite like it. It just doesn’t have as much character, which is what I liked about my Split and Torino apartments.

However, WE HAVE AC!!! After a month of no air conditioning and 90+ degree days, I can’t even begin to tell you what a relief it is.

This month I’m living with Jillian and Ciara with Sarah, Michelle and Rachel right downstairs. We’re in the El Born neighborhood which is very centrally located. We’re across the street from the Mercat de Santa Caterina, a wonderful fresh market selling fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, cheeses, olives, eggs, dried fruits, nuts, etc. We’re also really close to Catedral de Barcelona and the Picasso Museum and a 25-minute walk to the beach, which I have taken almost daily.

Here’s a quick look at my Spanish abode:

The apartment layout is kind of weird. One long hallway with every room jutting off it. I accidentally walked into Ciara’s room several times the first week meaning to go into the kitchen.

I’m a frequent visitor to the market. When you have this right outside your door, how can you not!?

Most of the stalls have been owned and run by the same family for several generations.

Ciao Torino, Hola Barcelona

I’m clearly a bit behind as I’ve actually been in Barcelona for two and a half weeks. But my month in Torino was so jammed packed that I couldn’t fit in all of my blog posts!

Going into my summer in Europe, I really knew very little about Torino; however, I was most excited about this month as I knew how much I loved Italy. I never could have imagined Torino would become my favorite city in this incredible country.

From the people to the food to the culture to the architecture to the endless activities it provides, Torino is a place I could easily see myself living. The city perfectly combines its long history with a modern lifestyle (with limited wireless availability being the one downfall).

So while it’s ciao for now, I will most definitely be back to this wonderful city!

And as is the case with this trip, goodbye to one city is hello to another. Barcelona is much bigger than Torino or Split; it’s more like living in NYC rather than a quiet beach or university town. And surprisingly, this has required me to dig a bit deeper into the city, find the quaint streets, the activities that appeal to me more than the main tourist attractions. While I haven’t clicked with Barcelona as immediately as I have the other cities, I haven’t given up on it. I figure there’s a reason everyone’s immediate reaction to hearing that I’m going to Barcelona is “I love it there”, and I’m bound and determined to figure it out.

Here’s a quick preview of what I’ve seen around Barcelona so far.

La Catedral – Gothic church a block from my apartment

Arc de Triomf in Parc Ciutadella

Cascada Fountain in Parc Ciutadella

View from the top of the Cascada Fountain

La Rambla 

Casa Battló – one of the Gaudi houses

Port Olimpic near Barceloneta Beach

A “Locals” Guide to Torino, Italy

I might be using the term ‘local’ loosely, but I feel after a month in Torino, I definitely have a good sense of what to do, where to eat and where to go. So if you’re visiting the area, here is what I’d recommend:

What to Eat in Torino

Let’s be honest, food is one of the most important aspects of an Italian vacation. So let’s get right to it. 

Pizza:

I made it a personal goal to try as much pizza as possible and here is my final ranking:

1. Sarchiapone: This pizza place is in San Salvario, a hip neighborhood south of the city center that feels a lot like the East Village in NYC. It’s always crowded and they speak no English. Luckily we went with Chiara who could help us with deciphering the menu and ordering. But it was the definite pizza winner.

2. Alla Lettera: Near Porte Nuova, this restaurant has great outdoor seating in the middle of a relatively quiet piazza. While their pizza was absolutely delicious, their service left a lot to be desired.

3. Mammamia Sas di Cicanese Giuseppe: This unassuming restaurant on the side of a fairly busy road has the lightest pizza I found in Torino. The crust is thin, perfectly cooked, wonderfully delicious and the sauce is the ideal consistency, runny without being too watery. It was the only place I left not feeling overly stuffed.

4. Cammafa: Another San Salvario gem. I had a minor translation issue when ordering and didn’t get tomato sauce, which is really the only reason it’s ranked 4^th. The crust however, was heavenly! I still dream about it.

5. Pizzeria Scugnizzo: This was actually right next door to Mammamia. The pizza was quite tasty, but the crust was so thick, I felt like I was eating seven loaves of bread. I was so uncomfortably full after eating only half of my pizza, I don’t think I can rank this one higher.

