Above all, I want to clarify that ''proto-report'' was produced as part of a school trip. Photos have been conducted with a very basic bridge dating
from 2006. Photos had been made for no other purpose than mere memories, I am the first sad. With hindsight, I think that if I had applied a little
more, I could have a beautiful souvenir photos. But at the time I did not think about that. I was thinking to enjoy the journey.
I also thank Michael De Battista for his help to find the places visited.
From Saturday 26 to Wednesday 30 April, we are gathered here, the whole class 3MEd for our study trip. Direction: Turin.
The departure is in front our engineering school at 6am, a bus waiting for us, we are not our class, but two (if I remember correctly). The first step
will be a bit before the Mont-Blanc tunnel. We took the opportunity to stretch your legs near a small lake under a bright sun. Then back on the bus and
mountain roads:
Soon we are in the dark, it is left for several minutes because we are dark in the tunnel of Mont Blanc: the longest highway tunnel in europe (11.6km). But the lack
of light does not penetrate the mindset of classmates and it is in the laughter and music that began to lead a few bottles of alcohol (after all, it is a journey of study
involving a lot of students love to party).
By finding the sun, teacher organizer (and Dean), Francescato (a good copy of Grissom from the TV-show experts) shows a fortification overlooking the highway ... forgiveness, autostrada (we're now in Italy!). Unfortunately...
I do not know the name of this fortification, my memory is lacking.
We then come to Turin, the bus station and we we will install in the rooms (we share in groups of 3 or 4). Once the bags are released into the room, towards the
streets of Turin to discover some surrounding areas. I écouvre lines of cars parked in the middle of the street ... this is quite normal. As well as doubling the left,
the right or the sidewalk ... I do not know if this is legal, but it is certainly widespread. After finding the refueling points (meals, drinks) and some shopping for
some liquids (including me, I do not hide it), back in the rooms ... or rather in the room, as many of us end up in a room on the ground inviting friends. And let the
fun begin !
- - -
Sunday 27, the clock is a little rough for some. Today, Saint-Michel-de-la-Cluse or ''Sacra di San Michele'' in Italian, lunch in a restaurant in the
area and overlooking a small lake before returning.
The Abbey of Saint-Michel-de-la-Cluse is located on Mount Pirchiriano (962m high) and poitn highest Abbey lies 1'000m high. This abbey, dating from the tenth
century, is related to its mountain bases, closely intertwined with the rock. The entrance is at Gate of the Zodiac and we must climb 243 steps to reach it.
This Benedictine abbey, one of the most famous, occupies a very important place in Roman architecture. We can come stay a night in the cells to live
within a day or two, as the monks a thousand years ago.
After a descent we eat chorizo, fresh cheese, ham stuffed with ricotta, as products of the area. The small outlet to the lake the afternnon, and evening fiesta.
(Again?!? Yep ... it will be the same every night (even with some teachers who will join us for the last night).)
- - -
Monday 28, it is now the city of Turin to be visited, we first go to the Piazza Castello where we see the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) :
We also see the Porta Romana, the museum of ancient art and the Duomo, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin which is the controversial Shroud of Turin.
Firstly, the Duomo is the main cathedral of Turin. Built between 1491 and 1498, it is adjacent to a Campanile dating from 1470. The Chapel of the
Holy Shroud, where the famous cloth is stored, it was added between 1668 and 1694.
The cathedral houses a small museum where you can see a crown of thorns of Christ as well as flagella or disciplines (Flagelli Romani). Past used some very religious
Christians who self-flagellated to atone for their peach has endured the suffering Jesus Christ.
Then ... Here we are, the famous saint-shroud turin...
This piece of cloth is, according to some, the linen cloth in which Jesus Christ was wrapped in its first death in the same tissues that would have made his resurrection. The cloth
shows a drawing of a man face and back that can be Jesus. Where there is lot of controversy, it is in dating. If this is the true shroud in which Jesus was during his resurrection,
he must date from around 2,000 years. If it is false, it will be later. The problem is that there was a lot of tests, not often agree with each other, and even more critical on these
tests... whether Christians when tests show that it is a fake, the skeptics when tests show that the shroud could be true. (For my part ... that Jesus was packaged to go in this
tissue... why not? But where I have a little harder, it is with all these miracles is said to have done... I expected to see it to believe it (I wear well my name).)
