Elegance And Egyptology In Turin

After a tad over 24 hours here, I'd say that what I'd heard about Torino is generally true.  It is a world apart from Roma and southern Italy.  The wide boulevards, general orderliness, and charming elegance are reminiscent of a smaller-scale Paris or Vienna.  Indeed, I just looked at a map, and Torino is way closer to Zurich and Geneva than it is to Roma.  (My knowledge of European geography is still pathetically weak -- although, come to think of it, my knowledge of American geography ain't much better!)

The Americano has replaced the Negroni as my favorite Italian cocktail.  

One nice surprise was the Museo Egizio di Torino.  Turin's Egypt museum is billed as the world's finest collection of Egyptian treasures outside of Cairo.  I believe it.  If you have any interest at all in Egyptian artifacts, this place is fantastic.  The highlights are a wonderful statute of Ramses II and the tombs of Kha and Merit.  The latter are from 1400 B.C. -- that makes ancient Roman ruins and sculptures look new!

The cat on the right is Tut.  Which reminds of me of this question: was King Tut the weirdest villain from the old Batman TV show?  Remember that guy?

I'm planning on learning a helluva lot of information tomorrow about the Shroud of Turin.