Tag: History

December 21, 2025

A postcard from Turin

History is close to the surface

The emblem of Torino is a little bull. I happened upon this one, looking down at me from the wall of a house.

Turin was founded by the ancient Romans; Porta Palatina is a fragment of their city wall.

We stayed on Via Garibaldi, a pedestrianised shopping street in the Centro Storico.

Exploring on the first day, I could hear a drumbeat in the distance. As the drums came closer, fifers started to play ‘The British Grenadiers’, a bizarre choice of tune in this Italian city.

The banner commemorates local hero Pietro Micca, who sacrificed his life in 1706, defending his city against the French.

City of culture

Since the Winter Olympics of 2006, and with the declining importance of industry, Turin has sought to attract tourism. There are free walking tours available from Via Garibaldi, and you’ll happen upon small scale but interesting exhibitions, such as Gli Italiani at the Palazzo Falletti in Barolo, just off Via Garibaldi.

‘The Italians’ was a project undertaken in the sixties by French photographer Bruno Barbey, documenting the lives of ordinary Italians in a country still emerging from the aftermath of the Second World War.

Palermo 1963

Venezia 1962

There are grand museums and galleries too; Turin is home to a collection of Egyptian antiquities second only to the museum in Cairo, and an extraordinary museum of Italian cinema.

Where we ate, what we drank

The restaurants we went to were inexpensive and not touristy. Wines start at around 20 euros a bottle, and are often available in carafe.

La Taverna dei Mercanti

A cosy place with a menu largely based around thinly sliced veal and beef: carpaccio, brasato, tonnato.

If that weren’t confusing enough, I ordered a grappa. Good job I didn’t ask for a large one….

An elegant pour

Tre Galli (three cockerels, not to be confused with its nearby sister restaurant ‘Tre Galline’, three chickens) is a bit of a hipster place near Porta Palazzo market. The highlight for me was this dish of pasta with beans, chestnuts, pumpkin, gorgonzola and a wine reduction; like a big warm hug on a chilly November evening. We followed with a Zabaglione per condividere (a handy phrase, meaning ‘to share’).

Pasta Garfagnano

Pino & Pino was recommended by Giuditta, the owner of our apartment, as somewhere she eats regularly.

(She also has accommodation for skiing and sent me loads of photos, please DM me if you’re interested, and I’ll put you in touch).

We started with a foaming carafe of Frizzante, then demolished a bottle of red Dolcetto.

It was Carciofi (artichoke) season, and there were three specials on the blackboard. We had these ‘fritti’ and a salad of thinly sliced raw artichokes with lemon juice and shaved parmesan.

Anyone for tennis?

I can recommend Turin as a destination for a city break, there’s plenty to see (and eat!).

The ATP tournament is back in 2026, and we’re tempted to go for a return match….

December 18, 2025

Turin: searching for markets

The beauty of renting an apartment in an Italian city is that you have your own front door key, and a kitchen.

We based ourselves in a well appointed apartment on Via Garibaldi.

Even if you don’t want to do any complicated cooking, you can buy some exceptional salame, fresh pasta, cheese and fruit – you’ll even pick up some very acceptable wine for around €5 a bottle.

Turin used to have a reputation for being an industrial city, famous for the Fiat factory and little else, but it’s also the capital of Piedmont, a region with a rich agricultural tradition.

It’s the home of the Slow Food movement, which celebrates small scale producers.

Opening ceremony at the Slow Food festival, 2016

Residents still do their shopping at food markets, and there are excellent independent shops.

Porta Palazzo is the largest outdoor market in Europe and one of the oldest, attracting 100,000 visitors a week. Located on Piazza della Repubblica in the city centre, it consists of roughly half food stalls and half clothing.

There are three permanent food halls on the perimeter; the fish market has closed since I was last there in 2016, but there are still fish vendors in another building.

Best of the three is ‘L’Antica Tettoia dell’Orologio’, with a distinctive clock on its glass and iron façade. Inside you’ll find butchers (including horsemeat), cheese, and all kinds of speciality delicatessen.

Behind it is a little gem, the covered farmers’ market.