Leaving the Douomo we pass the door Palatine towers and two reds, then we visited the Palazzo Madama (Palazzo Madama, which owes its name to Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy, who built
the façade in Baroque style stone white between 1718 and 1721). All white stone with a magnificent staircase.
Then we will see the Medieval town of Valentine, who is a very interesting town though not dating from the Middle Ages, as its name suggests, but is a reconstruction of a village in
piedmont fifteenth century which has been carefully restored to the internationale exposure Turin in 1884.
Last stop before returning: foundry factory coupled with steel tools. I do not recall there either name. However I discovered manufacturing, A to Z of the tools we use at school on
machine tools (lathe, milling, CNC, drill) with strawberries speed steel, the steel burs titanium, etc. ...
Furnaces containing molten steel chains to machining and finishing on the Rack (Show Displays) tools, cest very impressive (and noisy)
It is time to return to the hotel, but before the evening meal is the restaurant! A good night's sleep ... or not. Tomorrow we will visit several things, such as the Egyptian
Museum or the Lingotto.
- - -
Tuesday 29, Today direction Lingotto to start. The Lingotto, the base is a major industrial construction site of FIAT cars. Today it is the largest convention center in Europe.
It now houses numerous shops and facilities of all kinds (direction of Fiat, cinemas, hotels, restaurants, art gallery, courses automotive engineering from the
Polytechnic of Turin and others).
Then visit the Egyptian Museum of Turin. Founded in 1824 by Carlo Felice, it contains 6,500 works exhibited and nearly 27,000 in reserve. That makes him the museum
houses the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts in the world after the Cairo Museum.
The most important pieces in the museum are: the intact tomb of Kha and Merit, the temple of Ellesiya, the Turin Papyrus, the table of Isis, the tomb painted
bas-reliefs of Djoser's, statues of the goddesses Isis and Sekhmet and the pharaoh Ramses II. We also see the tomb of Amenhotep II.
Leaving the museum, I realize that Turin is a little old by some aspect of its road signs...
A little further, a nod to my best friend, madly public transport... simply there is archaeological public transport! Here is the fabulous tram 3 of Turin, while modernity:
The day ends on this note of humor, except just before entering eating, we made last minute shopping, tomorrow is the day of return. For my part, I return with good
Limoncello in my luggage. The party is tonight (again) with some of the teachers (for that matter ...) it'll be fun tomorrow the return trip, everyone will be exhausted!
- - -
Wednesday 30, many of us are good for a cure NeoCitran ... hello hangover certain(e)s (my roommate ''Cosset'' had a big hit in the nose last night... I will not say
more but I laugh just thinking about it (This one or this one?)).
We head towards the Basilica of Superga. With an increase in a small cogwheel train to reach (our bus driver will be able to snooze). The trip takes about
fifteen minutes in hardware ... obsolete. The locomotive dating from 1934 and 1884 passenger cars.
The Basilica houses the crypt Royal Superga is divided into five parts:
- The Hall of Kings (King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia and his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette of Spain, King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and his wife, Queen
Maria Theresa of Austria-Este and King Charles Albert of Sardinia. There are also two cenotaphs those kings Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia, Charles Felix of
Savoy.).
- The second room (King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia and his first wife, the Princess of Piedmont Anne-Louise Christine of Sulzbach, queens Polyxena of
Hesse-Rotenburg Rheinfels and Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine, and second respectively third wife of King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia. Included in this
room as the Count of Villafranca Eugène-Emmanuel de Savoie-Villafranca-Soissons and Maria Pia of Savoy, wife of King Louis I of Portugal).
- The Queens Hall (Marie-Christine de Savoie-Carignan, Louis-Victor de Savoie-Carignan, Christine Henriette of Hesse-Rotenburg Rheinfels-Thomas-Maurice of
Savoy, Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, Marie Josephe Lambesc-Lorraine, Charles Emmanuel of Savoy-Carignan, Marie Therese von Habsburg-Tuscany, Marie Adelaide of
Habsburg-Lorraine, Eudes (Prince of Italy), Amadeus I of Spain, María Victoria del Pozzo, Marie-Laetitia Bonaparte and Victor Emmanuel of Savoy-Aosta.).
- The fourth room (Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, Anne Marie d'Orléans, Ferdinand of Savoy, Elizabeth of Saxony, Thomas of Savoy-Genoa (Thomas Albert Victor of
Savoy), Isabelle of Bavaria and Ferdinand of Savoy.).
