"Genoa, Italy 4th June"
"Church of Santissima Annunziata del Vastato; took this photo as we drove past on a sightseeing bus. To quote the internet 'this monumental 16 century church has a 19 century portico on the façade. Its luxuriant interior decoration combining gold, stuccowork and frescoes provides a typical example of the Genoese Baroque' - looks interesting for another time. Started in 1520 but the current façade dates to 1830-1840s."
"Palazzo Doria Spinola, set halfway between the palacio Rossi and the port it is another classic palace set out in the genovese 18th century style with a number of art works by some of the worlds greatest painters. A must for any art lover, which I'm not, but I do like how the Italians decorate their buildings with small statues sometimes along the top of buildings and in this case over the doorways."
"Monument to Giuseppe Mazzini (1805 - 1872) was a journalist and activist for the unification of Italy. In 1827 he travelled to Tuscany, where he became a member of the Carbonari, a secret political association; he was arrested the same year in Genoa and interned at Savona. In 1831, he was released from prison and chose exile instead of confinement, moving to Geneva in Switzerland. The building (on the right) in Piazza Banchi looks a bit like a bank but is in fact the Church of St. Peter in Banchi!"
"The majestic Arc de Triomphe is located in Victory Square and is dedicated to the Genoese who fell during the First World War and was inaugurated on 31 May, 1931. The top photo was taken from the tour bus and was the nearest we got to it; I cribbed a couple of shots from the internet to show it in all its glory."
" The flight of steps of three caravels 'Scalinata delle tre Caravelle' dedicated to Christopher Columbus's American discovery. The caravels are made with floral decorations depicting naval images."
"This photo shows the Porta Soprana, taken during our city tour. I included this shot to illustrate how vast the parking of scooters is throughout the city. I cannot imagine what the roads are like during morning and evening rush hours."
"This area is the Porto Antico (‘old port’); an old (fake of course) pirate ship called Neptune which has featured in many shows and movies. For 5 euro you can go aboard and look around - we didn't."
"Cattedrale di San Lorenzo with its distinctive striped romanesque frontage. Situated in the Piazza San Lorenzo it was built in 1260 by Guglielmo Boccanegra, uncle of Simone Boccanegra, the first Doge of Genoa. 'Boys in shorts' banned from going inside and the girls who covered up and went in to admire the equally distinctive interior."
"Human statue playing chess and Jane outside the cathedral."
"Closer image of the incredible architecture and decoration on the cathedral."
"The former Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale), now an exhibition center. The palace was built in 1298 and became the Doge's residence in 1339. The Doge was the ruler of the Republic of Genoa from 1339 until the state's extinction in 1797. In July 2001 the Palace hosted the G8 Summit, which was attended by the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom and United States."
"The Jesuit church of Santi Ambrogio e Andrea located in the Piazza Matteotti dates from the end of the 16th century; many say this is the most beautiful church interior in Genoa, although we didn't go in (! again). There are two paintings by Peter Paul Rubens inside and although the façade was not added until the 1800's, it is based on drawings by Rubens. "
"The hub of Genoa is the Piazza De Ferrari, its splashing fountain surrounded by grand buildings, and with the busiest streets radiating from it in all directions. The imposing 19th-century Neo-Baroque building on the east side (the one with the arches), is the Exchange (Borsa). "
"The building on the right with the arches is the Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti holds sculptures from Genoa and Liguria, along with other art. The statue on the horse is a monument to Garibaldi."
"This city gate (Porta Soprana), built around 1161, is enclosed between two battlement towers. The port was the main entryway into the Medieval city from the east and is located in the Vico Dritto di Ponticello."
"This is a photo of the ancient Cloister of St. Andrew, near the Porta Soprana and the home of Columbus. It had been disassembled into pieces in 1905 when the monestry, which dates back to 1158 was demolished and was forgotten for nearly twenty years. It was reassembled in 1922."
"Right next to the cloisters lies the building known as the Casa di Colombo (Columbus's House) which was constructed at the end of the 17th century, having been built upon the remains of Christopher Columbus' real house, which was destroyed in a naval bombardment by the French in 1684."
"This is the grand entrance to the Maritime Station where we returned to our ship."
We took a tour bus around Genoa initially having just got off the ship. This lasted about 40 minutes and gave us an appreciation of what to see for the rest of the day and with the time available this meant looking round the 'old town' which is in anycase the most interesting. On our way round the city I can honestly say I have never seen so many parked scooters along the sides of almost every road. This is the only economical way for city workers to get to and from work each day but there must have been 10's of thousands literally everywhere...only in Italy I think.
The bus dropped us off in the harbour area known locally as the 'Porto Antico' (old port). This was a short walk to the old town which is characterized by narrow streets and alleys (caruggi) and we headed up towards the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo which with its black-&-white-striped frontage is very distinctive. As with all catholic churches you have to be suitably covered to enter and Ed, Nick and myself (all of us in shorts) sat on the steps outside whilst Marion and Jane covered themselves and went inside which is equally distinctive.
After a somewhat cold coffee in a local bar we continued onwards following the information signs for Columbus' house. The first place we came to was the Piazza de Ferrari which is the hub of the city and used for major events; the fountains were quite spectacular. From there we headed for Casa di Colombo which is located near the Porta Soprana city gate. The house itself which is not the original was quite inconspicuous but pretty and located right next the the beautiful Cloister of St Andrew.
By this time we had had enough walking and made our way back to the shuttle located in the old port and headed back to the ship. A very nice day out in Genoa and I think we made the most of our day. My abiding memory though is the shear quantity of scooters and motorbikes parked in every spare space throughout the city.