‘Mercato Centrale’ opened in 2019 on the northwest corner of the piazza. It’s a food court with a long bar at the centre, and plenty of choices for a lunch or snack: Brazilian or Moroccan food, a seafood bar, and of course food from the Italian regions. It was packed on Sunday, easier to negotiate the following day.

Upstairs there’s a cookery school, and a fashion mall.

The central bar at Mercato Centrale

There’s a counter devoted to the local Agnolotti del Plin (see my previous post, weren’t you paying attention?). ‘Plin’ are smaller than ravioli, and filled with meat – but I’ve never seen them offered fried before.

I was looking for something a little lighter.

I chose a warm focaccia with guanciale (cured pork cheek in melting slices) and potato, from a large bakery stall.

Mercato Centrale has outposts in Florence, Rome and Milan.

You’d think Porta Palazzzo would be enough for any city, but no. I was struck on this visit by the excellent street markets in other locations.

Perhaps best of all is the Sunday producers’ market in Piazza delle Erbe, aka Piazza Palazzo di Città. Star turn was the fresh pasta lady, who was enthusiastically offering tastings. I chose the goats’ cheese and caramelised onion.

The aforementioned wine producer was also happy to give tastings of perfectly decent Spumante, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo, mostly around €5 or 6 a bottle.

If food isn’t your thing, there’s a flea market, Balôn, to the northwest of Porta Palazzo.

On the second Sunday of the month it becomes the ‘Gran Balôn’ with seemingly endless stalls selling vintage posters, clothing, antiques, furniture, even bikes.

If all that’s not enough, on a clear day you can see the Alps from the city centre….

April 2, 2025

Last year in Ljubljana

I promised last November that I had returned.

It is only by diligent pestering (you know who you are) that I have been embarrassed into finally writing about a trip to Ljubljana in January 2024.

It’s the capital of Slovenia, a small country similar in size to the Netherlands. After Slovenian, most people speak English, then Hungarian, German or Italian, depending on which country is their nearest neighbour. My research for the visit led me to this handy guide to Slovenian pronunciation, and I realised that understanding the language wouldn’t be a problem….

I came across a helpful article from The Telegraph, which described Lubljana as ‘the Slovenian mirror-image of Edinburgh’. Much of the city is pedestrianised, so it’s very easy to get around. The main landmark in the centre is the Triple Bridge over the river, with plentiful cafés and bars on the riverside nearby.

We were invited to join a party of 14, organised by friends who had lured us to Stockholm in 2019 and Oslo in 2022, so despite being first timers we knew we would have fun.

It was mid January and Twelfth Night had been and gone, but the city was still decorated for Christmas. I asked a waitress when the decorations would be taken down. She looked puzzled for a moment, then vaguely suggested around the end of the month.

The building behind the Christmas tree (above) is a Franciscan monastery. It has an interesting museum attached, where I saw a photo of monks who were captured by the Gestapo during WW2.

Slovenia became part of Yugoslavia in 1945, and gained independence in 1991. ‘We have no ego’, says a local, ‘we’ve spent so long under the control of other people we’ve never learned to sneer’.

Another museum is dedicated to Joze Plecnik (1872-1957) in his home (below). His influence on Ljubljana has been compared to that of Gaudi on Barcelona. After working in Prague and Vienna he designed the city’s most distinctive buildings, including the Triple Bridge.

We stayed at the Heritage Hotel, Cevljarska Ulica 2, which is centrally located and the reception staff gave us helpful restaurant suggestions.

I particularly enjoyed the buffet breakfasts, with their novelty of a different fruit crumble every day!

Watch this space for recommendations on where to eat in Ljubljana, and features on the central market (I do like a market, and this one didn’t disappoint), a wine tasting at Grajska Vinoteka in Ljubljana Castle; and an expedition to the spectacular Castle Bled, with lunch in its restaurant where the view made be think of the villain’s lair in a Bond film.

November 27, 2024

‘Rest assured, my followers, I have returned!’

Amaro and Twisted sounded its last post in 2023, when after 28 years in Twickenham I moved to Norfolk – and went native.

The blog was then lost in transition due to technical problems I was unable to resolve – until now.

It seems the right time to recount my adventures as a contented resident of Norwich.

