Torino, Italy

[DonRocks]

Driving east towards Torino, I was exhausted, and had absolutely no clue where to stay.

Fortunately, booking.com advertised an appartment for a mere €72,90, and it sounded almost too good to be true given that hotels were going for double that, and it was closing in on 5:30 PM. 

I can now highly recommend Residenza Margot, so much so that we decided to remain in Torino two nights instead of one. And the gregarious, super-responsive owner Valentina (who lives in the same high-rise) is everything you could hope for (except she speaks no English, so you sort of have to gesture a lot). Also, when I mentioned that I'd like to pay her cash for a second night, she accepted, and even offered a slight discount. Both of us communicated famously by using Google Translate, and sending text messages. Valentina was professional enough to reply immediately to a 9 PM text message of mine about how to fully close the blinds (and she has a family, so this takes some diligence on her part). Despite almost randomly choosing Residenza Margot, we lucked into a really nice neighborhood, with ample free parking, a good, cheap, pillbox-sized Frutteria within walking distance (where I bought some of best apricots I've ever eaten), which is one block behind the achingly beautiful Cremeria Sempione (founded in 1946). There's also a Crai Supermarcati within walking distance. I would not hesitate to stay at Residenza Margot for a week, or even a month, with two people.

So, about that "I was exhausted" comment up above. I was fuck-it exhausted enough to hit up a local dive pizzeria, just two blocks down Corso Vercelli from Residenza Margot, expecting nothing more than a quick-filler meal. Maybe San Giovanni Battista was looking down on me, because who knew that Torino is the home of one of the Seven Types of Italian Pizza, namely Pizza al Padellino (also known as Pizza al Tegamino)? And who knew that I would stumble upon the local gem, Pizzeria Mandis, founded in 1972? AND who knew that I was to have the best Socca Niçoise I've ever eaten in the form of Farinata (€3 per portion) - this simple snack crept around the Ligurian into France from Northeastern Italy, and I suspect there have been fistfights over its current ownership. This was inhaled with a fresh, ice-cold draft of Nastro Azzurro (€5 for a media).

I've never had anything quite like Pizza al Tegamino before (at least not as-of the night I went to Pizzeria Mandis). It's a pan pizza, except that unlike Chicago pan pizzas, the crust is light and airy, not heavy and oily, and the experience is ethereal and heavenly. The namesake Mandis (€9, yes, €9) with pomodoro, mozzarella, pecorino sardo, and porchetta was qualitatively equal to the Cappriciosa (€8,5 (!)) with pomodoro, mozzarella, carciofini, and prosciutto. There isn't much to say here that the pictures won't say, except that I suspect there may be multiple pizzerias of this quality in Torino, and that we were the only Americans, perhaps the only tourists, in the restaurant. 

Our server saw (I mean visually, saw) how much we were enjoying the pizzas, and as a show of genuine, "no tipping expected or accepted, and if you try and tip me for this, I'm going to give you a very brief but effective Torinese Death Stare and make you momentarily fear for your life" hospitality, brought us over this icy bottle of dark-purple liquid. "Mirto," he said, and left the entire bottle on the table for us. Mirto means "Myrtle [berry]," and is a fairly potent Sardinian-Corsican digestivo. This was essentially moonshine, as it was in an unmarked bottle, and now that I've also had an official, restaurant-ordered glass of Mirto (two days later, in a little town on the Italian Riviera called Finale Ligure), I can say with 100% confidence: Stick with the moonshine because it's leaps-and-bounds better. Dinner at Pizzeria Mandis was (and I'm being literal here) a life-changing experience.