We had such an incredible time in Cinque Terre and were very sad to say goodbye. Unfortunately, we hadn’t slept very well on any of the nights at the Airbnb. The rooms were quite nice at first glance, but the beds were disappointing and a sensor in the hallway kept loudly clicking the lights on and off every ten seconds. Somebody even stole some money from a compartment in one of my bags, which we made very clear we were unhappy with and they reluctantly paid it out to us before we left for our train.

We took a train from Monterosso al Mare to Genova, then changed trains to Port Nuova, a.k.a. Turin. We were able to squeeze in a couple power naps before lugging our baggage up the cobblestone streets to our next accomodation at Tohouse. We followed the little beacon on google maps to a very big door that we couldn’t open without a key. Very confused, we called the number on our confirmation email and soon we hear the “clippity-clap” of high heels down the street. The receptionist explains that she wasn’t expecting us for another hour or so and was out for lunch. She brings us through the big door that opens into a courtyard, surrounded by apartments. The lady shows us where Tohouse actually is and checks us into one of the handful of rooms. The room was really lovely and I had to use all my might not to jump into that glorious bed.

We walked into the city centre, checking out some of the shops and beautiful architecture, but most museums and whatnot were nearing closing time. We went to the information centre hoping to get some insight into the city and plan some form of itinerary for our two days in Turin. He was actually quite helpful and pointed out the best attractions and how to get there. Hungry and tired, we wander back to the room and order some Chinese takeout, then jump into bed for a good night sleep to fuel our next couple days of sightseeing.

italy / day twenty-one / torino

After a good sleep, we journey to the centre again, but with a plan. I grab some bubble tea and we head to the Palace. We get tickets straight away using our Torino+Piedmonte Tourist Card that the rep at the information centre had suggested was best for the places we wanted to see/go. We chuck our stuff in a free locker and start to roam the halls in the Royal Palace of Turin.

The building is ginormous and the rooms are in great condition. They had a really cool armoury that was filled with all sorts of cool gear. The collection was made up of swords, guns, shields, body armour, spears and other things I don’t even know the names of. The palace was also home to a number of incredible sculptures and paintings.

We take a lunch break and stop in at a pizza joint. A little on the oily side but is actually really good. Our next stop is the Egyptian Museum. Our tourist card gets us in, again, with no additional cost, except for locker hire. They shove an audioguide in our hand and we begin walking through the museum. Being the second biggest Egyptian museum to Cairo, it attracts many visitors from all over the globe. We spent many hours learning  about the history and exploring the collection. Such an awesome place and I totally recommend trying to get there if you’re in Italy. It was a big highlight of our trip so far and I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

All this learning made us hungry and we soon found the perfect thing to fill our bellies, Mexican food! We grab some margaritas and fajitas and it ends up being one of the healthiest and best meals we’ve had in Italy. The service was really good too, it made the rest of our night really enjoyable.

On the way home, we swung past a small wine shop that I had been eyeing off across the road from where we were staying. My favourite wine of the trip was tasted here and I bought two bottles to bring back to Australia with me.

italy / day twenty-two / torino

Such a good sleep! Absolutely love Tohouse!

We trek into the city and find the bus stop for the Veneria Express, to Veneria Palace. Once the bus pulled up, it was crazy and people were like animals as we simply tried to board. The bus was really good though and it dropped us right down the road. A short walk and we line up to get our tickets… to be met with more crazy. The line was made up of everyone that had been on the bus+ and no one knew what a “personal bubble” was. In addition, they made us line up against the wall outside in the direct sun and then the line moved so freaking slowly. On the bright side, once we got our tickets, they didn’t cost us anything more after we scanned our tourist card – this card paid for itself over and over again!

The main hall of the palace was really amazing, but I wasn’t overly impressed with the rest of the palace, especially after seeing the amazing Royal Palace yesterday. Veneria Palace had actually been abandoned for approximately fifty years and was destroyed by vandals. They did a really good job restoring the building, but majority of the paintings, furniture and sculptures had been wrecked. The gardens were really beautiful and we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the paths and exploring the little district.

Once we grabbed a bite, we made our way down to the bus stop to head back into the city. We were twenty minutes early and there was already a huge line up. Once everyone started boarding the already half full bus, we realised we weren’t going to make it on, and probably not on the one after that either. We met some lovely ladies that knew of another bus, it was just on the other side of the palace, perhaps a fifteen minute walk. We followed them and successfully end up back in the centre of Turin.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the National Cinema Museum. They have this crazy elevator that goes straight up through the middle of the big, dome shaped building, to a viewing deck of the city. The views were awesome!

Our last day in Turin was coming to an end. After such a great experience yesterday, we go back to the Mexican restaurant for dinner again, then head home for another day of travelling again. Next stop, Florence!