I have considered trying a new ‘Nom de Guerre’ – perhaps The Norfolk Chronicles….

But for the time being, ‘Rest assured, my followers, I have returned!’

Slovenia, January 2024

Norwich has a rich history and varied architecture……

The Cathedral Cloisters

…..and a buzzing food scene

Pie Night at The Steampacket

As well as exploring Norwich, ‘A Fine City’, I shall be bringing you a taste of my travels.

Among the highlights of the past 15 months have been a visit to Ljubljana, a return to Amsterdam, and holidays in Marche (eastern Italy) and Ibiza.

Olive trees in Le Marche

The adventures continue – watch your inbox!

February 24, 2023

West Horsley Place (and its Ghosts)

West Horsley Place, east of Guildford, has a 15th century manor house at its core. It was seized by Henry VIII in 1535 and given to his childhood friend and cousin, Henry Courtenay. Courtenay’s gratitude was such that he entertained the king and his retinue to a lunch of 35 courses.

The king’s gratitude was of a lesser magnitude and, true to form, he had Courtenay beheaded as a Catholic plotter in 1539.

The house was later owned by Carew Raleigh, Walter Raleigh’s son. Sir Walter’s wife lived here, and after his execution the story goes that she paid to have his head brought to her. She is said to have kept it in a velvet bag until it was too decayed to keep. It’s rumoured to be buried under the main stairs, or possibly in the local church.

In the early 17th century the 2nd Lord Montague, owner of the house, was imprisoned on suspicion of being involved in the Gunpowder Plot, because he employed Guy Fawkes as a footman – much to the excitement of the groups of schoolchildren who visit in the 21st century.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the house might be haunted by the ghosts of its past. You couldn’t make it up, could you?

Actually, you could. The BBC TV series ‘Ghosts’ is filmed here.

The house originally had a full height Great Hall, which was replaced in the 18th century by two storeys, when the Tudor staircase was moved and the present ‘Stone Hall’ built with a drawing room above.

In c1640 the then owner wanted to upgrade the house, but couldn’t afford to demolish it. A cheaper solution was found: he commissioned a new façade in the fashionable Dutch style. Built of brick, it was literally screwed to the original Tudor timbers.

The earlier structure is visible behind the façade, in the form of the original kitchen.

West Horsley Place was further updated in the early 19th century, with a fine library added by Lord Crewe in the 1930s. The books were later bequeathed to Trinity College Cambridge, who took their pick.

The oldest painted plaster ceilings in the UK are Grade 1 listed.

Outside, the house boasts the only Grade 2 listed dog kennels in the country. (I said you couldn’t make it up).

The house was inherited in 1967 by Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe, who visited but didn’t live there and by the time of her death in 2014 it had fallen into serious disrepair.

It was then left in a surprise bequest to Mary’s nephew, Bamber Gascoigne, who reached the difficult decision to sell the contents of the house (including a Canaletto or two) to begin the process of raising funds to stabilise and reverse the decay of the property. It is now run by The Mary Roxburghe Trust.

To visit by appointment, explore the website: https://www.westhorsleyplace.org/our-story

October 1, 2019

The Army Museum, in a nation famed for its Neutrality

The Army Museum, Stockholm

The Army Museum is well worth a visit for the insights it offers into Swedish history.

It’s one of over a dozen museums in Stockholm that offer free admission.

The Army Museum, with the dome of Hedvig Eleonora church behind

Walking towards the museum, there’s a separate entrance at the side, with a sign to ‘Artilleriet’ and a menu. I decided to investigate.

This is no ordinary museum cafeteria; it’s a handsomely appointed restaurant where you can enjoy lunch, dinner, or a cocktail at the bar.

A glass of Cava on the sunny terrace is a reasonable 60 kronor, or about £5.50. (That’s SEK 300 a bottle – the rate of exchange can be intimidating!)

It’s worth noting that like many establishments in Stockholm, Artilleriet is ‘cash free’.

The dining room at Artilleriet

Not to be distracted by temptation, I continued to the main entrance of the museum.

Once inside, courteous staff greet you; they will direct you to a locker if you need one.

I was impressed by the variety of shapes and sizes available. The tall ones are equipped with a hanger for a raincoat (or perhaps a dress uniform).

