Me and Marco Bellini

Gelato is my new religion. Today I ate it for lunch, and I have never felt better. The other thing that I try to eat everyday is marrons\castagnas (chesnuts) because they are in season, and everywhere. There is even a gelato flavor: marron glaces. Best ever. A French invention. Bravo.

From Lyon, I took a train to Torino through the Alps. The Alps can be seen from the city center--and technically, for this time of year, I am underdressed (unprepared), but like everywhere else, it is unseasonably warm.

Italy's reputation is to be hyper fashion conscious, but even here, the American look is in. In fact, those who are into it look more American than the Americans do. Converse can cost upwards of 60 euros. They take our look of hyper casual and perfect it: a careful cross of thug and punk. I think maybe we are the curiosity of the world.

Marco Bellini is my host here and we are two peas in a pod: he too can walk for hours without collapsing. He has given me crash courses in Italian politics and the mafia; Berlusconi's attempt to privatize water; the role of trees and rice fields in the Piemontian economy; zen\rock climbing theory; and, how to tell time in Italian (among other things). I'm not quite sure how there is enough time to cover all of these topics, but we have. He took me to his hometown, Vercelli, as well, where we stayed with his friends and went climbing. I learned a few Italian words this weekend because his friends spoke only a little English.

Torino: I walked along the left bank of the Po River, walked along the right bank of the Po, helped an Italian woman pushstart her car, watched 4 swans (double date) sleeping on the river. More: walked up a hill to the museum of mountaineering, drank coffee in Cafe Elena, where Nietzche used to hang out, went to a very fine modern art museum (the GAM) where it is written, "All art has been contemporary."

Of Italy and Itailans, I have lovely first impressions.