Last night we went out to dinner in an area of the city called the Quadrilateral. Four sided something or another.  It's an area that has been completely renewed, updated, regenerated..whatever you want to call it, since the winter Olympics brought $ and tourism to Torino.  The area was out of bounds when I lived here 20+ years ago.  Very rundown, dirty, and unsafe.  Now it's all clubs, restaurants and snazzy shops.  The buildings have been restored and some torn down.  A big hotel was built for the games and apartments for athletes are now dorms for college students.  It's very lively and bustling on a Friday night.  Lots of foreign restaurants - unheard of in my day - and tourists.  We went to a good but overpriced Brazilian place.  Meat cooked on a rock, black beans, grilled veggies and some weird powder made from roots that taste like garlic bread.  Check it out. www.ritualbrasiliero.com .  A walk around the center on cobble-stoned pedestrian streets and then a stop for gelato at a place near us.  Fun was had by all.  Today some work around her then off to an exhibit about Italian life through the ages.  Tomorrow we have a school brunch from 11-1:00.  It's a welcome new, welcome back old get-together.  After that a hike in one of the huge nature "parks" up in the hills.  Busy, busy.  I'm glad.  Keeps me from missing home too much!  xxoo me