Greetings from the Genoa Airport, where we are waiting for our Air France flight to Paris (just overnight, as we catch flight to SFO tomorrow morning…. and definitely on the homeward part of the journey and thinking more about office than about final day here.

So, yesterday (Thursday) — we decided to take the train to the Cinqueterra… a bit of an afterthought and with no preparation. We thought about checking out of the Genoa hotel and staying overnight in one of the five villages, but thought again more logically and realized that would get quite complicated given that we had to catch the flight from here in Genoa. So, we headed out of the hotel at about 9 am to take the ’10 minute’ walk to the train station (treni stazione).. asked at the hotel how to walk there and they gave fairly straight forward directions which we followed, but after 10 minutes we were not at the stazione and it wasn’t in sight… so we stopped into a farmacia (where they generally have some English) and they gave different directions. We then checked iPhone GPS and still different directions. (There are actually quite a few train stations in Genoa and we didn’t know which we were going to… but we did keep saying “train to Cinqueterra”)… Anyway, finally got there.. about 45 minutes from when we left the hotel… long lines to buy tickets and now we had very little time to get the “fast train” which takes one hour.. It was leaving in 12 minutes (still had to navigate ticket, track, and figure out the whole system).. Mike went on line and I dashed to one of the automatic machines. I finally figured out the system and Mike left the line.. Decided to get first class ticket.. not much difference in price and there’s a reserved seat (with a power outlet to charge gear!) Made it to the track as the train was boarding.. a small miracle.

Got onto train but no signs as to what the car numbers are… turns out that once you board the train there are little pieces of paper taped to an inside window that tell you the car number.. but on several cars they had two different numbers.. and the train numbers were not necessarily in sequence.. So we needed to walk through many cars to find ours. Along the way, we wound up in one car that smelled awful.. and was sort of backed up… Turns out that one of the passengers had a dog with her and the dog had a bit of an “accident” in the aisle… causing both the back-up and the odor!.. She was trying to mop it up and it was just spreading the feces around. Good thing this was NOT our car.

Finally found our car and naturally people were in our seats. I think this is pretty common on European trains. People sort of sit where they want (in the better seats) and then if someone comes with a ticket for that seat they (generally) move. Not really sure if the guys in our seats were in first class or not, but our seats were sort of primo I suppose since they were at the windows (facing each other) and closest proximity to the power outlet.. a very big deal which I totally appreciated. So finally – a relaxing ride to Monterosso (after a very stressful boarding procedure and first hour of our day). The Cinqueterra is made up of five small towns that cling to cliffs along the water. The terrain between the towns is quite steep and thus they were accessible for centuries only by footpaths between them. (Now as you will hear soon — a train and also a ferry system connects them and they are sort of accessible by car). But it is from the footpaths that you have incredible views. Apparently backpackers “discovered” the towns in the 1970s and they started to become very popular destinations — which is rather unfortunate!

Arrived in Monterosso. The train station is practically on the beach.. We purchased a day ticket that let us hop on and off the train and go to any or all of the five towns. The beach area was totally packed and also filled with lots of shops selling beachwear, fast food, and trinkets. After a short walk uphill to get away from the crowds, get some good views, and also to see what the town was really like.. we decided to “move on”… so we hopped on the train to Riomaggiore, another one of the villages about 12 minutes away, where we thought we’d have lunch and perhaps have fewer crowds.

The train to Riomaggiore was totally packed.. like the NYC subway at rush hour, with people wearing all sorts of dress and non-dress.. string bikinis on the train, men without shirts, men in bikini bathing suits — you name it. Made it to the village, which was similarly buzzing with tourists (Japanese, Italians, Brits, French, and some Americans)… We had read about a restaurant that was away from the beach — about a mile walk uphill; we had the name (La Lanterna) and the location.. and made our way up the hill.. But couldn’t find the restaurant even though the GPS said we were right there. So I went into a shop and asked. Their English wasn’t very good, but finally I realized the restaurant with that name had closed and the chef had opened a new restaurant down in the marina (but a bit away from the crowds) with a new name (Rio Bistro). We figured it was worth a try and by now we were very hungry. OK.. success. Found it, and it was great.. Simple lunch.. Capresse salad and steamed mussels. Hit the bill.. Nice white wine and lots of water. Forgot to mention that it’s been pretty hot.. high 80s (which for me is totally painful) and it was probably up to about 90 in the little villages. (More on my total impression of Cinqueterra soon).

