D30 Turin to Azzano d'Asti

Keeping to my practice I have omitted my Turin day from the sequential numbering as it was spent in the City. After essential re-equipping with new azzuro cycling shorts to replace the pair that went whilst drying on my pannier (I'm still convinced this was a schoolboy prank to nick the stranger's undies) and non essential acquisition of photosensitive cool cycling glasses I passed an absorbing afternoon at the amazing royal palace complex of museums showing the very extensive acquisitions over 3_4 centuries of the House of Savoy. There was an excellent side exhibition confronting the issues of appropriation such collections involve and how the modern museum might respond. No answers but some very relevant examples (Napoleon taking half the collection to the Louvre and after the 1815 restoration  the Louvre was exceptionally unhelpful in arranging its return (less than 50% made it back - still an exceptional collection). Museum collections as exemplars of cultural appropriation much as my mate Mike B described in a thesis 25 years ago. Mike man ahead of your time like many of our college mates from those days!

 The ceremonial entrance hall sets the tone whilst the classical sculpture gallery gives a flavour of the collections - basically the pick of what was around in the era of the grand tour! Great fun as I read the Iliad to be seeing classical paintings interpretations.

The evening was spent less high brow as the evening thunder storm blew in watching footy in San Salvatori a more edgy side of town at the Torino end (they were playing the reds in a friendly at Anfield as chance would have it ....3_1 reds!) having been given the cold shoulder in the ritzier Juventus  centre of town.

Getting away on Wednesday I took some final shots of the lovely Palazzo (15-16th century the b and b is the terracio on the top floor - perfecto) and then of myself trying to show off my new Italian cool glasses and azzuri shorts (unsuccessfully) as I rode the Po South out of the city

The day passed  picking my way through a series of hilltop Italian towns in rolling Piemonte (foot of the mountains ie Alps) countryside. My first experience of trying to navigate the Via Francigena (no signage in sight) but by picking out the towns in sequence in the route it is perfectly possible to follow the route more or less on minor roads which are delightful, quiet if a little broken up in places. Morning coffee saw me in Chieri at one time a rival to Genova as a medieval republic but now a quiet backwater and then got in a bit of a mess trying to pick my way round  Asti (yes THAT asti of Spumante fame on a route that was beautiful but complicated to take in hilly vineyards whilst hitting the exit road South from  the large surprisingly industrialised town for a crucial river crossing.

Having negotiated this but lost time I was thinking of pressing on when I came across a roadside bar by a level crossing with a couple of blokes my age stood outside holding bottles of beer. The temptation was too great so I joined them and 10 mins later the heavens opened! Not for the first time divine intervention in the form of a bar has delayed me and saved me (Heysel being the classic example). So I booked myself into a neighbouring agriculturismo where I have had the most relaxing and pleasant stay so much so that I want to bring Sus here combining perhaps with a trip to Genova on a future European traverse! Delightful deciduous mixed woodland (ash, beech,  sycamore and oak) home to the famous piemont truffle and good wine (Barollo red highly recommended though I was served the Montoferanto which was good but not special).