6. Pizza aD Hoc di Momblano: This happened to be around the corner from my apartment and on my walk to work. I stopped here for a quick lunch on the way to the office and it was satisfactory (and let’s be honest, still probably better than 90% of pizza in the US) but I don’t think I’d rush to go back.

Gelato

Similarly, I sampled quite a bit of gelato. All for the sake of the blog, clearly. Something I learned while in Torino is that a large majority of gelaterias now use pre-made mixes. A few locations still use only fresh ingredients and you can absolutely taste a difference.

1. Mara dei Boschi: We passed this in San Salvario on our way home from Sarchipaone and Chiara told us it was her favorite gelato. So we had to stop. And it was absolutely mine as well. I tried a sample of their double chocolate and I’ve never been one to shy away from rich desserts. I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t think that I’d be able to eat more than a few spoonfuls. It would be my Aunt Susan’s dream come true, though!
   

2. Gelateria Alberto Marchetti: This was one block from my apartment and I only stopped here because I was craving gelato one hot afternoon while I was working in my apartment. I ran out to grab a cone in between meetings and so glad I tried it!
3. Grom: I didn’t want to like Grom as much as I did. They have several locations in the US, have multiple locations in Torino in the most touristy areas and they all always have a line. But there’s a reason it’s become so popular.

4. Nivà Gelato: This is in Piazza Vittorio and I was walking by on my Mom’s birthday. I figured I should help her celebrate in Italy so I stopped in. I had a slight translation issue and they gave me two scoops and I’m not at all sad about it.

5. Caffé Fiorio: This is a historic café that has been a meeting place for intellectuals and the wealthy since 1780. The gelato was good, but nothing fantastic, and it was extremely overpriced.
6. La Gelateria Menodiciotto: This was Camille and Catherine’s go-to gelato but I can’t say I was too impressed. It definitely won for presentation, but the gelato itself just wasn’t that flavorful.

Other Restaurants: 

Café Al Bicerin: The originator of the bicerin, an espresso, hot chocolate and cream drink. A great little café in a great little square. Pricey but totally worth it.

Café San Marco: Another historic café that is over priced, but worth the €3 espresso because the inside is so cool.

Lanificio: We went to apericena on our first and last night in Torino. Also in San Salvario, you pay €9 for a drink and an incredible Italian buffet.

Barbiturici: A very American restaurant, but they offered FULL SIZE CUPS OF COFFEE!! That alone would qualify this for my list. But they also have very tasty food – salads, bagel sandwiches and hamburgers (We were recommended here by Chiara, so it’s actually a local place and has a better ambiance and vibe then this description is probably making it sound)

Adonis: Another San Salvario eatery. Sensing a theme of neighborhoods? This is a crêperie that has equally delicious savory and sweet crêpes.

Perino Vesco: I walked by this place one afternoon and thought it looked good. Sarah and I checked it out later and you can purchase all sorts of pre-made focaccia with different toppings, choosing how big of a slice you want based on hunger or how many versions you want to try.

E Cucina: A full culinary experience! We ate here as a group and you simply choose the fish, vegetarian or meat menu. Each menu comes with a dessert and you decide after which course you’re done eating. We all had to stop after our aperitivo and primi, skipping the secondo to save room for dessert. You can’t know what’s coming out in each course, it’s a surprise when they place it on the table, and it changes each day based on what’s fresh in the market. They’re traditional Italian ingredients, but very odd pairings.

Aperitivo: beef carpaccio with zucchini, cheese and walnuts.

Primi: pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables and raisins

Dolce: frozen meringue, pistachio cake and chocolate brownies

Eataly: Eataly started in Lingotto, a 10-minute metro ride from Torino. I am a frequent visitor to the Eataly in Chicago, have been to the one in NYC, stopped in at the one in Florence, enjoyed coffee at the one in the Mole and had lunch at the one in Torino’s city center. Suffice it to say I like Eataly. And the original one is incredible! It’s huge, you want to buy everything and I wish I could sample every dish at every restaurant.