Headed back to the train to take the 3 minute ride to what is supposed to be the most beautiful of the 5 villages — Manorola. First little crisis.. we walked passed the stazione. It’s so nondescript that we didn’t see it. Finally realized and had to run back or else we’d have to wait another 20 minutes for the next train. Got to the station and the track (not easy to figure out which track) — no one seems to know.. not even the station people or the Italians. Anyway, as we waited we were standing next to two people from Sacramento area and we chatted a bit. They’ve been to the area three times before and were coming now for about five days. They basically stay at a hotel in Manarola and use it as a base — taking day walks, sometimes from one village to the next..which they said is about an hour’s walk.. not that difficult. Anyway, the train was late by about 20 minutes and as we waited more and more people began to fill the platform until it was body to body on the platform. Fortunately we were in the front. Anyway, when the train came we jumped on with everyone else.. but after 3 minutes we could see Manarola whiz by from the train and it turned out that we headed back to Monterosso along with many others who were headed where we were!

By now, Mike was more than frustrated.. Me, I’m just going with the flow! Anyway, the next train from Monterosso to Manarola was not for 2 hours (siesta time?), so we decided to see if we could find a boat to go from Monterosso to Manorola. There was a boat in an hour. Decided that would be better than the train. So off we went by ferry (again no one really sure which ferry goes in which direction and everyone giving different answers to the question. Ferry was about 45 minutes and included about 3 stops. Gave us good views of the villages. The ferry was pretty packed also. Made it to Manorola which is the prettiest town of all. By the way, disembarking from the ferry is quite a scene. There’s a long line of folks trying to get onto the ferry. They are stretched out along a very narrow winding path going downhill. On their right is a very steep drop to the Mediterranean.. and there isn’t any railing. The path is probably no more than 4 feet wide. Those of us getting off the ferry move alongside them but we are hugging along the rocks of the cliff — sharp, unexpected juttings, and attempting to navigate carefully so as not to move too far left or you might push one of those waiting to board right off the cliff! Italian planning at its best.

Bopped around Manorola and then attempted to find the train station to get back to Monterosso where we would catch the train to Genoa. Again many different directions as to where the station is and no signs at all. Made the train (only because it was late); got to Monterosso; had an hour before the Genoa train.. so we strolled the town again. It was a bit cooler, the crowds had thinned out, and the town looked better. Oh, and while getting on the very crowded train from Manarola to Monterosso a young woman wedged in between Mike and me and I turned and looked at her angrily as she literally pushed me forward and at the same time another woman tried to get Mike’s wallet from his back pocket.. but he immediately put his hand on his pocket and then the two ran off the train. Pickpocketing averted. They do say that those trains have lots of pickpockets; they even announce this at the train stations.

The Cinqueterra a beautiful area, with the five towns surrounded by rugged steep cliffs and a national park. I’m sure the hikes up above are spectacular. The villages were developed in the 16th century to oppose attacks by the Turks. they fell into decline until 19th century when a train was built to connect Genoa and Le Spezia.. then people fled (I assume because they had been so isolated).. and then in the 1970s the villages were “found” and tourism became its own industry. My guess is that American hippies were the discoverers, because it was the era when young Americans were exploring and trying to find peaceful and beautiful locations around the world. This would have qualified at that time. The houses hanging off the cliffs are all painted different colors, supposedly so that the fishermen could see their house from the sea…. to be able to see that their wives were doing their wifely chores!!!

Boarded the train from Monterosso to Genoa — back by the window and the power cord, which was a good thing since we took a lot of photographs and had to use the GPS, so very little power left.

