Cold slopes, hot chocolate

Turin is an intriguing city. For many, the city might not be at the top-of-the-list places to visit in Italy, but it somehow hits many of the topics that might attract the curious and dedicated traveler who has interests ranging from art to architecture, from gastronomy to winter sports. The time is right for the latter, at the peak of the winter season, the high mountains that line the silhouette of the town are the target of many who want to hit the slopes. These days Torino airport is busy with people carrying ski gear, heading to, or coming from the mountains. This time, we were among them, as the Turkish team, we were heading up to Bardonecchia to attend the annual meeting of SCIJ, Ski Club of International Journalists.

Bardonecchia, close to the French border, was recently the address of the FISU Winter World University Games, held earlier in January this year. The ski-centric mountain village was also one of the venues that hosted the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics, and as a reminder of those days, our international group stayed at the Villaggio Olimpico, just as we did so years back in the club’s meeting in Sestriere in 2016, the main venue of 2006 Winter Olympics. It was the 70th traditional winter meeting of SCIJ, which was founded in 1955 during the height of the Cold War years to bring Eastern Bloc journalists together with their colleagues in Western countries. The idea was to create a medium to meet built around a sports event, where journalists can mingle and discuss topics in an informal atmosphere devoid of the formal attire of usual international meetings. SCIJ meetings are held each year in a different country, having a three-fold agenda, sports, journalistic discussions and cultural activities, and all participants are encouraged to write or broadcast about the event and the region explored. All journalists are accepted to race in the slalom and cross-country categories, and in addition to ski races, each year diverse journalism issues are discussed, and lastly there are various opportunities to meet with local authorities to explore the economy, cultural significance and gastronomy of the region. Personally, I am always focused on the last bit, and this time I had plenty to explore, taste and sip, as Piedmont is one of my beloved destinations for food.

Following the trail of Piemonte flavors is fun. Turin is one of the cities that led the industrial revolution in Italy, and it is not only cars like Fiat and Alfa Romeo, but it is the birthplace of the espresso machine and the chocolate industry in Italy, that might interest coffee and chocolate lovers. The city forms Italy's industrial triangle with Genoa and Milan, but there is always an artsy angle to Turin. Piemonte literally means the foot of the mountains. The fertile lands nourished by the Po River around the city also make Turin important in terms of agriculture, animal husbandry and gastronomy. More than just an industrial city, Turin is a destination that stands out for its gastronomy, becoming a preferred destination for gastronomy-focused events such as the Slow Food – Terra Madre event held in every two years in Lingotto Turin, once a car factory with a car test track on the roof, now a transformed multi-purpose center projected by famed architect Renzo Piano. As a Slow Food Convivium leader of Ankara, and a former Premio Slow Food jury member, I must admit that many of my former visits to Turin were spent greatly inside the Lingotto building.

Turin has a long history dating back to the Duchy of Savoy and then the city was the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Despite its aristocratic past, the city became the first capital of the United Italian Republic, being the political and intellectual center of the Risorgimento. The grandeur of aristocracy is still felt profoundly in the architecture, more so in the outstanding cafe culture of the city. Having a glass of Bicerin, a multi-layered drink of hot chocolate and espresso topped with a floating layer of cold “fior di latte” a slightly whipped milk cream is one of the most royal feelings one can experience in town. Bicerin gets its name from the local dialect term for a small glass. It is a must-try drink to experience when visiting the town during the cold winter months or when on the slopes in the mountains. The trick is not to mix the layers, the hot chocolate must stay at the bottom, as thick and dark as it can be, topped by the bitter espresso, and finally, the cool layer of cream resembling the snow peaks of the Alpine arc framing Turin’s background. I think that the layers of Bicerin represent Turin’s multi-faceted gastronomy scene. As said, the chocolate industry of Italy was born here, and the first hazelnut-cacao concoction, Gianduja was first made here. The base layer of hot chocolate reminds one of the deep chocolate history of Turin, and the smell of the espresso layer is like a reminder of the first espresso machine born here. It was the brilliant idea of Angelo Moriondo, a Torinese who thought about making several cups in a flash of seconds. One of the very first espresso machines was installed at the Turin station to quickly serve coffee to Genoa express train passengers. Patented in 1884, the espresso machine paved the way for Italian-style coffee to spread all over the world. The floating cream top makes a nod to the rich animal husbandry and cattle farming up in the mountains, like milk flowing from the valleys. 

Almost hooked to Bicerin, another warm-cool drink I found about this time was Bombardino, a bright yellow egg liqueur, served warm with cold cream atop, obviously a favorite of après-ski parties. When it comes to the drinks section, Turin is also home to the aperitivo culture, with various vermouth brands, bitters and amaro’s born here, anyone who likes bitters can find many local tasty sips, magical concoctions made by the herbs from the mighty mountains of the Italian Alps. Just for a sip of those wonderful drinks, Piemonte mountains and Turin is worth a visit. Warm drinks on cold slopes are like the very core idea of SCIJ, melting the ice between the West and the East, bonding with the warmth of the drinks sipped.

Fork and Cork of the Week:

Chocolate days ahead! It seems that February will have a sweet ending both in Istanbul and Torino. In Istanbul, Salon du Chocolat of Paris will be coming to Istanbul this weekend, on Feb. 22-23.

See the program and register at: https://www.salonduchocolatistanbul.com/

Turin will host Cioccolato-Torino at the end of February, from Feb. 27 to March 2. The event will feature various tastings, activities and plenty of Bicerin to sip. For more information, visit www.cioccola.to.it