Grand Torino and the Mystic Ruhr River

As the home of Fiat manufacturing, Torino was once called “the Detroit of Italy.” But unlike Detroit, Torino has money. Their closed factories have been converted into public parks, bustling shopping centers, and condos where people actually live. It’s amazing. And while they spend a considerable amount embracing the architecture of their manufacturing past, they’re also deeply rooted in medieval Italian history. As the first capital of the nation, they’ve got castles, a 1,000-year old monastery, and a city gate dating back to 25 BC. This adventurer’s paradise also has four rivers, snow capped mountains on three sides, and the 2006 Olympic stadiums. Yes, it certainly is an undiscovered treasure. But as my host Antonello explained, since it’s so far from the typical destinations (Rome, Venice, Florence), not many tourists know about it.

Antonello and Debra are a couch surfing couple who put me up for two nights. Along with showing me where I can take the best photos, they also introduced me to the best places for gelato, beer, and real Italian pizza. The sky was cloudier than I would’ve liked for pictures, but at least the next wave of thunderstorms held off until my departure.

Another long journey…

The train up the Ruhr River to Duisburg, Germany was going to take about twelve hours. But as the tracks wound through the lakeside villages and foggy mountains of Switzerland, I stared out the window and watched the lightning kinda not wanting it to be over.

Like any other city where I don’t know anyone, I had contacted a couch surfer to stay with in Duisburg. I didn’t know exactly how long I’d be staying, so I asked for three nights – plenty of time to photograph the closed factories along the Ruhr– and a guy responded to my request, “No worries.”

I arrived at his small one-bedroom flat where we had some dinner, some beer… and then he said, “It’s a holiday this weekend, so I’m going to Holland tomorrow with friends.”

So… I guess I won’t stay three nights. But before I could respond, he stopped my train of thought, “but you can stay here- it’s no problem- I’ll give you the keys.”

Wow. I’d known this guy for about an hour. And now, I’ve got the place to myself. Of course, I need to do his dishes and take out the trash, but… wow.

He's even got a crap load of movies and a projector screen...