My company writes software for the communications systems used by many broadcasters, including NBC, who use a large system for covering the Olympics. This is my 5th trip to the Olympics providing support to NBC inside the IBC, and these are my ramblings on what's going on in Torino and at the Games.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Torino - Mountains and Mole-hills

Ok, I never did get out to the mountains, and unfortunately, the weather this past week has been miserable, and I never did get to go up into the Mole Antonelliana. The forecast for this morning was also lousy, and I decided to sleep in rather than try getting out again.

However, when I woke up, it was partyly sunny, and I hurriedly got up to head downtown. I made my way to the Mole but it was 10:30am by the time I got there and found a large line waiting to get inside. Then, I got a call from COMMs on my cell about a problem that I could have talked them through, except that my cell phone battery promptly died. So, I had to scratch the Mole off the list, and head back into work. Some things are just not meant to be.

The Mole Antonelliana was supposed to be a Jewish synagogue, started in 1863, but purchased by the City of Torino, and completed in 1889. At 549 feet, it is the tallest brick and mortar building in Europe. It also houses the Museum of Cinema (a strange pairing).

Let's start back at Monte Dei Cappuccini, in the hills on the east of the river Po. From the observation deck, you get a nice view of the river, and the most famous of the bridges that span it...

Bridge

Looking out across the river, you can get a terrific panoramic view of the entire city...

City

Zooming in on the Mole, you can also see the Cathedral of St. John the Bapist (where the Shroud is kept) in the upper left corner. On a clear day (which we didn't get many of) you can also see the Alps in the background (which would have made this a spectacular shot...

Mole

Walking down from the hills, and across the bridge back into the downtown area, I had another great view of the river Po...

Po

Finally, here's a close-up shot of the Mole from the street where the entrance is, and taken this morning, just before I had to head back into work...

Mole 2

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