While I think I would recommend going to the Cinqueterra — I’d suggest going in the fall — like November (although it’s probably rainy season) or maybe spring (April?). I would not suggest going any time between May and September. Too hot, too many people. I’m sure many of the beach shops close in the winter and that would be good as far as I’m concerned. The sun umbrellas that pack the beaches make for a great “graphic” but I cannot imagine that it is pleasant to be so body-to-body on the beach. And, I would add that I think I’ve visited villages that are more beautiful than the Cinqueterra (like the Amalfi Coast or the hilltop villages of Italy that are not at the coast — I guess it is the coast and the swimmable beaches that bring the crowds; I’d also rather return to the beautiful “white” villages of Spain.. and more).. I suppose that if you take the hike in the hills there are streams and rivers and you can swim and be more remote.. or if you really love the beach, then maybe it’s OK.. Just not my most favorite place.. I’ll take Turin over this.

Walked back from the Genoa station to the hotel (now clocking 9 miles for the day).. and then walked a few blocks for a late dinner at a place called Rosmarina. Again directions from the hotel were totally screwy. But we found it. Great meal.. started with marinated beef salad, went on to lasagna, and then piglet with figs… all followed by a fig cobbler.. Figs are everywhere.

I’m back online.. here in Paris Airport Hotel.. and am a happy camper… We took advantage of this one night in Paris.. and headed soon to the train to get to Gare du Nord and to walk to a restaurant called Au Passage. Quite wonderful.

Arriverderci Italia; Bonjour Paris!

Fern

PS — For those who’ve been asking.. yes we stopped in to see many many baroque churches.. as we walked in both Genoa and Turin. Forgot to mention.

Buon Serra-

So, today we strolled Genova — walked through the medieval area (which turns out is very very close to our hotel (so at least the location is good).. the old city is pretty seedy, but probably will get gentrified in the coming years. There’s some renovation going on, but that’s amid lots of buildings in great need of repair, prostitutes roaming around, etc. In any case, it’s one of those webs of narrow streets where you can practically touch the two buildings on either side if you stretch out your arms. Lots of churches buried within the streets and some on the piazzas which are everywhere. It’s very easy to get lost — if you are actually trying to get somewhere. We eventually stopped for a simple lunch in a cute place on one of these very very narrow streets… and then eventually found our way back to the hotel (no easy task).

Then I had a bunch of computer problems which really messed up my day. It’s still not resolved and I don’t have enough computer savvy to figure it out. I seem to have done some kind of reconfiguration — in my effort to fix the problem and now I can’t get it un-reconfigured!.. So, I don’t know when this note will actually reach you and I’m falling behind in the work I have to do while I’m here. So, I’m in a bit of a panic.

At around 6:30 tonight we realized it made sense to return our rental car since we don’t need it between now (Wednesday night) and Friday morning when we fly out of Genova. Well, getting to the airport was stressful (as driving in Italian cities always is)… but we sort of got there and then realized we needed to get gas for the car, so we circled the airport and found a gas station. Easy. But then we headed to the car rental return, which we could see but couldn’t figure out how to approach… so next we knew we were

Went to Le Rune for dinner, which was pretty good… a slight twist on Lingurian food (that’s the region that Genoa is in and it’s a distinctly different cooking style from Piedmont (where Turin is located). But any way you look at it it’s pasta, pasta, pasta.. and fish, fish, fish.. which is fine by me.. my favorite foods. Walked back to Bristol Palace which is much more pleasant at night than by day.

That’s it.. short note today. We get up really early tomorrow and head to the Cinque Terra. We are not hiking like you are supposed to — but that’s a very long and tiring hike.. and people tend to do it over a few days I think. We are taking the train. Total wimps.

Ciao.

Fern

Buon Pomeriggio (?) — Good Afternoon or maybe it is Buona serra…

Last night we walked back to the San Salavero neighborhood and it was lively with people out on the streets.. young and old. It stopped raining so the walk was pleasant.. cool and dry. Seemed as if people were sitting anywhere you could find a flat horizontal surface… And yes, the neighborhood is very diverse — passing Halal stores, Indian restaurants, Mideastern groceries, many bars, and cafes… We found Sannabue pretty easily.. It’s on a corner and given that it is summer they have a huge outdoor area out front (as does every other eaterie), but we were seated inside which was fine. It’s a really eclectic place — seating cheek to jowel — not much real “decoration”… but filled with all sorts of memorabilia — from old typewriters just sitting on top of books, posters, photographs, etc. The food did not disappoint.

