Hello Everyone,
On our way from Lucca to Genoa, we stopped for two nights at a cute little town called Chiavari, that was recommended by a friend. It’s a costal city a little way north of the Cinque Terra. It poured down rain the entire time we were there, but it was the perfect place to wait out the rain. Most of the buildings in the historical district were built with porticos over the sidewalks. We could walk almost anywhere we needed to go, under cover. We even rolled our suitcases the .3 miles from the train station to the BnB without getting a bit wet. A little laundry done, some good Italian food, a little Aperol Spritz in the belly, and we were off to Genoa.
Genoa [Genova in Italian] is the 6th largest city in Italy, at almost 600,000 people, and one of the biggest seaports in Europe. A large portion of the European overseas trade goes through the port of Genoa. The city has very little flat land near sea level and then rises very steeply for a couple thousand feet. There are several cable Funiculars and elevators that move people up the steep hills to their homes. Since land was scarce, the streets are very narrow, because they didn’t want to waste any on streets. Everything in the historical district is connected by skinny alleyways. Most are too small for cars. There are a few wide streets where the wealthy residents built palaces. Some of these mansions survived the wars and are still standing today. Most have been turned into bank or corporate offices by now, but a few have descendants of the original families still living in them and offer tours to see how people lived back in the 15th century.
Our first day here we took a Funicular to its top, about 1000 feet, and then walked down a winding path and stairways through the neighborhoods. Sweeping views of the port and waterfront can be seen on the way. A good digital map is critical when walking in this city, because nothing is parallel in the alleyways. It’s very easy to get lost. One afternoon we found ourselves in the “red light” district, where women stand in their doorways showing their “wares” to passers by. Some streets in Genoa have porticos covering the sidewalks here, as well. They are much nicer and more ornate here, than in Chiavari, but there aren’t many of them to protect you from the rain. One evening while eating supper near the main square, there was a protest March. They were carrying a flag that was Italian on one side and Russian on the other. We could only guess that it was all about the war in Ukraine. The Italians are not very fond of what is happening there, especially since it has tripled the cost of their gas for heating.
Genoa was heavily bombed during WWII and much of the city was badly damaged. Being a poor city, they couldn’t afford to rebuild the structures in the same grandeur as they were, originally. So, they developed 3D faux painting techniques to make the buildings look original. I have a few examples in the photo gallery. Also, there are many buildings that have had some of their windows removed and painted to look like windows, because buildings were taxed based on how many windows they had. The Cathedral was bombed as well, during the war. One bomb shell broke through the roof and landed unexploded. This is now celebrated as a miracle [even though about 20% of the bombs dropped didn’t explode]. There is an unexploded bomb shell sitting in the corner of the church with an explanation next to it. I hope they took the time to defuse it. ? The Church of Jesus and Saints Ambrose and Andrew has a huge painting of a very unusual scene, right above it’s altar. Check the photo gallery to see it. I’m curious why such a scene would appear in a church?
We found a free walking tour here [tips gratefully accepted], sponsored by the local Hostel. It was led by a Greek guy named Spyros who had a voice like a radio DJ. He was a bundle of knowledge and led us, and 6 other tourists from around the world, through the narrow streets for 4 hours, explaining way more than I could possibly remember. We finally had to leave him, for another event, when he and the others decided to have dinner before continuing the tour. He sure gave us our tip’s worth. After leaving the tour we took a short bus ride to a 3 mile [round trip] walking path that hangs on a cliff overlooking the seacoast. It is called “Passagiata Anita Garibaldi” in a suburb of Genova Nervi. It was a perfect ending to a beautiful sunny day.
A friend of ours, an American artist and sculptor, living in Italy, suggested we visit an unusual cemetery located here, one of the biggest in Europe. It dates back to Napoleon’s Edict of Saint-Cloud from 1804, when he forbade burials in churches and towns. Not sure why he did this, but it forced them to put this cemetery way up high in the hills. It is full of huge and unusual sculptures over the tombs. There is also a replica of the Roman Pantheon there. I included a few pix of some of the sculptures in the photo gallery.
We have been walking our legs off since we have been in Italy. We have walked 77 miles in the last 10 days. Our highest day was 10.7 miles. That’s way more than our usual 6 miles per day. We’ve got 4 days left. I hope my knees and feet can hold out.
Our next and last stop on this short trip to northwest Italy is Turin [Torino], where we’ll sample the famous “Bicerin” drink and probably make ourselves sick on chocolate. More about that next time.
This travelogue and the photo gallery are available on my “On The Road Again……” web site at:
Carol has just finished her blog about Genoa. You’ll find it at:
https://carolapucci-tips.blogspot.com/2022/04/up-down-staircases-in-genoa.html
Later………….. your favorite travelers, Tom and Carol
Chiavari Photos
Click to Enlarge and Read Caption
Genoa Photos
