Italy 2018, part 8 (Genoa, Recco, Portofino, Milan)
Garibaldi street, i.e., Via Garibaldi in Genoa constitutes a part of the cultural and historic property included in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The reason? In the old urban centre, there are numerous streets and squares from the late Renaissance and Baroque surrounded by hundreds of impressive palaces that belonged to wealthy Genovese families. Nowadays they are often called the Palazzi dei Rolli which means the palaces from the official lists. Namely, the palaces were so beautiful that there were “drawing of lots” in order to decide in which the important visitors to the city would be placed, i.e., it was a question of prestige that the palace had its architectural style and individual character, and that it deserved the honour.
These palaces are scattered throughout the old part of the city, but the highest concentration may be seen precisely in Via Garibaldi. That’s why I said that the street seemed oddly narrow for such important palaces that marked the beginning of the era of modern urban architecture in Europe.
After I walked along this street and peered into the courtyards of these beautiful palaces, I went to the Church of St Matthew (San Mateo) in the square of the same name. In addition to this pretty, small church, there are several other buildings in the square that used to belong to the Doria family, as well as a 14th-century cloister (it is entered through a passage to the left from the church).
And then I also went to the square in front of the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Vigne, not to visit it, but to sit down finally, have a good rest and order a nice beer.
Although I ordered only beer, they brought me a plateful of appetizers that were quite right for the moment. All of this was charged, of course, even though I hadn’t asked for it, but it was so tasty and to the right degree, that I didn’t mind it at all.
Going back towards the building and the flat in which I had a room, I accidently turned into a lane and then I saw the sea. Enchanted by the beauties of the old city centre, I had completely forgotten that there was a sea nearby. I got out to that part of the shore and it was very pretty, while I enjoyed the sun that was getting very close to the horizon by then.
The following day I used a lot of train and bus rides again, but it was in fact a very quiet day in which I was to enjoy in the essential Italian philosophy – dolce far niente! (it’s sweet to do nothing!)
The first place I went to was Recco, which by itself is nothing special, but is known far and wide for its specialty – focaccia di Recco.
Focaccia is basically the typical dough for pizza with no toppings. Of course, the Italians are masters to turn even something so simple into a gastronomical masterpiece. But, this focaccia is something between a typical thing and a pizza. The dough is spread to twice as thin as required for a pizza (the proper Italian pizza is thin anyway and not a big lump of bread). Then this particular focaccia is made by putting one layer of dough, a lot of local cheese and another layer of dough. Then it’s baked.
I was told that it did not matter where I would sit and eat, but as I was going towards the beach I easily decided where I wanted to have lunch. Namely, I passed by a place where I saw some bikers sitting and eating (could that be an equivalent to truck drivers when it comes to gauging of the quality of food?), and when I peered inside I saw somebody in the middle of “handling dough” for the famous focaccia di Recco and the dough was flying all over the place guided by the skillful hands of the master.
The focaccia I got also had a lot of cheese on top and not only in the middle and it was – hmmmm…. fantastic! Crispy crust and melted cheese – it cannot get more perfect than that!
Unlike my habit, I ordered beer in the middle of the day, since it went so well with what I was having. This proved later, however, to be a wrong decision after all. First, I decided to go to toilet after I had finished with my meal and when I got there I realized I had left my backpack in the chair where I used to sit. I ran back and the backpack was still there. Good! Then, at the railway station, I started to wait for the train quite at ease and unperturbed, but at the wrong platform! Luckily I realized my mistake in time, so I moved to the right platform before the train arrived. Then I said to myself – This is it! No more alcohol in the middle of the day for you! It’s nice that it can relax me so much, but this was just over the top.
If Recco does not have a lot to offer except for the great local specialty, my next destination and particularly its surroundings offer magnificent seaside landscapes, as well as cutest places intended primarily for those with VERY deep pockets.
Namely, I got out of the train in the place called Santa Margherita Ligure with intention to go to Portofino. But, already S. Margerita itself, as well as the entire stretch to Portofino appear very nice and attractive. Portofino Promontory reminds me with its shape of a square (more or less). Its part facing the sea, as well as its hilly background belong to the Portofino Natural Park.
As I have already said, this entire day was dedicated to my doing nothing. Thus, I went down the street from the square where I got off the bus, took a few photos, went to the end of the walking area by the sea and sat there at a restaurant where I had a coffee enjoying the absolutely stunning view.
The weather did change a little, meaning that some clouds started to appear, but while I was sitting and enjoying the coffee and the view, the sun was mostly shining nicely spreading its light across the beautiful and picturesque houses that are arranged tightly one next to the other along a stretch of the shore.
