Antiquing in Torino

Not what I expected, but I still found some treasures

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Antiquing in Torino

A couple weeks ago I ventured up to Torino for the monthly Il Grande Balon, billed as the largest flea market in the area. I was hoping to get some gently used (cheap used) kitchen tools, maybe some interesting old things for my flat. This market is just northwest of the Porta Palazzo farmers market, a nice walk from the Porta Susa train station.

I’ve been to a lot of flea markets, and they run the gamut from garage sale junk to overpriced antiques to new-and-cheap imports.

This market neatly fell into the actual antique items, mostly overpriced, but haggling was definitely on the table. Speaking of tables, I really would love to have one of these beauties. The marble top was stunning, and would be perfect for kneading bread, right?

My first encounter with the market was a small piazza with a dozen vendors, and I wondered how quickly I’d get through everything and what I’d do with the rest of my time in Torino.

But after seeing a dozen streets filled with vendors, I wondered if I’d be able to get to them all before I needed to head home. Plus there were many, many antique stores open along the way.

I was surprised by all the things I’ve personally seen and known in my own lifetime, that are now considered “antiques.” Sheesh.

And some things that just made me wonder what the original maker was thinking.

Yes, that chair is molded multicolor plastic. And doesn’t look at all comfortable.

I came prepared with a large shopping bag, and did make a few purchases. If you know me, you know I have a thing for wooden boxes, and I found two nice ones.

Both are originally for bottles, the one on the right for a special 100th anniversary of S.Pellegrino, which occurred in 1999, because of course that makes it an antique, yes? I got the boxes for €10 each. BTW, if the box actually contained the original three-liter water bottle from the anniversary, it would be worth hundreds of euros. The smaller one now neatly holds my frequently used desk items, significantly reducing clutter. Something I need to do.

I also found this lovely glazed bowl, which, like its large wooden box cousin, is still finding its purpose in my flat.

Last but not least, I realized partway through that I had another quest, for a large glass container. I found many, some over-priced, some accurately priced but much too fancy, until I found this decanter. Not crystal, but exactly what I wanted and, with some bubble wrap, perfectly sized to fit into the S.Pellegrino box for transport home.

A perfect spot to reapply my holiday lights and create a pleasant evening decoration.

Saw the entire market by early afternoon, and had just enough time to take the metro to Eataly before hopping the train back to Bra. Did you know they have Eataly in Italy? In the US you can get a great assortment of imported Italian goodies, and the same here, but the advantage is you can access products from other regions that you can’t find at a local grocer. And post-holiday is a great time to get some real bargains.

Notes and Updates

• Hosted my first dinner party this weekend, and made paella. Everything was great, but my next paella will use a different type of tomato, as the can of whole tomatoes I used was too saucy.

• It rained last night, and I heard thunder for the first time since I’ve been here. Also, the days are getting longer, it seems to be warming a bit, and there are definitely more birds singing in the mornings.

• I haven’t forgotten about the Friuli trip, and have several posts in progress — you need to hear about coffee, a spectacular wine cellar, the amazing multi-cultural city of Trieste, and definitely about not one but two Michelin restaurants.

• This week we’re studying Food Design. Just started yesterday and heard about some fantastically cool projects our instructor has done.

• I submitted my first paper over the weekend, and since it’s not due for a couple weeks I now have some extra free time. I’m using the designated paper-writing schedule next week to travel to Tuscany, so you can look forward to reading more about that.

• Still working on getting used to this sabbatical thing, being disconnected from the day-to-day of Kakao. They appear to be doing fine without me, which is both good and bad.

• Starting to think about internships. The requirements are fairly loose, and it’s mostly up to us to figure out what we want to do. I arrived in Italy with three solid ideas, and identified another, and am in communication now with two of those to explore opportunities.

• THANK YOU for reading this far!

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