Esperienza Italia

Earlier this month, I visited Italy for the first time when I participated in Happy Birthday Italy, a 5-day youth event hosted by the city of Turin. The event brought together hundreds of international students from all over Europe to discuss the role of the youth in various facets of the continent’s present and future.

With all the workshops I attended, I unfortunately had to spend most of my time indoors, which left little time for a comprehensive exploration of Turin. When I did get a chance to do so on the day of my departure (I picked an evening flight so I could explore the city during the day), it happened to be a Monday, when most establishments, including museums, are closed. Add to that the highly erratic weather, which ranged from drought-inducing heat to heavy rains, needless to say, the trip turned out to be quite underwhelming. My first Italian experience came nowhere near the highly romanticized visions of Italy I had in my head. I expected a Paris, a softer and warmer one at that, and I did not exactly get that. Although my idealistic expectations went unfulfilled, it is only fair to say that I still had a great time. Turin is no doubt a beautiful city and perhaps if I had only more time to explore it, I may have appreciated it more. I also met incredible people at the event. I traveled there alone but came back with a dozen new friends.

Milan Central Station. My flight arrived in Bergamo, north of Milan. I then took the shuttle bus to Milan’s Central Station before hopping on the train to Turin.

The workshops, lunches and dinners were held at Officine Grandi Riparazioni or OGR as we fondly called it. OGR is an old factory, restored and converted into a museum and event venue.

Traffic Festival at Piazza San Carlo in the heart of Turin’s old town.

Mi amici!

A glimpse of the beautiful architecture in downtown Turin.

How many crosses can you spot?

One of the many monuments scattered across the city.

You can vaguely see a part of the alps (framed by the right arch). Imagine how beautiful the city must look like during winter, with the snow-covered mountains as the city’s backdrop.

Some Italian goodies.

I guess this calls for another visit, a little redo. And maybe when that happens, Italy will finally have me saying, you had me at Buongiorno.

For more photos, click here.