Category: Tour

Hi, today I would like to take you on a journey inside the Egyptian culture. Few populations left so many suggestive proofs of their existence, for this reason, I want to take you to the Museo Egizio of Turin, the world’s oldest museum devoted entirely to ancient Egyptian culture. As regards value and the quantity of archaeological finds, the Museo Egizio of Turin is considered the biggest and most important museum of the world, second only to Egyptian museum of Cairo.

For sure you are wondering what Egypt has to do with Turin?

We have to thank King Charles Felix of Savoy who in 1824 founded the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Turin, acquiring a collection of 5.628 relics collected by Bernardino Drovetti, in addition to the antiquities already owned by the Savoy family.

The Italian Archeological Mission found other relics between 1900 and 1935 which were later added to the museum’s collection.

Nowadays the Museo Egizio of Turin is located in the Palace of the Academy of Sciences, the impressive seventeenth century building whose construction began in 1679 by the architect Michelangelo Garove on the basis of the original project of Guarino Guarini. 

Starting from the 1980s a new itinerary for visitors with new exhibition spaces was planned, such as a large room designed to house antiquities from the Predynastic Period and Old Kingdom on the ground floor. When the Winter Olympics were held in Turin in 2006, the statuary was rearranged by the set designer Dante Ferretti. The last intervention radically refurbished the spaces, the whole museum itinerary and exhibition facilities with a view to the great reopening in 2015

Continue reading “Welcome To The Museo Egizio Of Turin”

Waiting for spring or summer, when it is possible to walk in the greenery, we have decided to continue the tours among the architectural gems of Turin and its province.

Today we will tell you about the Palazzina of Stupinigi, one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy dedicated to hunting and festivities. We will tell you how the origin of the Palazzina were linked to the amusement and how, today, it is the scenario for a perfect and realistic jump in the past, hosting important temporary and permanent exhibitions.

The construction work of the Palazzina of Stupinigi, started in 1798 and was commissioned by Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, for leisure activities, including hunting, the favorite hobby of royals. A pavilion with a few apartments suitable for short breaks, for the duration of hunting trips, has nothing to do with the majesty and ambition of the project of the Royal Residence of Venaria Reale (Reggia di Venaria Reale).

However, over the years, the theme of simplicity was slowly abandoned, until the construction of the building that we can visit today, characterized by a sumptuous pavilion dome painted in blue with gold profiles, a park and the long straight avenue at the entrance, which in the original project allowed to reach the center of the city of Turin and frescoed halls which tell the story of the myth of Diana (goddess of hunting and protector of the woods). Torino

Continue reading “The Palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi”

From the first days of December, around the 8th to be precise, a clear mechanism triggered in me, which I repeat with a certain perseverance and unconscious dedication throughout the month: every time I come back home, I wear a pair of Christmas socks. It’s probably my way of preparing for the upcoming holidays, my ritual follows roughly the natural course of the life of the fir trees decorated in the houses, from the Immaculate Conception to the Epiphany. If wearing Christmas socks before December 25th allows me to emphasize the eager anticipation of childhood, wearing them afterwards allows me to drag on, for a few more days, that ephemeral and by now too fleeting lightness that Christmas brings with it.

So why not keep these sensations alive by making a roundup of Christmas activities that can be done around Cascina 6b?

Let’s stop all the chit-chat, our grandma would say… stop seeing Christmas movies and eating panettone (Italian Christmas cake) leftovers, let’s enjoy the latest markets, the latest illuminated streets, the latest decorations and the latest cinnamon and ginger biscuits. To begin, I would like to tell you about the “Christmas is Real” event held inside the royal stables of the magical Palazzina di Caccia of Stupinigi

Continue reading “The magic of holidays”

In a moment, the air has become fizzy, and the early sunset brings the desire to enjoy the last rays of sunshine, belonging to a long-gone summer.

We have always thought that October was the month that best identifies Turin, the color of the sky, the streets covered by a carpet of yellow leaves, the scent of roasted chestnuts, the still crowded outdoors areas of restaurants, the street markets and the people walking around with red noses wearing too light jackets.i.

Talking about street markets, today we will talk about the Gran Balon, the historic open-air market of antiques, vintage and collecting which has been took place since 1985 every second Sunday of the month in the historic center of Turin from 8 am to 18 pm.

This huge market takes place along the streets Lanino, Mameli, Canale Carpanini, Cortle del Maglio and Borgo Dora with all kinds of stalls managed by the most disparate subject: artisans, collectors, and secondhand dealers in addition to the local antiques shops.

Continue reading “The Gran Balon, the historic flea market in the heart of Turin”

Here we are again, ready for a new trip surrounded by nature.

We know that we have been monothematic in the last articles, but why don’t spend these summer Sundays running away from the muggy weather and take refuge under the leafy branches of some trees, in a cool place, enjoying a breathtaking landscape?

So, let’s go! Just 60 km from Cascina 6b, in the Viù Valley, is located Malciaussia lake, a scenic and clear reservoir which triggers peace and quietness from the very first gaze.

The reservoir can only be reached by car during summer season, because during winter the snow prevents the access. In summertime, only on public holidays, to keep under control the crowd of tourists, the access to the car park of Malciaussia lake is characterized by a toll.