It’s also notable that, like the museum, they’re free.

Lockers on parade

It may seem strange to recommend a museum devoted to the military exploits of a neutral country that sat out two world wars. It’s worth remembering that the Swedish armies of the 17th and 18th centuries were notorious for their rapacious brutality, mostly inflicted on Poland and Russia.

The museum displays start with trophies of war and among the conventional glass cases that follow are some fairly gruesome full size tableaux depicting warfare and the privations of army life.

By the 20th century, Sweden was neutral

The fearsome reputation of Swedish soldiery faded as they started to lose battles, and by the 19th century the army was largely deployed to work on civil engineering projects.

Raoul Wallenberg

In the 2nd World War, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg was despatched to occupied Hungary, where he helped save the lives of tens of thousands of Hungarian jews. He was arrested by the Russians in 1945, and detained by SMERSH on suspicion of espionage. The KGB reported his death in 1947, in the Lubyanka prison in Moscow. The circumstances of his detention and death remain mysterious.

Coming face to face with the past

In the 20th century gallery, you reach exhibits devoted to Sweden’s part in the Cold War, and their fear of being located between the two super-powers.

But before you reach modern times, you’ll come face to face with these three ‘gentlemen’, galloping out of the 18th century, straight at you.

Life size Swedish cavalrymen

https://www.armemuseum.se/languages/english/

https://restaurangartilleriet.se/

September 11, 2019

Up close and personal with the 17th century

The sinking of the Vasa

On 10^th August 1628, the royal flagship Vasa set sail in Stockholm harbour on her maiden voyage. Her Dutch designers were nervous of her seaworthiness, but the Swedish court was equally nervous of communicating this to the king.

Within minutes, a gust of wind caught her sails, and the ship listed dangerously to one side. To the relief of the onlookers, the wind dropped and she righted herself, but moments later a second gust tipped her further over, seawater rushed in through the gun ports, and the ship swiftly disappeared beneath the water.

Of around 450 men (and women) on board, it is estimated that 30 died.

Salvage

Vasa lay on the seabed for 333 years until the wreck was salvaged in 1961, and the process of conservation began. If she had sailed well, we wouldn’t have her today.

The ship was reconstructed from 40,000 finds, and the Vasa Museum claims that what we see today is 98% original. The rigging consists of 4km of new rope, secured by deadeyes, the lighter coloured of which are replicas, the dark ones are original.

The rigging of the Vasa, secured by deadeyes

The state of preservation of the wreck is attributed to the waters of the harbour being being less salty than the open sea, and the thick layers of mud and silt that accumulated over the ship.

Conservation continues, but it’s believed that she cannot be preserved for ever.

The Vasa Museum

Visible across the harbour, the exterior of the museum is topped by three red masts. They represent the original height of the upper timbers of the Vasa, which were not recovered.

The Vasa Museum

Inside, the museum is arranged over 5 levels, so you can get very close to the ship itself. On each level are exhibits which are a time capsule, giving an insight into the complete society that existed on board.

It’s the personal effects that provoke your emotional response

This sea chest lay unopened until the ship was raised; inside was its owner’s hat, and under it his belongings were found undisturbed. They are displayed in a case nearby: his shoes, a pair of gauntlets, vessels for eating and drinking, a few coins….

The sailor’s seachest

Shoes and boots recovered from the Vasa

The ship’s crew was served by only two latrines, in the foc’sle; (it must have been an exposed and risky business to use them in heavy seas!)

Look for the tall rectangular ‘box’ in the photo….

One of the ship’s latrines is visible below the ropes of the bowsprit

Vasa was built as a symbol of

Swedish royal power

Her stern is higher than was normal for a ship of this period, partly to accommodate the elaborate decorative sculptures.

Traces of paint and gold leaf have revealed that the ship was originally ornamented with gilding and brightly coloured paint.

The Vasa’s stern

She is typical of Dutch ships of the time, intended to sail the shallow waters of the Baltic. The lack of a deep keel was compensated for by a broad beam to accommodate rocks as ballast.

It is believed that her height, the extensive surface area of the sails, and inadequate ballast, all contributed to her sinking.