Genova

Hills!

Harbour!

Tall, straight buildings!

Narrow winding lane-ways!

A substantial living breathing population! 

This place is amazing, why do you not hear about people visiting Genova?

And so mild in temperature after Venice and the mountains...

A hill, with so many steps!
We were possibly a bit over-excited about this.

The buildings really did seem so substantial - eight stories tall and precariously teetering on the steep sided hills, but no wobbles and not a crack in the plaster between them. Astonishing after six months in crumbling Venice.

Nice inlay in the cathedral facade.

We spent Sunday afternoon-evening wandering the lane-ways of the old city and visiting the three big old palazzo-museums on the big old palazzo street at the base of the hill. There were people everywhere - such density of non-tourists! And people of all walks of life. A town with a sleazy (not so under) current.

Blue-lit rubbish rooms.
An example of the difficulty of finding the horizon line when photographing a doorway on a really steep street.
And also where not to shoot up in Genova.

Nice inlayed roof.

If you can't be bothered with all the climbing (the hills are really steep), there are lifts and cable cars to ease the journey. On Monday morning we headed up a fairly new lift to begin our day exploring the hillside. I guess it's ingrained in us to head for the hills, and we really were impressed with the place, the buildings (as I mentioned) sitting so strong, but really it was the open lightness of walking around the crest of a hill as compared to in the deep dark warren of the tightly packed old city that made us feel suddenly so much less squashed. 

It was friendly too - when we were both higher up and further around the hill than Finn could believe possible, a man helped us recover our place on the map with much pointing and exclaiming and full-bodied hip-swinging gesticulations. It was quite a performance, especially since we'd regained our bearings just before he stepped up to guide us.

Finn looking more uncertain than I remember in one of the older lifts up the hill.

In the evening we were back up there, marvelling at the maze of city below and watching the sun set over the port.

Looking out over the crowded old city.
Two of the three huge palazzo we visited in the foreground.

With the marvels of liveable cities already wearing a little thin, it was time to turn our attentions to lemon trees and sea spray in the picturesque coastal towns known collectively as the Cinque Terre. 

9 December 2011