From the reservoir it is possible to admire Mount Lera, Rocciamelone and the Colle of Autaret which reflect their images in the clear waters of the lake.

Continue reading “From the Reservoir of Malciaussia towards the Lago Nero (Black Lake)”

Today I would like to tell you about one of my favorite places.

Just 50 minutes by car from Cascina 6b, surrounded by nature, is located a small village named Vonzo, in Chialamberto district in the province of Turin. Vonzo is characterized by houses made of stone and a long tradition.

As soon as you get out of the car, the perceived sensation is that of leaving the city chaos for an old-fashioned atmosphere, characterized by small streets made by stone only accessible by walking, houses with embroidered curtains and doors that are always open, by locals’ small dogs with bandanas where it is written “ even if I pretend that I am starving, I have already eaten”, by the sound of fresh water gushing from fountains, by the scent of coffee and freshly cut grass.

Si può dire che Vonzo sia un piccolo borgo, un presepe in scala reale, dove i bambini possono giocare e It can be said that Vonzo is a small village, a full-scale nativity scene, where children can play and run around freely because, as our mother always told us when we were little, “you can’t get lost, all the roads lead home”.

Continue reading “Vonzo, an enchanted village in the Lanzo valley”

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks“
John Muir

For those who dream of running away from the city and feel the urgent desire to take a walk surrounded by nature, in the fresh air, a trip to Lake Ceresole is just what they need.

The artificial lake of Ceresole Reale is part of the complex of six dams built in the Orco hydrographic basin (Lake Agnel, Lake Serrù, Lake Ceresole, Lake Teleccio, Lake Valsoera and Lake Eugio) which fuel various hydroelectric power plants.

The town of Ceresole Reale is located just 60 minutes by car from Cascina 6b, in the center of the Orco Valley, a dip surrounded by majestic peaks which reflected their images in the clear waters of the lake. Once you reach the lake and leave your car in the parking lot, the services offered are many : you can eat a packed lunch in the dining areas with toilets provided by the Municipality of Ceresole Reale or have lunch at the Chalet del Lago enjoying the lake view, where you can taste an excellent polenta with stew and various typical products of Piedmontese cuisine. You can take a long and relaxing panoramic walk along the lake, cross the artificial dam built at the beginning of the twentieth century observing the movement of the 34 million cubic meters of water coming from the Orco River and, for the more adventurous, walk the paths that lead to the surrounding mountains.

Continue reading “Ceresole Reale and the Gran Paradiso National Park”

“The astonishment is just around the corner”

Just 20 minutes by car or train from Cascina 6b is located a small Versailles: the Royal residence of Venaria Reale, an ancient and glorious Savoy residence, in the heart of the city of Venaria Reale in the province of Turin, commissioned in the second half of the 1600s by Duke Charles Emmanuel II of Savoy who needed a base for his hunting expeditions in the moor hills of Turin..

A trip to the Reggia is perfect for a Sunday afternoon in which you want to combine culture with relaxation.

The site offers different services: a long walk in the English gardens, characterized by immense green lawns interspersed in paths with benches and fountains; a visit to the Savoy royal apartments for a dive into history among tools, furnitures and rich tapestries; as well as the vision of temporary and permanent exhibition itineraries and exhibitions, which host works by contemporary and non-contemporary authors.

Continue reading “The Venaria Reale (The Royal Residence of Venaria Reale”

AHave you ever noticed how winter is endless but at the same time passes too quickly? It is the same when you start working on Monday; it seems that the end of the week is so far away but, day by day, almost in an instant, it’s Friday. I have always blamed the cold and the fact that you leave in the morning and come back home in the evening surrounded by the same darkness. But last Sunday I found out that it’s just a matter of laziness.

I will explain to you…

When I think of a Sunday trip I imagine a picnic, in a beautiful green meadow with the warm rays of the sun on my face and the blades of grass tickling my toes; I never take into consideration that if the same meadow were covered in a soft layer of shiny snow, it would be just as beautiful. On Sunday, as I told you, I discovered that it is pleasant to get out of the comfort zone of our sofa and from the loop of wanting to store as much energy as possible for the upcoming week. It’s pleasant to take even just a walk, breathe deeply fresh air, leave behind the usual programs, deadlines and schedules.

Continue reading “Walking towards the Cappella of Madonna Della Neve (the Chapel of Virgin Mary of the Snow)”

Because of the pandemic, the days before Christmas are sad and melancholy. The Christmas atmosphere struggles to enter homes. These are days in which everyone does not easily abandon oneself to light-heartedness and is reluctant to get carried away by the typical holiday frenzy. In this particular moment we are detached and above all disinterested in what is happening around us, but sometimes little things can warm the heart. A few days ago I was walking in the center of Turin, one of the first days when the cold of winter was beginning to make itself felt. In the air you could feel the snow that was about to arrive and the people around me walked with their heads down, each immersed in their own thoughts. And then something happened. All of a sudden, the Luci d’Artista of the city turned on and I noticed that the same people, who a few seconds before were distracted, raised their heads for a second attracted by those bright colors.

Continue reading “Lightings that warm up the heart”