Allison's Wonderland

Genoa, Italy. I think I'm in love!

Or as the Italians say, "Genova". I got to play tourist today in Simona's hometown and it was wonderful. I wish I came from such a cool place, although I do love the Burg. We left Mondovi last night around 9 and got into Genova at 10:30 p.m. The view at night was just as spectacular as the view during the day. Genova is unique in the fact that it is a town squished between the mountains and the sea. The city is long down the coastline, but it is not very wide. While driving there on the autostrada we probably went through at least 35 tunnels if not more.

Since we got in kind of late, we talked with the Nonne (Grandparents) and then went to bed. The next morning I had one of my many dreams come true. I got to traipse around Italy on a scooter. No, it wasn't a Vespa, but it was a scooter all the same and I was happy. I didn't drive though. Although maybe one day I would like to, we all know what happened on our Bermuda excursion...so needless to say I rode behind while Simona took on the crazy Genovan traffic. Today was actually a holiday so traffic wasn't as bad as normal. In English the holiday translates to the Immaculate Conception. Mattia had Thursday and Friday off of school, so that's why Simona decided that it would be a good time to come.

I love everything about Genova. The sounds, the sights, the smells. Everything. We parked our scooter at the entrance of the Old City and our first stop was the home of Mr. Christopher Columbus. It was a charming little place and we took pictures in the little garden area. Our next stop was through the gates of the Old City and into The Chiesa del Gesu. It's a church. There are a lot of churches in Italy but they're all beautiful! Unfortunately since it was a Catholic holiday, they were having mass so we were unable to explore & view the two paintings by Ruben that grace the walls. Oh well. Next time.

Afterwards,I went and explored the open market while Simona took a phone call. This woman handed me this black thing that tasted like chalk, ash, and licorice. I spit it out. It was probably some form of sin sin like the talk about in the play, The Music Man. Needless to say it was gross. There were all kinds of cheese, beef, and pastries for sale and I wanted to buy everything! After the market Simona and I walked to a cafe' where I experienced the most amazing cup of Joe on the planet. This type of drink is original to Genova. I got the Amaretto and Simona got the Mimosa (which is Nothing like Mimosa in the states). Mine's the one on the left in the picture. I got a little embarassed because I asked the lady for the Toilette and ended up walking into a closet. I looked like an idiot. She was nice enough to point me in the right direction. My Amaretto coffee was out of this world and I can't wait to have another!

Our next stop was Cattedrale di San Lorenzo. This place was made of black, white and pink marble and was gorgeous! The cool part about this church, is in 1941 during WWII the British dropped a bomb on this church where it was filled with Italians attending mass. The bomb did not explode and is considered to this day to be a miracle. So of course I had to take a picture. The sad part is, during the war, the roof was ruined and is now replaced by a new, modern roof which is not as pretty. You win some you loose some. Oh well.

In the Old City of Genova they have these streets that are so stinking narrow you think you might be smothered! They're called caruggi. Simona told me that in the old days, these streets served a greater purpose. In order to keep out the unwanted enemy from the sea, the residents would pile furniture in the caruggi so the intruders would not be able to pass. Pretty smart if you ask me. I just would not want to get stuck in the maze at night. Just a tad bit unnerving.





After we wound our way through the caruggi we made our way to Port Antico. This place was beautiful and housed the Genova Aquarium. From the pier of the port we had 360 degree views of the city and sea. It's December as well and it probably was about 65 to 68 degrees. I was running around in jeans and short sleeves. I was also able to get my Italy pin while there which made me so happy! Its my first pin I've bought since I've been in Italy. We then started our way back through the caruggi, but first had to stop at Piazza de Ferrari. This plaza was beautiful and housed this enormous fountain. Next time we visit Simona wants to take an open bus tour of the city, which I'm all about. I can't wait! I love this place! We walked back to the scooter where eager Christmas shoppers had spit out gum onto these beautiful marble streets. Its crazy how much marble is around this place. One night Mattia took me down into the storage closet to show me where the Christmas tree was, and guess what the flooring was made out of? You guessed it. Marble. In the storage room basement. Its nuts! Anyway...Like I said I love this place!