We arrived in the port of Genoa earlier this morning. The day is overcast when we head out to find the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus.
As we leave the port we immediately encounter some beautiful architecture. This is the 100 year old Maritime Station of Ponte dei Mille. It is a historical maritime station that has been upgraded to a technologially advanced cruise terminal.
As we walk toward the Hop On Hop Off bus stop, we need to walk below and elevated roadway. There are murals paited on the support pillars. These are part of an initiative in Genoa called “Walk the Line“. The project started in 2017. The aim is to highlight local artists work and is an open-air gallery that extends for 3 kilometers.
At one of our stops along the Hop On Hop Off route we arrive at Piazza De Ferrari. No. it is not named after Enzo the famous race car driver and founder of the Ferrari car company. It is dedicated to an Italian banker and politician Raffaele De Ferrari who was the Duke of Galliera. From what I have read, it is just a title that can basically be bought if you have enough money and influence. 🤪 The fountain and buldings are impressive however. The building in the center is now a bank, but it was the first Italian Stock Exchange.
Also in Piazza De Ferrari are a couple of very distinctive statues by French sculptor, Bruno Catalano. This one is called Benoit. According to the information I found “Benoît”, a sculpture of an unbalanced traveler on the move as a reminder of the frenetic rhythms of the present.
Bruno Catalano has many interesting works that are featured around the world. Clicking on his name will take you to his site.
Continuing on we hop off the bus near the Arco della Vittoria, or Victory Arch. We knew of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and we recently discovered that Barcelona also has an arch that they call Arc de Triomf. Now we discover that Genoa also has a large memorial arch.
It has started to rain, so we, along with many others head to shelter in the arch. There is a large group of young people trying to stay dry. They ask Adam if he could take their photo, which he happily did.
Behind the arch we see a hill with staircases on each side and some gardens in the center. There flowerbeds that depict 3 ships and 3 anchors at the bottom. We speculate that these are to represent the Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria, the ships the Christopher Columbus used to discover America. I have since discovered that this is called Scalinata Delle Caravelle which translates to the Staircase of the Three Caravels. Which certain ties into our speculation about Columbus.
Carrying on we pass this market stall loaded with all kinds of cheese. I always say “you can never have too much cheese!!”
The scooter culture in Europe always facinates me as well. The images of them parked in such tight quarters amaze me. The rain is picking up and these bikes are getting very wet!
As the rain is really coming down we decide we should stop and have something to drink in a cafe. We choose one that has a covered outdoor area. We have our drinks hoping the rain will subside when we are done. Then we can continue on the Hop On Hop Off bus.
Not to be! We start hopping from one sheltered area to another trying to keep from getting drenched. That too is not to be.
We manage to keep moving along. This signpost is pointing to Casa Di Colombo, Columbus’s house. It makes sense now that we have seen the Scalinata Delle Caravelle. I have found out that this is an 18th century reconstruction of the house in which Columbus grew up in. It is believed that the original house was destroyed by the French when they bombarded Genoa in 1684.
As we keep moving, faster and faster a large book fair is taking place. I found out that this is the Spring Edition of this book fair that has been held in Genoa since 1926. It is too bad that Lindsey isn’t with us yet. I am sure she would have found something to purchase. It is set up in the front entrance to Palazzo Ducale or the Doge’s Palace. It is now a museum as appears to be very common for a lot of historical buildings.
The umbrella salesmen are out in strength. It is really pouring now. Michael even bought one. I have one that we bought in Edinburgh when we had some rain there. We are finally able to get on a Hop On Hop Off bus. Most people are resorting to riding the bus in the rain. Here we are on the top deck. It is hard to even see anything through plastic curtains. At least it keeps us a bit drier.
The day is shorter than we had hoped. We ride the bus until we get back to the Maritime Station and board the ship.
It was an interesting day despite the weather. We can’t conrol that. We do hope that tomorrow will be different. We will have a very big day. We are docking in La Spezia and have a tour of Pisa, then a bus ride to Florence where we have a private tour of the Uffzi Gallery, the former offices of the Medici family, and the Galleria Academia, the home to the Statue of David.