Started out with a little tiny amuse bouche (don’t know what they call it in Italy) that came to the table gratis.. tonight it was a spicy and very creamy and yummy gazpacho. Then we moved quickly (well not really quickly since nothing really goes fast when you are eating in Italy).. to the appetizer “tartare three ways” (veal, beef, and we think rabbit– but not certain — didn’t matter they were all great).. then we had primi which was eggplant parmesan and a botoni pasta stuffed with rabbit cacciatore sitting on a very light tapenade… and then we had the special fish (mackeral, we think) in a sort of squid ink and greens.. And we topped it all off with tiramussu.. All shared, so while we are definitely full.. many people were having that by themselves.. Oh of course a carafe of local wine. Strolled back to round off our walking today at about 7 miles (I have an app that calculates walking.. so I check at the end of each day.)..

 Agosto 25…

Busy day in Turin…

Started off walking to the Museo of Reunification.. Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano… not so much for the exhibit, but for the space and the courtyards which were pretty spectacular. And seeing the city and the very streets we had walked just the night before in the rain.. now in wonderful sun was a treat. The whole city (which had looked pretty good in the rain) looked fantastic in sun. We then strolled on Via Po to reach the Mole Antonelliana — the symbol of Torino.. It’s named for architect.. Alessandro Antonelli… It started out as a synagogue and then they ran out of funds so the city bought the building and completed the construction.. It’s a bit of a mish mash with a square dome and a very tall spire. The city hosts a competition (or so it seems from my non-Italian ‘reading’ of the signs).. to come up with symbols and creative ideas to promote the structure.. And there are two-dimensional graphic reproductions everywhere with funny images inserted into the building shape. .. Well we wanted to go to the top of the spire where there is a balcony with a great overall view of the city… but alas the Mole is closed on Tuesdays. So we strolled around the area.. and walked down to the River Po.. across one bridge and onto the other side.. and then walked to the next bridge and went back .. passing a synagogue that was locked and fenced and guarded by Italian soldiers.. Seemed like it dated to the 1850s or so. Apparently there are 900 Jews in Turin out of a population of about 750,000….

Then we strolled back to the hotel taking a rather circuitous route to see some other neighborhoods.. grabbed lunch at an outdoor cafe in one of the zillions of piazzas.. and then headed to the hotel to get our bags and the car to head to Genoa.. OK.. Turin.. now one of my all-time favorite cities.. right up there with the best of them.

Headed to Genoa.. with a quick stop at Eataly — an homage to Italian cooking and food… We strolled the aisles, bought some interesting pestos.. and chocolates and then headed on the road south and east.. The drive to Genoa was through beautiful countryside on various parts of the Autostrada — but oh how pleasant not to have any billboards anywhere.. It was a two-hour drive that took us through 76 tunnels.. an amazing feat to have built those roads through the mountains. It’s a road we drove many years ago.. in incredible shape — America can learn alot.. and Seattle should probably have hired these guys to deal with the “Big Bertha Project” that has been stalled for two years and is already over-budget by about ten-fold.

And then we arrived in Genoa, a city we had visited briefly in the 90s and of which I have little memory. My very first and probably unfair reaction — it’s a chaotic, gritty, port town. We had trouble figuring out how to stop the car at the hotel (Bristol Palace in the centro) because it is on an extremely busy city that feels like Times Square although the building and the streets surrounding it date to the early 19th Century… Our room is huge, but decorated in strange wall papers and a very busy wood floor pattern.. The bathroom is large enough to host a mid size party.. So Mike double parked on a side street along with dozens of other double parked cars.. and I walked the two blocks back to the hotel to find out how we drop off our bags and what we do with the car.. Naturally, you just drive the car up on the sidewalk and bring in your bags and then when the staff has time they park the car!.. After all it is Italy. But the whole building lacks the grace and taste of the Grand Hotel Turin… I have a feeling that Genoa will not be one of those “can’t wait to return cities” — but maybe tomorrow with some rest it will all seem better.