Cianci: This was the most Italian place we went the entire time. Jillian and I ventured here without Chiara and really wish we had her to translate! You sit shoulder to shoulder with dozens of other tables in the middle of the square. The restaurant is packed and there’s always an hour plus wait, but all with locals, so you know it must be good. No waiters spoke English so we had a few surprises in what we ordered, but everything was delicious. And the best part – it was €26 total for an appetizer, two primi pasta dishes, two desserts and a liter of wine.

A terrible picture, but gives you a sense of how packed it was. There were even more tables on our other side, in front of us and behind us.

Baratti & Milano: Yet another historic, beautiful café. This one also doubles as a gourmet chocolatier. I tried an espresso with a bit of hot chocolate mixed in. Not quite as rich as a bicerin and since it’s so small, it’s much more manageable as an afternoon treat.

Master Sandwich: For €4.50, you get the freshest, tastiest panini, a bottle of water and a tiny little panino with Nutella. It’s a small shop with barely enough room to stand while you wait to order. There are at least 40 different options to choose from and somehow, the sandwich masters know the ingredients on every single one. They slice the salami freshly onto each sandwich and the bread is made throughout the day. I’m drooling a bit even thinking about it. We had a lengthy discussion about the fact that you can get a sandwich for so cheap when it has perfectly cured meat, fresh cheese and an abundance of straight-from-the-garden vegetables. America is doing something wrong.

What To Do In Torino:

Museum Pass: Depending on your length of stay, I’d highly recommend the Torino + Piemonte Card or the Abbonamento Musei Torino Piemonte. You can check out my lengthy post dedicated too all of the museums of Torino here.

Run in Parco del Valentino: The park is huge and runs along the River Po, offering beautiful views of the bridges, hills and castles. If you go in the morning, you’ll see tons of people out for a run. In the late evening, you’ll see students and locals enjoying picnics and live music. If you’re lucky and there happens to be a race going on in the park, sign up!

Sunset at Monte dei Cappuccini: Hike up to the piazza and enjoy a beer while watching the sunset behind the Alps, casting long, beautiful shadows over the city.

Paddle Board on the River Po: The River Po looks disgusting because of all the algae, but the water is actually quite clean. Join the locals on the water, paddle boarding, kayaking or rowing.

Swing Dancing in Piazza Castello: We were invited to join our friends to learn swing dancing in the main square. We were all terrible but it was really fun watching those that knew what they were doing. Here’s a short preview.

Night at Cacao: Chiara invited us to Cacao with a big group of her friends and we really had no idea what to expect. If you arrive before 10pm, you’re treated to another incredible Italian apericena. Cacao then turns into an outdoor nightclub, packed with locals of all ages. After eating, we figured we’d stay for an hour then politely excuse ourselves. We finally headed back at 4am!! For an hour or so, an Italian singer came on and sang the equivalent of Italian oldies. Every person knew every word and sang along – it was really fun to watch and listen. Chiara and Niccolo were translating the songs for us and the lyrics were hysterically cheesy.

Enjoying apericena, still a bit leery of Cacao

Fully embracing it! Mom, please note, there are two straws per drink, there aren’t actually 38 drinks on our table.

Enjoy the Wonders of Apericena: Apericena isn’t just a cheap way to eat dinner; it’s a way to really embrace Torino’s culture. It’s offered at most places and you always get a drink and small plates, but you need to do a bit of research as some are definitely better than others.

Walk Around the City: Torino isn’t all that big, and you can walk pretty much anywhere. The side streets are equally as charming as the main streets with their wonderful porticoes. Just stroll around, getting lost in the streets between the piazzas and you can’t help but be impressed with how beautiful the city is.

Where To Go Around Torino:

The Alps: You’re literally at the base of the Alps in Torino, so it’s a must to head into the mountains. Both the French and Swiss Alps are easy train rides away and you can be in the Italian Alps in less than an hour, so get out and explore. 

Wine Tasting: Piemonte is home to some of the best wine regions in the world: Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera. How can you not go sample the local wine? 

Lake Como: Lake Como is more gorgeous than you can even imagine. It’s more than worth the 2-hour drive or train ride over there.