Genoa? Only vaguely

Internet access was restored this morning but it's been very patchy since. If needs be, I'll have to resort once again to broadband bandwidth banditry. The weather today is very UK like - grey, very windy and wet. We won't be getting on the bikes any time soon.

Another day, another airport pickup on Monday but this time at Genoa Aeroporto to meet Mike. But first we had the fascinating and at times exhilarating drive to the coast. It must be one of the most interesting motorway drives - through the mountains, including multiple tunnels, sharp bends and roadworks. Also, I don't think I've ever had to exit a motorway in a tunnel before.

It took about an hour and a quarter to reach the airport and Mike was already waiting in Arrivals by the time we'd parked up and got there. And then it was off to explore the city of Genoa, which is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus who was still convinced that he sailed to Asia and not the New World when he died. He should have looked at a map - what a numpty.

Genoa was once the mightiest city state on the planet and its dominance continued for several centuries until its defeat by arch rival Venice at the Battle of Chioggia in 1381 (Berlitz, page 17).

It's still a major sea port and is a workaday city but has invested in the old port area in recent decades. It has an additional attraction these days: the Costa Concordia which has been brought to Genoa to be broken up. This apparently has generated a lot of interest however we managed to miss it.

The old city is an incredible collection of narrow (extremely in some cases) streets which hark back to the Middle Ages (a recurring theme). It seems to also maintain some of its port traditions as a number of the narrower and therefore darker streets were occupied by 'ladies' (those of the oldest profession) plying their trade. I guess you'd call them 'ladies of the early afternoon' in Genoa.

It was then time to introduce Mike to the delights of the set menu (menu turistico, although I'm not too sure about the spelling). After much searching we finally chose a café located in a small piazza. 10 Euros each for a primi, secondi, contorni (side dish) water and coffee. So, for the price of a coffee and panini or sandwich back home. I know I've mentioned this before but I do like a bargain.

After lunch we headed down (it had to be down after lunch - up would have to come later) to the cool (in more ways than one) old port area which has an eclectic mix of expensive boats, an aquarium, biosphere and shops. This included a pharmacy that charged 7 Euros for 20 paracetamol tablets (Lou's been getting some gip from her wisdom teeth). But 7 euros?  The area also has the galleon 'Neptune' which was built for the Polanski movie Pirates.

Before we left, we went in search of gelato. We'd been in Italy for 10 days by this point and it was the first time. However, the wait was well worth it and we tracked down (Mike and Lou remembered) a traditional gelateria in the old city. Rach and I had a cone each and Mike and Lou a tub of fantastic ice cream ranging from coffee, nut and chocolate to strawberry and melon. It quickly became apparent why the youngsters chose the tub instead of a cone; fortunately, there aren't any photos of the rents to illustrate this but suffice to say the wipes came in very handy.

It was time to leave but not before we pulled in the cathedral (di San Lorenzo) and a few other impressive buildings. We enjoyed Genoa very much. It's certainly not been gentrified or sanitised, which is part of the appeal, but it is varied and real. We also enjoyed the return journey up (I discovered this morning that where we're staying is 400 metres asl, which could explain the wind) although the same might not be true for the Corsa. Having said that, we seemed to get back in double quick time. Time enough anyway for Mike to enjoy his first dip in the pool as the sun started to set.

After our exertions in Genoa, we decided to take it easy yesterday. This gave Rach and I another opportunity to track down San Sebastiano and it was second time lucky. The drive through the hills was glorious and San Sebastiano proved to be yet another delightful village with a street layout from the Middle Ages. Also, everyone seemed to know each other. We braved the panetteria and supermarket before heading home.

We had an afternoon by the pool but not before Simone had explained that this group of buildings, all of which they now own, were once home to more than 40 Individuals (peasant farmers and their families). The pool must have been a squeeze.

We also received some 'good' news during one of our raids on Manuel and Simone's broadband. The flat we've booked in Nice has bed bugs (not so good) but the owner has offered her apartment which is nearer the coast and has a second bedroom , which means Lou won't be having to sleep on a sofa bed. Not great for the guests who  experienced the bugs but a bit of a bonus for us.

The evenings have been spent outside on the terrace and we have a hornet which likes to hang around. This has been a little disconcerting because they are menacing (and large) but it's largely left us alone (apart from landing on Lou's leg last night!). We also had a visitation from an owl, which we think was of the Barn variety. No sign of the bears yet although there's been a lot of movement in the undergrowth above the house.

Anyway, I've prattled on long enough. You may have guessed it's still raining. In fact, we now have thunder and it's pouring. We won't be going outside anytime soon and the virtual bikes will have to remain locked away. Also, it may be some time before I'm able to post this from the front (in the battle with the mossies). Another cup of tea (Mike remembered to bring supplies) anyone?