We took a taxi (couldn’t wait to ditch the car) to Antico Osteria del Bai for dinner — an old restaurant down by the sea.. Food was good, but I’d say overpriced.. It was also remarkably empty. Taxied back and now ready to call it a night.

Buon Notte.

Fern

Saluti da Torino –

It’s been a hectic 24 hours here in Torino.

The hotel is great; it’s delightful to have Internet in the room (in Cairanne I had to keep coming downstairs to the little dining area at Vieux Platane to send messages and the daily travelogue — and since I generally write those things late at night I found myself in that courtyard each night well after midnight) and to be so centrally located. After our 6-hour drive yesterday — we just left the car at the hotel last night and said we’d pick it up when we were heading out of town!)

After our very nice colazione (breakfast) at the hotel (since it comes with the room), we headed out to walk around Torino. It was a grey, overcast day with temperatures in the high 60s.. Rain was imminent, but we strolled anyway.. We headed together to Via Roma — one of the main streets of the city which links two major piazzas.. Our hotel is just three blocks from Via Roma.. so when we hit Via Roma — Mike went one way, and I went the other.. eventually we met as we each went in the other direction.. and then we made plans to meet up about an hour later.. The entire length of Via Roma is set with arcaded sidewalks – resplendent with marble columns and arches that go on and on.. At one end is the very expansive Piazza San Carlo which is surrounded with elegant Baroque buildings… Turin, I’m told has 11 miles of arcaded sidewalks!… At the other end is Piazza Castello. The arcade streets are literally lined with shops that have full length and width windows to display both Italian fashion (and some with American chain stores which look a lot more elegant or totally inconsistent with the wonderful expanse of glass and the marble columns.)

We then headed out together to see some neighborhoods — walking in the direction of San Salvario, a historic neighborhood that is known today for being very multi-ethnic. It butts up against the River Po and tomorrow I hope we can walk along the river.. Today it started to rain and we walked back to the hotel in the rain at about 4:00. The area began – naturally – with a church… and the area around the church developed in an urban style before downtown Torino. It’s a pretty urban area with lots of graffiti, cafes, restaurants, grand apartment buildings with hundreds of balconies — close to the University.

The area began also as an industrial zone and you can still find lots of little workshops housed in between residences or in the ground floors of buildings… with furniture being built, crafts, bakeries, etc.. So right around the time we were planning to head to Via Po.. and also to the Mole Antonelliana (a square dome and thin delicate spire that is Turin’s landmark towering above the city) where you can ride a ‘crystal’ elevator to reach a terrace at the top and get a great view of the city, it really started to rain.. so heading back to the hotel made sense. Hopefully, the forecasters are on target and tomorrow will be sunny and in the 70s. Tonight we are apparently in for rain.. lots of it. We’ll see. Keeping fingers crossed.. because it would be nice to see this amazingly beautiful city in the sun (or at least not in rain and total greyness) and because I don’t really have any closed toe shoes with me, nor warm clothes. I managed to bring three different heel height sandals, but no real shoes since the prediction was sun, sun, and more sun…. and temperatures from the low 70s to high 80s… Well, I’ll survive (or might need to go into one of those very fashionable shops on the Via Roma!)

Tonight we are headed to Scannabune for dinner–located in that San Salvario district. Read about it somewhere.. We wanted to go to Consorzio but it is closed for the month of August (as are many shops and restaurants throughout Europe — guess they just don’t want to deal with tourists and they want to get away during the hottest month). And tomorrow hopefully we will be at the Po and the Mole.. and plan to go to Eataly (which now has a branch in NYC, but they say the original is always the best). Eataly is the largest Italian market in the world–sort of Whole Foods on steroids… with lots of eating stalls along the way.. It’s also involved in the slow food movement, which the Italians say began in Torino (hard to believe with all this pasta!) I’m also hoping to go inside the Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano… the National Museum.. not so much for the exhibit, but for the space inside and to see the building which is quite wonderful from the outside.. It was closed today.. Monday.

All is good.. buona notte

Fern