Turin Wednesday

After a slow start I walked to the Gallery of Modern Art, not far from here. The building has had a few ups and downs and was extensively remodelled in 1993. The gallery has a collection dating from about mid 1800’s. This collection is shown currently in 4 separate themed long thin galleries arranged historically. One is childhood. The paintings start with late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The children depicted in the family scenes of the rich are quite different to the family scenes of the poor. There was one painting of a very young child in a poor family living in a barn been held under a goat to suckle from the goat – I suppose if no mother or wet nurse is available – not something I’ve come across. There were some interesting photos of the children in the poverty in the south of Italy during the 1950’s.

Another gallery was called ‘genre’. By this they meant repeating various forms either in the same painting or a group of paintings. The first painting was a large scenery of a funeral in Venice – with many many people. There was a little side room with 8 of Murandi’s Natura Morta paintings – the guy I saw in Bologna. In case you are wondering, of the 8 paintings of vases 2 had 6 vases , 1 had 1, 1 had 3, 2 had 4 , and 2 had 2 . So most of the compositions had an uneven number of vases. There was a huge pile of many different sized cubes of white or gray marble all stacked up called Sugar, No Sugar. I smiled and thought of the fun my granddaughters would have.

The third gallery was called ‘Veduta’. This term historically refers to the detailed realistic topographic view of landscape but has changed to encompass ’ new aspirations of Enlightenment philosophy and , through the troubled visions of the Romantics, led all the way to the contemporary age’ – quote from pamphlet. There was a painting from early 1900’s I think of a countryside and row of sort of styalised sheep - all different sorts- following one after another across the landscape. It was entitled ‘Lo specchio della vita’ - the mirror of life. Almost at the end there were some paintings that I reckon a kindergarten teacher could have organised – ‘ Here’s the paper and here’s the paints kids, go for it’. At the end of this particular gallery there was a framework, about 1 m tall of a semi sphere with bits of flat glass fairly crudely attached with what looked like blu tak and out of the top of the dome there was a bare tree branch. Srangely appealing.

The fourth gallery was called ‘Specularity’ – the ability of an object to reflect an image. There are 3 approaches – reflecting, reflective and self-reflective. The first paintings were of people sitting quietly in the countryside , there were some paintings from inside looking out, there were some portraits of people who appeared to be staring straight into you, there was a Perspex clothing bin full of a jumble of clothes, there were some modern paintings – 1 a half person half horse. I nearly tripped over an exhibit – it was a 20cm high by 50cm long block of stone with a round spirit level thing set into it. I enjoyed the gallery. It was easy ( apart from some of the modern stuff) to see how the paintings fitted into the 4 themes . Many of them were quite thought provoking. In the hour I was there I only saw 1 other person looking at the art.

My plan next was to go to the Lingotto centre. This was built in 1923 as FIAT’s first assembly-line plant. In 1983 Renzo Piano was commissioned to redesign it. It was finished in 2002 and apparently it has ‘bold and state-of-the-art techno features- window blinds that follow the sun, glass roofs that slide closed over courtyards if rain’ etc . It houses shops, hotels, a museum, conference centres etc etc. I wanted to look at the Eataly shop – the first(?) of the chain that I saw in Bologna. It took me longer than expected to get there ! My first mistake was to sit on the wrong side of the bus so I could not see properly. I got off I thought 1 stop too late, but it was really at least 2 stops. My second major mistake was not to realise there were no cars parked. I did think it odd – and just thought they were out the back. I walked in, it was very quiet, I asked a car rental lady – 2nd floor she said – I am positive. Many of the doors were locked. I went up to the second floor – I knew I was in the wrong place – the escalator was not working. There were some people setting up a café and I asked them – they pointed to the next building along – several 100 m away. I had seen some workmen on the ground floor when I came in. I went downstairs again, no one around, the workmen had gone and locked the doors behind them. Oops. There was a locked door between me and the first people I asked. I walked to the other end of the building and found a door out to the back of the building. Still noone around. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. OK – but then I found I was in a parking area with a big ( yes, locked) fence around it. No one around. I walked around the fence and found a sort of opening and squeezed through and I was then in a parking area that appeared to be open to the road. I walked about 200m in the right direction and came to the next building There was an entrance but it was labelled with corporate people – Accenture one I remember. I kept walking thinking – lunch better be good to make up for this – and found another entrance – no sign, but quite a few cars and an escalator that was working. I found I was in the middle of a fairly ordinary big mall. It was quite bright and airy, but a shopping mall is a shopping mall. I was too relieved to be in a rightish place that I forgot to look at the roof or blinds. I had to walk several more 100m to find the information desk to ask about the place I wanted to go to and then it was further on in it’s own separate building. All the time I was back in the direction the bus had come from.

Eataly is at first look a huge jumble of things but there is a pattern. There is a section selling fish and several areas of tables and chairs nearby, there is a huge deli area with a section of tables and chairs, there is a huge section selling pastas, sauces etc and more tables, there is a large gelato and other desert area. There are utensils, bowls books for sale. My immediate need was for food, water, alcohol and a sitdown ( not necessarily in that order) There philosophy is that it is better to have a little of something grown well, in season, locally than junk from somewhere else. They are closely allied with the Slow Food movement which started in a town not far from here. There is alos space for talks, cooking demos etc. Anyway, I was nearest the fish place so ordered some fish – a collection of sea food in a creamy zuchine broth- and a glass of roero arnais , which I’ve had before, but it seems the only Piedmontese white that appears on menus. Then I wandered. Downstairs is the cellar . There was an area where you bring your own bottle and fill up from a barrel thing with table wine E2.5 a litre. There were 2 reds, 2 whites and 1 rose. I saw red eggplants which I havenot seen before. There were about the same length as a green pepper but not as fat. There was also a place where you fill up your own bottle with milk at E1 / litre. I must look and see what it costs in the supermarket. I have been keeping my eye out for a typical Piedmontese desert called bonet – a chocolate and almond cake but have not seen any , either in pasticcerias or on menus . I had a careful look at all the deserts on other at Eataly . There was no one else there so I told the lady I was looking for bonet. She did not have it but suggested another speciality – a layer of cake, then a layer of gooey chocolate then a layer of zabaglione. I thought I should try it so that I could compare it with the bonet when I fid it. It was delicious. I am not really obsessed with food. I donot know enough about the system but it is not obvious how 2 people would eat - 1 who wanted fish and 1 who wanted a steak.

Bus home was uneventful. After a few hours I thought it was time for a walk. I had had an idea of something simple to get for my granddaughters so went looking. My language is appalling in the late afternoons – I seem too tired to get anything out properly but the shop assistant put up with me and eventually got the hang of what I was looking for. I did not feel like going home to write this so found a nice , smallish place and thought I would try another of the reds from this area – a Nebbiolo. She asked if I wanted nibbles – I said yes and I got a large plate of all sorts of interesting things – much nicer than the 2 previous places in the centre of town. (I gave the communal peanuts on the bar last night a miss). It was also a similar price as the first 2 places. I sat and watched people, nibbled and drank for ¾ hour. I am getting the hang of this life.

Tomorrow I might go looking for a new black handbag that doesnot cost too much. Wish me luck