Genoa: Focaccia and sea turtles

Next up on this list of city profiles is Genoa! Unfortunately, I wasn't there for very long, less than a day really, but I still had a fantastic time exploring the city! To get to Genoa it's about a three hour drive from Milano, which is why when Andrea's dad was going there for a business trip, we hopped on board (not having to drive this way!).


Neither Andrea, nor I knew the city very well, and consequently just explored a bit! The very first site we came to was the Piazza de Ferrari, as in the really nice Italian cars. Gorgeous piazza: the day was really warm and bright, light streamed down and bounced off of the light-colored marble tiles, lighting up the huge fountain in the square with jets of waters shooting from all sides to culminate in the center. Eventually we found a map and set off to find San Lorenzo, a stunning Duomo (Cathedral) built of black and white stone. I had never seen a Cathedral like that before, stripes of black and white stone create the entire building, from the majestic exterior face and steps to the interior floor panels.

The Theater in the Piazza

Piazza di Ferrari! 

Gorgeous Fountain!

Lions guarding San Lorenzo (I love Lions) 

Black & White San Lorenzo Duomo

Because we didn't know the city very well, we decided to do another city tour on one of those really cheesy bright red (I-am-a-tourist-type) buses. However, it was good since we literally knew nothing about the town we were in! Some random fun tidbits about Genoa: blue jeans were invented here! So yes, we all have Genoa to thank for our everyday wear- they were originally created for workers, being very sturdy and durable. Although the same cannot be said of today's jeans however. I've definitely had a pair that wore holes in the knees after crawling on the floor for a bit doing cleaning work. Not exactly your long-lasting material... Also, the lottery was apparently invented in Genoa. The lottery is also an interesting part of Italian life. People regularly buy lottery tickets here for their families, in hopes of winning the grand prize. This struck me as really strange, my family never gets lottery tickets, nor do any of my friends. But there, it was just part of their day!


Statues and memorials of Christopher Columbus were placed all over Genoa, and interesting trait considering I just came from Barcelona who also believed that they had a claim to Columbus' heritage! Bit of a rivalry there- my Italian friends insisted he came from Italy, while the people in Barcelona think he was Catalan. Honestly, I wouldn't be too fussed either way as he wasn't the nicest guy. Genoa has loads of shopping districts as well, same a Milan, but it also had a beautiful coast! This was easily my favorite part of the city.

Columbus' three ships to America, in flowers!

To the left is Columbus' house in Genova

There was a random, brilliant pirate ship docked at the port! Naturally I had to stop and investigate the ship, as much as I could see! The ship was used in the filming of the old movie "Pirates!"Just as in all the other cities along the Mediterranean, there were loads of immigrants illegally selling sunglasses, belts, bags, toys and more. They all lay out their blankets with the goods, constantly wary for the police. As soon as they spot them, the vendors quickly pack up shop and move out! Luckily, as I was blatantly wearing sunglasses, they didn't bother me too much (it was exciting to find a use for the sunglasses that I carted from the States!).

ARGG Pirates! 

The harbour- with a random enclosed forest-dome?

Starving by this time, Andrea decided it was time for me to try focaccia, the famous bread of the region. It was delicious! We got two different types for lunch, one with olives and one with tomato, cheese and ham. Really good, described as a cross between a pizza and bread. I would definitely eat it as bread, all the time. It's a wonderful feeling, just relaxing on a bench under palm trees, soaking up sunshine and eating delicious Italian food. I love the pace of Italy. Everything is so relaxed, and very much move-along as you feel like it. What we next felt like doing was... the aquarium! L'Acquario di Genova is really famous, as had some lovely displays. Having grown up just outside of Baltimore, I've fallen in love with the National Aquarium there. I've always loved marine life, and the rainforest (in fact when I was in elementary school I both wanted to save the rainforest and be a marine biologist so I could play with dolphins). From sharks to sea turtles and sting-rays, the exhibits were well done! Including exhibitions on explorers voyages to new lands and the animals they found.

Focaccia!! With olives- very mediterranean (good thing I like olives now)

I'm a piranha, from the Amazon.

Gecko! climbing on the glass!

I felt a little bit like a child again, exploring the museum and looking in every display- did I mention I love aquariums? They also had this really goofy film on Sammy the Sea Turtle which Andrea and I gleefully decided to watch It was in 3D, and we were the only people in the theater! So there we sat, two Uni students, wearing 3D glasses, alone in the theater, giggling away. The hilarious thing was, the entire animated film was in Italian, so Andrea had to translate everything for me! Basic premise was Sammy's the sea turtle's interactions with humans over his life. Really good animation, worthy of Finding Nemo! He was also probably the most adorable turtle I've ever seen!


So there's Genoa for you! A lovely coastal city, full of turquoise waters, focaccia, shopping and sunshine.