Torino

"I've always thought about magic, I was a Disney child growing up and I think it's had a serious impact on the way I see the world now. I expect so much wonder from things that could never give me the magic I desire, but its close enough, and when you visit places like Verona, Lake Garda and Turin etc. it brings that little bit of magic back. It's very hard not to be positive in a place that makes you feel like you're on a film set."

 I love music.

I'm not talking about the latest top 40 chart toppers or the classic old school rock anthems, although they are important to me, I'm talking about real, thought provoking, heart wrenching and awe inducing orchestral scores. 

My friends laugh at my vast collection of film scores and soundtracks on my iPod, but if you can appreciate the raw ability music has to inspire your mood then why not?  You may think it’s weird; you may do this yourself, after reading this you may even consider it, but I am not ashamed to say that I listen to this music to help inspire creativity. My favourite composer of all time is German musician Hans Zimmer, with John Williams coming in a close second. If you think you are unfamiliar with Zimmer’s work then you are greatly mistaken;  just type him into YouTube and you'll be presented with some of the greatest film soundtracks ever created, including The Lion king, Jurassic Park, Inception, Batman, The Da Vinci code etc. There is bound to be at least one you recognise.

I bring this up because today I realised just how incredibly music uplifted my mood and set the scene for where I was in the world. I am rarely seen without my headphones in my ears, but there is a good reason. Whilst my mum and Jill were here we took another trip out of Milan to the city of Turin (Torino); Besotted with architectural gems, ornately decorated churches, imperial palaces, castles, rivers, villas and infamous monuments, I felt Turin was massively underrated as a cultural destination for eager sightseers. It was full of historical wealth and although the weather was poor there was a feel of majesty.

The reason I brought about the importance of music is because we found ourselves in the most exquisitely designed Catholic church I have ever had the honour of stepping foot in - but unlike other cathedrals, there was no organ playing. I don't know if this influences other people as much as it does me, but I love walking into a place of worship and being able to totally immerse myself into the religious atmosphere. I am a strong atheist but I do appreciate the otherworldly element that religion can bring to one’s life, and I find it so interesting to learn about. So whilst I was sitting on the wooden pew listening to the footsteps of other tourists I decided to put my iPod on to liven the dark and sinister environment.  It truly reformed the experience. It made that insignificant moment significant, like the climax in an epic adventure movie. Try it, you'll see. It's what I like to call 'enhancing a piece of reality'. 

I've always thought about magic, I was a Disney child growing up and I think it's had a serious impact on the way I see the world now. I expect so much wonder from things that could never give me the magic I desire, but its close enough, and when you visit places like Verona, Lake Garda and Turin etc. it brings that little bit of magic back. It's very hard not to be positive in a place that makes you feel like you're on a film set.