2006年VOA标准英语-There is More to Turin Than the Olympics

By Brian Padden
Turin, Italy
23 February 2006
 
watch Turin Tour report

The city of Turin is trying to use the worldwide media attention paid to the Olympics, to feature other attractions the region has to offer. The city has organized various tours to promote the history, art and flavor of Turin. VOA's Brian Padden recently went along on one that promised free food. 

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Sacra Di San Michele on a clear day  
  

This is what the Sacra Di San Michele looks like on clear, beautiful day.  It does not look like this on a gray winter day in February.

This monastery¹, which dates back to the 10th century, is located on the top of a mountain overlooking Turin's Susa Valley.  The Sacra Di San Michele is the first stop on our tour of some regional attractions not featured in Olympic coverage². 

Today it is not just the weather that makes this monastery seem cold and foreboding.  

Monastery built on the top of a mountain overlookig Turin's Susa Valley  
  
The tombs of monks³ from centuries past are enclosed in these walls.  The original chapel⁴ was built into the side of the mountain. 

Over the centuries it has greatly expanded and Catholic mass is still celebrated⁵ here. 

Tour guide Della Porigliatti urges visitors not to focus on the age of the buildings but on the spirit the church evokes⁶.
 
 
Tour guide Della Porigliatti 
  
"I would like you to feel the memory of the prayer here because for more than 1,000 years people come here and pray here and study and ask something to [of] God."

Our next stop, to the delight of the group, is a taste of the region.  Cold from our trip to the mountain, samples of local wine and cheese and salami and chocolate, make us happy and warm.  

 
Elana Di Bella, with Turin development office
  
Elena Di Bella, with Turin's Development Office, says these are some of 30 local products it is trying to promote worldwide. "They know especially in Italy, not abroad.  Then the Olympic Winter Games is an occasion to let them know abroad."

As the day was ending, we made one last stop at the Castello Di Rivoli Modern Art museum. 

The contemporary artwork here, stacks of wood beams, a closet full of suits, rocks lined up in a circle, was not what one would expect in the land of Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci.  

 
Tour guide Secli Rosarianna
  
Tour guide Secli Rosarianna says many visitors need help to understand why this is art. "This approach is strong.  It's a strong impact.  Guides will guide  your there to understand, to have a different approach to contemporary art."

Visiting a modern art museum or sampling local-made raw meat salami, or learning about the region's rich history, may not be on most Olympic visitors' agendas.  But officials here want the world to know there is more to Turin than skiing. 

1 monastery   

n.修道院，僧院，寺院

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• She was appointed the superior of the monastery two years ago.两年前她被任命为这个修道院的院长。

2 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

3 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

5 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

6 evokes   

产生，引起，唤起( evoke的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• Each type evokes antibodies which protect against the homologous. 每一种类型都能产生抗同种病毒的抗体。