Torino or the art of black magic....

August seems to be rather dull in Piemonte and I besides working in the office I try to go out a bit, meet new people (whoever is left in Torino) and learn Italian. In other words - looking for new ways of entertaining myself. Could it be that I am a little bored but I was amazed to find out that according to legends Torino has been the centre for magical energy and occultism in Europe (should you wish to read more, you can do it here).

This finally convinced me that there are no coincidence and I should finally embrace my supernatural side (nobody said so far: "Boris, come, join the darkside!", I am just being metaphorical). Torino is a lovely baroque city with a very aesthetic architecture but unless you make some research you don't really think about the gargoyles, the demonic heads on the steet portals or the statues. The Savoy dynasty were quite fond of occultism (as any normal royal family, when they got terribly bored, they had to do something kinky) and invested heavily in Egyptian antiques supposed to have supernatural powers - I believe the stock market would have been a better idea considering how they eneded up.

Not to mention the statue on the beautifull piazza Statuto which some believe to represent he fallen angel Lucifer (quite popular as Satan). Not that I have started believing in those things, though knowing myself, maybe I should, but this does add a very romantic and mysterious charm to the story of Torino. In Italy every village, town and region have different legends and culture and sometimes even Italians are surprised to discover new thing about their country.

As I have said, I am waiting for friends and guests in Torino. You mates are all welcome - mail me, pack you stuff and I will be waiting fo you after September. And don't forget to take the crucifixes and the holy water.

Amin!