On the Road
with Flip Byrnes ...
Merry Christmas from the Olympic City... Turin, Italy!
...Or, as they say here, Buon Natale!
Yep, it's almost time to slip on your skates, hop on a luge, do a few flips and huck a flying puck (ice hockey), for the Winter Olympics come to town February 10 - 26, 2006.
Turin, or "Torino" in the north of Italy in Piemonte, sandwiched between Switzerland and France like a tasty slice of pizza, is gearing up for the biggest event that will ever hit its cobble lined streets, the XX Winter Olympic Games.
In early February, thousands will descend here to watch the best in winter sports, but if you get here before or after, it will still be worth your while. Being in the north of Italy, Turin is encircled by white capped mountains, the Mediterranean is only 2 hours away and if you like the architecture old, the opposite sex fair and the wine flowing, it won't disappoint.
However, the priority for me was snowboarding and food, in that order, and Turin delivers both. Sestriere, an hour from Turin and home to the future Olympic alpine skiing events, could never be accused of being the most scenic resort in Europe, but has one of the largest ski areas. Bardoneccia, where the snowboarding events will be held, only a hop from Val D'Isere in France and as a permanent home to one of the snowboard world cup events, is a draw for Italian borders.
But off the slopes it's all about fashion and café lattes, gold lame never went out here and bold and brash is definitely in. As for food, Turin is not known as a weight loss centre.
The city of Turin itself is elegant and understated. Each year around Christmas is a Festival of Lights, with 35 different artists all claiming a street as their own, resulting in a maze of night-time decorations. Wandering around in the evening chill enjoying the lights and with a hot chocolate on the way is a different way to spend Christmas, but hey, who needs the heat and the flies!
Catch you in the New Year when I join Cedric, my trusty 2CV 1974 Citroen sidekick and make the powder pilgrimage to the Mecca of all things snow...Chamonix! Giddy up.