- The Hall of Princes, the last room containing the remains of 32 following Emmanuel Philibert, Victor Amadeus of Savoy, Victor Amadeus Theodore,
Charles-François-Romuald, Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, Marguerite Victoire de Savoie, Charles Francois de Savoie, Marie-Elisabeth-Charlotte of Savoy,
Amedee-Alexandre de Savoie, Marie Anne Victoire de Savoie, Marie Louise Gabrielle of Savoy, Marie-Christine, Eleanor Marie-Thérèse de Savoie, Marie-Felicite
Savoie Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy, Benoît-Maurice of Savoy, Marie-Anne of Savoy, Charles Albert of Savoy, Victor Emmanuel of Savoy, Napoleon Joseph Charles Paul
Bonaparte, Marie-Clotilde of Savoy, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, Tomislav II Croatia, Irene of Greece, Lydie d'Arenberg, Adalbert de Savoie, Marguerite Yolande,
Philibert of Savoy Eugene of Savoy, Lucia of Bourbon-Sicilies, a prince and a princess unknown. The room also has a cenotaph on behalf of Princess Mafalda of
Savoy.
You can read the list of all the nobles buried here at
the end of this report
and we realize that there are many nobles from Savoie and noble short while buried here.
Here's Basilica from the outside and a photo of the dome :
A small fountain head cow is present in front of the basilica for those who have thirst.
From the terrace of the church we have a great view (670m high) on the city of Turin and the surrounding area:
Phew, the tour is finished and almost everyone pionce the bus. We are all exhausted (visits by day and parties at night) and for my part, I have slept till the next 18h after returning ... I needed it!
* Here is the list of all the buried here for the personne that are interest :
- The Hall of Kings (King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia and his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette of Spain, King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and his wife, Queen
Maria Theresa of Austria-Este and King Charles Albert of Sardinia. There are also two cenotaphs those kings Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia, Charles Felix of
Savoy.).
- The second room (King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia and his first wife, the Princess of Piedmont Anne-Louise Christine of Sulzbach, queens Polyxena of
Hesse-Rotenburg Rheinfels and Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine, and second respectively third wife of King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia. Included in this
room as the Count of Villafranca Eugène-Emmanuel de Savoie-Villafranca-Soissons and Maria Pia of Savoy, wife of King Louis I of Portugal).
- The Queens Hall (Marie-Christine de Savoie-Carignan, Louis-Victor de Savoie-Carignan, Christine Henriette of Hesse-Rotenburg Rheinfels-Thomas-Maurice of
Savoy, Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, Marie Josephe Lambesc-Lorraine, Charles Emmanuel of Savoy-Carignan, Marie Therese von Habsburg-Tuscany, Marie Adelaide of
Habsburg-Lorraine, Eudes (Prince of Italy), Amadeus I of Spain, María Victoria del Pozzo, Marie-Laetitia Bonaparte and Victor Emmanuel of Savoy-Aosta.).
- The fourth room (Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, Anne Marie d'Orléans, Ferdinand of Savoy, Elizabeth of Saxony, Thomas of Savoy-Genoa (Thomas Albert Victor of
Savoy), Isabelle of Bavaria and Ferdinand of Savoy.).
- The Hall of Princes, the last room containing the remains of 32 following Emmanuel Philibert, Victor Amadeus of Savoy, Victor Amadeus Theodore,
Charles-François-Romuald, Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, Marguerite Victoire de Savoie, Charles Francois de Savoie, Marie-Elisabeth-Charlotte of Savoy,
Amedee-Alexandre de Savoie, Marie Anne Victoire de Savoie, Marie Louise Gabrielle of Savoy, Marie-Christine, Eleanor Marie-Thérèse de Savoie, Marie-Felicite
Savoie Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy, Benoît-Maurice of Savoy, Marie-Anne of Savoy, Charles Albert of Savoy, Victor Emmanuel of Savoy, Napoleon Joseph Charles Paul
Bonaparte, Marie-Clotilde of Savoy, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, Tomislav II Croatia, Irene of Greece, Lydie d'Arenberg, Adalbert de Savoie, Marguerite Yolande,
Philibert of Savoy Eugene of Savoy, Lucia of Bourbon-Sicilies, a prince and a princess unknown. The room also has a cenotaph on behalf of Princess Mafalda of
Savoy.
The countdown is complete funeral and we realize that there are many nobles from Savoie and noble short while buried here.