Two Days in Turin (1)
The house was bustling in the morning as the children woke up to a new day. I woke up tired because I researched late into the night for restaurants to visit in Turin. My cousin requested Michelin restaurants. The family enjoys stately meals when they dine out.
We finally embarked upon our journey at 10am. The car ride from Lausanne, Switzerland to Turin, Italy would take three hours or more, depending on the weather conditions. We would be passing through the mountains.
We crossed the border and found ourselves in the land of cheap and good coffee. In Switzerland, coffee costed 5-7 CHF on average. As we waited for the key to the air bnb, I sneaked out for pastries and my coffee fix. €1.2 a cup and it was heavenly.
Our first stop into beautiful Turin was at the Scannabue Café. I had an onion soup plus a squid ink spaghetti with squid. It was wonderful. My cousin had a well-cooked octopus. We came out full and satisfied.
It was becoming late when we finished lunch. We wanted to visit Museo Eglizio, the Egyptian Museum. On our way to the Museum we passed by many stately buildings. I always thought it was the architecture that makes Europe amazing. We stopped for pictures at the Palazzo Carignano. It was the private residence of the Princes of Carignano. Now it houses the Museum of the Risorgimento. The building shows a Baroque style with an elliptical façade. It was the birthplace for a number of VIPs, including the first King of Italy Victor Emmanuel II in 1820. I noticed that a number of nice historic buildings in Italy have facades both in the front and in the back. The architecture was simply amazing.
The Egyptian Museum was an eye-opening experience. It began in 1824 and houses more than “40,000 artifacts,” of which ‘3,300 were on display in the gallery and 11,000 in the open storage, the “Galleries of Material Culture.”’ To say the least, Museo Eglizio is the epitome of the West’s fascination with Egyptian civilization.
Indeed, the Museum was candid in confronting this difficult aspect of its work: is museology so far away from “looting” in the proper sense of the word? I learned that Italy, the United States, France and Britain bought rights to research and archaeological excavations from the Egyptian government. Where the right was not bought out and executed properly, or without consent by the parties involved, the Italian researchers could lose their stakes in the expeditions.
The material and spiritual civilization of ancient Egypt as depicted in the Museum was rich, diverse and full of wonders. The explanations were well-researched, showing visitors the geographical origin, time period and the purposes that the artifacts served. The display was thoughtful, very often a whole case of artifacts restored to its original arrangement at the time of excavation. Finally, the exhibition upstairs presented sobering questions about the delicate balance between archaeology, museology, looting and the aim of preserving evidence of a civilization as part of humanity. Its practices, technology, and way of life are critical for the world in understanding its own past.
Could the West, in the name of humanity, take or purchase the treasures of Egypt in a way that truly respects what ancient Egypt stands for, even to its own people? Do the Egyptians appreciate the argument that its history is to be shared as a world heritage? Are they convinced? These contentions are well-alive and addressed in this wonderful museum.
The serious effort in telling the stories behind each type of artifact was truly commendable. With 15€ as the entrance fee, one could not have expected more. In fact, visitors entering after 5pm only paid 5€, as we did. This would be the most worthwhile of museums I have seen for a very long time.
This very educational experience satisfied my soul. We were ready for dinner as the museum closed. Koi was a Japanese fusion restaurant. We had a wonderful meal.
We walked by Piazza San Carlo, which was perfect for night pictures. Despite walking around for quite a while, we did not find any dessert. We rested the night at an air bnb in town. Tired, but supremely happy to be in Italy. It was quite a change of scenery from Switzerland. And that is what I like about Europe. There is another world, just a few hours away.
