Three day vacation in Genova; Day 1: a stroll through the city.
It's the start of short three day vacation, Genoa is the destination... a whole lot of things to see but a really short time, let's get started!
There are several trains from Verona and they offer a good variety of hours, we choose the cheapest... and also the first of the day, 5:45 AM.
After a hasty train change in Milan, caused by a delay of Trenitalia(yes, our country never contradicts itself when it comes to public transport), we are heading to Piazza Principe.
The first thing that surprises you when traveling is the change of scenery while you get closer and closer to the destination.
I'll explain myself better: going from the foggy Verona, immersed in the Po valley like a wreckage at the bottom of the sea, to the maritime landscape of Genoa is a pleasant surprise, the rocky hills that embrace the city and introduce it to the sea are as far as we can get in terms of scenery from our starting point.
Traveling also means understanding differences, doesn't it?
Upon arriving we are welcomed by an strong wind, so strong that our luggage literally starts rolling by itself and I can stay put only thanks to my camera gear.
First goal of the day: having breakfast with the typical focaccia Genovese, the classical one; eating it on the pier definitely makes it even more tasty!
At first glance the city looks strikingly like the typical "old" Italian cities, slim, tall plaster colored houses that tower over new busy roads, stacked one over the other.
Maybe the only thing that ruins the atmosphere is that 15 stories high floating colossus docked at the harbor... Details.
Ah yes! Also the army of street hawkers that assaults you the second you step out of the train, following you through the alleys and, if they catch up to you, tying "gift" bracelets to your wrists or THROWING alleged lucky charms on your phone if you stop to look at the maps.
Those are also details... I guess.
Let's skip over those things; we arrive at our B&B, positioned in a strategic part of the city, it's a walk away from the aquarium and the other points of interest.
It's called Città Vecchia (Old City) and guess where it's located? It's a pretty apartment, with a private room and bathroom, shared kitchen and living room. Pleasant.
The first day goes by really fast, I decide to walk around randomly, memorizing various places that pique my interest, always with camera in hand. For a person like me, that follows the cult of color and light, seeing so many murals with a thousand shades of color is a great joy!
For instance the aquarium is introduced by a countdown painted on the big columns that keep up the overhead highway, a brilliant solution that makes an often neglected urban element the canvas for inspired creative minds. That solution, to be honest, is also a great deterrent for those “urban poets” that like decorating already sad and ugly places with oh so pleasant phallic figures.
Artistically speaking this city has a lot to give, a prime example are the decorations in front of the panoramic lift, the Bigo. Enormous pinwheels with an unusual shape that crazily spin when hit by the wind, useless details for sure, but they definitely give that something to the view, and that's never a bad thing.
Going on following the waterfront, after the aquarium, the big theme park like galleon, the Sauro submarine and the Galata museum, we find a place that we could immediately link to something big, an embassy, an important seat of government...
However I soon realized that it was the boarding of the already mentioned cruise ship, that now, having changed point of view, was even bigger that the building itself.
I hate being the party pooper again, but seriously, it covered what could have been a really great view... what a shame.
Then again, it's way better to ruin a city and it's beautiful silhouette at dusk than lose that amount of money, all brought by that enormous herd of people that, one by one, follow the shephe... the staff on that floating monster.
Excuse the irony, but it's just a matter of common sense. We probably are the best state when it comes to get money thanks to cultural goods, natural beauties, etcetera... but it really should be done in the correct way.
Building a pier just for cruise ships outside of the city would definitely be a a great cost in the beginning, but it would solve the problems linked with “parking” a ship bigger than the port itself... it could, you know, bump, give a little push... to the port structures.
Since it was getting dark and we weren't really feeling like cooking or going to one of the (quite expensive) fish restaurants, we decided to go to McDonald's to grab a quick meal and let me tell you, we landed in an area of the city that I truly despised and feared. Even though I was in an open area, with still a lot of tourist and residents crowding the streets, some unsavory figures where starting to appear here and there.
Well, forced to hide my camera since it was starting to gather some unwanted attention, I resorted to going back to the bed and breakfast and call it a day.
Facebook page of project Walk the Line, the artists behind the street art that follows the overhead highway: click here
Booking page of the B&B Città Vecchia: click here