71. TORINO – Book Stalls and the Mole

If you like hunting after second-hand books, then Torino is your city! Head east along the Via Po until you reach one of the many campuses that constitute the University of Torino, and the pavement outside the university is lined with booksellers. I had to fight back the temptation to buy more than I already had, because of the weight. But perhaps your interest lies not with words on the page but with pictures on the screen. Torino boasts its celebrated Mole Antonelliana commonly known as the Mole, a building with its characteristic narrow cupola that looks like the body of a balalaika with a needle-like “spire” rising up to the sky.

The Mole offers two attractions. Take the lift up the spire for a bird’s eye view of the city and visit the cinema museum. I skipped on the spire because there was a long line-up on the day I visited, and I wasn’t prepared for the climb. I later found out that one takes an elevator up the spire.

If you love movies you will love the museum. On the main viewing floor you sit back on a plush, comfortable seat, and watch a film from the past. Along the sides of the same floor there are little nooks showing other films, from westerns to Tom and Jerry. On the next floor [or floors – I didn’t count] the history of the cinema unfolds through the exhibitions. I wanted to return for another visit but somehow Time robbed me of that pleasure.