Our last day in Torino we crammed in a lot of sightseeing. First, we took our luggage to the train station since we couldn't leave it at the apartment.
Then, we had a lovely coffee and best pastries so far in Italy at one of the elegant old coffee bars in a pretty piazza.
The elevator goes through the middle of the big open main room. (This is impossible to describe; you may have to just go see it!) Then it goes through a hole in the ceiling and voila! you are outside at the viewing platform. And you say, "Holy mole!" From here you discover that the city is much larger than you thought (the historic center is just one part of a very large city) and you see the Alps covered with snow and shiny in the sun. Spectacular!
We got off near the Piazza Castello and got a great lunch recommendation from a hotel concierge. The Spiritu Sanctu trattoria was empty when we got there but quickly filled up with locals ... and their little dogs. Very yummy.
Next, we visited the Palazzo Reale. This palace was epic! One of the biggest rooms we've ever seen, lots of gold and marble and mirrors. Throne rooms. You name it. Smaller than Versailles but very regal. Our favorite part was the royal amoury exhibit. About a dozen taxidermied war horses in full armor, mounted by plate mail knights with either lances or maces. And then hundreds of swords, shields, helmets, and early firearms. The room itself was also very grand. Unfortunately you can't take photos in the Palace. :-( But you can see pictures on the Internet, such as at their website. Here is one I stole from them to whet your appetite.
We decided to return to the train station early and wait for our train. As much as we all loved Torino and could have stayed more days, not having an apartment to return to for some downtime made that last afternoon really tiring. Although it had warmed up a bit, it was still quite cold, which also made the day more of a slog.
We were happy to get "home" to Rapallo late that night.