Martedi

Tuesday we slept in, then got ready to go have lunch with Omar (Caitlin's boyfriend). Omar picked us up, but he had to go back to school, so we picked up Federica, grabbed some pastries, and ate in the park by the school. Eugen tried to show us some kind of trick with gum wrappers... Then we rode to the piazza with Federico, met Piano and his friends, and walked to another piazza to have pizza. (It was seriously the best pizza I've probably ever had! Plus the pepperoni was sooo much better than Irish pepperoni!) They all walked us to the train station, and we said goodbye to our friends and got Piano's email address so he can come visit us in Ireland!

Eugen, Caitlin, Elizabeth and I hopped the train to Torino. Torino/Turin is a major industrial city as well as a business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the west bank of the Po River. The company Fiat automobile manufacturer has its headquarters here and many other Italian car brands such as Lancia were born here: hence Turin has been nicknamed the Automobile Capital of Italy.

We walked across town to the Mole Antonelliana-- a major landmark of the Italian city Turin. It is named for the architect who built it, Alessandro Antonelli. Construction began in 1863. Originally, it was intended to be a Jewish synagogue, as religious freedom had just been granted to non-Catholic groups, but in 1873 an exchange with the city of Turin for other land for a synagogue took place, and the Mole was dedicated to Victor Emanuel II. Since 2000, the building has housed the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, the National Museum of Film. The Mole appears on the reverse of the two cent Italian euro coins and was the official emblem of the 2006 Winter Olympics. A panoramic lift runs up through the centre of the building carrying visitors to the tempietto, which offers a spectacular showing of the exposition areas and the panorama of the city from above. The view was spectacular.

The museum itself is the highest museum in the world. In the framework of scenographic displays and projections, enriched by the exhibition of photographs, sketches and objects, the visitor travels through the great themes in the history of cinema and the early experiments with moving pictures in a fantastic and interactive itinerary. Unique objects are exhibited from the period of silent films: from charlie Chaplin's bowler hat to Rudolph Valentino's costume. There are also objects from sound films like the egg from Aliens by cameron, the head from Jaws by Spielberg and Marylin's jewellery and shoes. The collection of machinery for viewing and filming, posters, and photographs is extraordinary. In the spectacular and immense Temple Hall, the visitors can relax in the chaise lounges and watch films and other sensational shows of lights and shadows inside the dome.

Once we finally pulled ourselves off the chaise lounges and got back on the road, it was dark out. We walked past shops, book sellers, and through beautiful romantic piazze on our way back to the train station. On our train ride home, Eugen poured his heart out to us about his girlfriend from home that he missed-- it was so cute.

When Paolo picked us up from the train station, we stopped at la casa dei nonni (their grandparents' house) to pick up Daniele. Nonna gave use cookies and candy! They were pretty much the cutest Italians ever. Back at the house, we snacked on the cookies before a dinner of pasta, french fries and white fudge covered oreos (that Caitlin got from the States). After dinner, we ordered our train tickets, took a family picture, and Paolo gave us candy to take with us. We packed and showered, and then it was time for bed.