After this nice break, I walked back to the centre and looked at the surroundings from different angles. Of course, there is a fortress to climb up to here as well, but this was not a day for any serious effort and I was up only for a walk across the relatively flat terrain.
Although I had already bought a round-trip bus ticket in Santa Margherita Ligure, I decided to get off the bus a little earlier in order to walk along the shore before reaching the place. Not only did I want to look at the sights around me in peace, I also found it strange not to move physically. Unless I crossed at least 15 km a day, I felt as if the day had been wasted.
I did enjoy the stroll a great deal, plus I had a chance to walk around Santa Margerita Ligure for a little while, since the train station is located at the farther end of the central bay. This place is also popular among the wealthy, but there are certainly visitors of all kinds, myself included.
I took a train back to Genoa, but I got out at the “first” of the two large stations and then I walked back to “my neighbourhood” for a couple of kilometres more. There I went for dinner to one of the recommended restaurants and then I had a chance to witness one of the advantages of travelling alone. Although it was crowded in front of the restaurant, since reservations are required, it seems it is somehow always easy to fit one person in. At least it was this evening. I had a nice portion of pasta and a glass of wine, thus finishing the activities for the day.
The following day I had the evening flight from Milan, but I still had some very ambitious plans.
In the morning I first walked to Via Garibaldi from where I could see the entrance into one of the traffic tunnels and then I took an elevator to go up to the hill with Castelletto.
When you get out of the elevator, there is a nice expansion, a plateau, a terrace, from where there is a beautiful view at Genoa, its historic centre, newer parts of the city on one side and the port on the other, as well as the hills that surround the city and that are covered in greenery with more sparsely or densely scattered houses.
Other than enjoying the view, I had nothing else planned, so I sat in the terrace of a local bar and had a morning coffee. During this trip around Italy, I often sat at bars or restaurants that did not have wi-fi, which was a little unusual even for me who is considerably lagging behind the modern technology. Still, I realized that most probably the reason was that the vast majority of the Italians already have internet access through their mobile phone providers, so they don’t find it necessary to have it in the places where they eat and drink. But, I actually didn’t mind this at all. It’s been years now that on my trips I carry with me a smaller or a bigger notebook in which I write down different impressions, thoughts, descriptions of events and people I encounter, a list of gifts I should buy, as well as different ideas for “when I get back home” that sometime occur to me. And this was what I did this time around as well. I wrote down something brief, but then I had nothing else I wanted to write. And what happened? Nothing. I just sat there, relaxed, looking around, enjoying the coffee and the fine weather, and I was present and content. And let me tell you something – this was not bad at all.
Still, I didn’t find it difficult when after a while I decided to leave the place because I wanted to get down to the old part of Genoa and walk some more along its picturesque, narrow streets and lanes that sometimes appear dark, even on a sunny day, because on account of the height of the buildings the sun cannot shine on all the parts of the streets. It was interesting that in the end I got back to the building in which I stayed quite easily not using the map at all. I managed perfectly to find my way through these windy and intertwined Genovese streets, plus I felt quite clear exhilaration as I was passing through. I thought that I must have lived there before.
I went up to the flat, had another coffee with my hostess and then I was ready to go to the railway station which I reached on foot easily and quickly.
I left Genoa relatively early, because I still had some plans, not related to sightseeing, but to more encounters. Namely, during this trip I realized that a very dear friend of mine whom for various reasons I hadn’t seen for a few years was in Milan (although he currently lives and works in Copenhagen). I got in touch with him and it turned out he would still be in the city when I was to pass through it. Perfect!
Rade waited for me at the railway station, I left my bag at the wardrobe and we were ready. First we went to have a drink on the balcony of a very pretty hotel right next to the station from where we had a stunning view, but the two of us were too busy talking and trying to catch up. We are both hard working, diligent and efficient in everything we do, our talking included. Of course, there is always some more to be said, but we decided to continue with our talk while we walked. At the same time, we went to meet Marco, Rade’s partner, and then the three of us went to eat panzerotti, a specialty from the region of Apulia. After this, we continued with our walk, stopping to take the ubiquitous ice-cream and then soon we reached the Duomo Square where I had to part from my friends and catch the underground in order to get back to the railway station and further to the airport.
Seeing and hanging out with a dear friend, no matter how short and insufficient, still represented a nice way to wrap up my stay in Italy this time. A relatively short period of a week was filled with numerous images and impressions. And, as always when I’m in Italy, I enjoyed every single moment and in the end I was again left with a question that lingered in my head: “Why don’t I come here at least once a year?”