Cinque Terra Day 4 ...to Genoa then "home"
Finding infor on Genoa was more difficult than I thought. Having seen "Genoese" influence all over Europe I thought it would be easy. Many website suggesting just skipping it, but the train travel was easy, so I just did a layover on the way back to Nice. My quick one day impression is that there is a lot to see there, and they are trying very hard, but everything was under construction, the downtown was a mess of cranes and torn up pavement. Several of the museums I wanted to see were closed for restoration. But it was def. worth a day, and the aquarium would by itself be worth a stop.
Click on the pictures for a larger version.
| So... when you buy a ticket, it may have a date on it, but you still have to get it validated, by punching it in one of these machines... otherwise you do have some flexibility to use the ticket in the future if you missed your train. Now, would this work in the US? Voluntarily stamping your own tickets? or riding on the same ticket until you got caught? Which one would happen... am I being too cynical? |  |
| So, right around the corner from the station is the waterfront, and the aquarium. |  |
| Also at the waterfront is this oddity... this ship is a movie set from the Roman Polanski film "Pirates" which I think had Walter Matthau in it... I don't know why it's here, or more importantly I don't know why it is not in Vegas. |  |
| Most of my aquarium pictures suck since the digital camera could get enough light to use a quick shutter speed, but even the ones that are "blurry" are kind of cool, so here they are anyway. |  |
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| Cool shark tank... |  |
| One baby Bottlenose Dolphin and the mama in a nice large tank. |  |
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| Good collection, well presented. Go to Genoa Aquarium for more info... and pictures |  |
| Via San Lorenzo... |  |
| ...leading to Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, first constructed in the 10th century. The fresco in the nave is 14th century. |  |
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| Porta Soprana
This is about all that is left of defensive wall built in 1155 to keep out King Fredrick I , Germanic King and Roman Emperor, or locally "Barbarossa"... so they were called Barbarossa's Walls. For a humorous fictional account of some of Barbarossa's adventures see Umberto Eco's "Baudolino" |
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| Nope, no traffic problem here... |  |
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Garabaldi... and all I could think of was "Revolutionary biscuits of Italy, rise up out of your box, you have nothing to lose but your wafers... yum-yum-yum-yum-yum"
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| As I mentioned, a lot of construction going on... this is Via Balbi (I think, could be Garabaldi) where a couple of the museums I wanted to see were located. |  |
| This is Palazzo Reale, the very luxurious residence of several Genoese dynasties. They won't let you take pictures inside. |  |
| Neat stonework in the courtyard.... |  |
| I wonder if I could take a turtle on the train? |  |
| Much of the waterfront was not very attractive, old warehouses and construction... |  |
| Ok, back to the station. |  |
| This is one of the automated ticket dispensers I mentioned earlier... just choose your language and have at it. |  |
| And that was the trip! | |