Day 33: Milan -Genova

June 26 - Another cool rainy day. I am glad to have them. Not so glad for the strikes, which have closed down a few of the metro lines. Reroute ourselves to the train station, along with everyone else, making for a crowded hour to get there.

First, Odette says farewell to the resident bunnies at our apartment gardens.

Straightforward ticket to Genova, gives us time to find lunch. Discover that Milano Centrale has hidden their food options well, the only one we can find is the dreaded MacDreadles. Like everything in Milan at the moment, it is packed with starving tourists.

Leave the urban sprawl and go through more countryside, bursting with green. A long tunnel heralds the approach to the Genova Piazza Principe train station. Easy ten-minute walk to our apartment, nestled in the narrow Via di Fossatello of the old town. It begins pouring with rain, not normal temperate zone rainfall but more tropical, like what I observed in Lugano.

A typical alley of old town Genova.

Hit the streets for a walk around. This town feels much different than Milan. The style of building fronts, often with decor painted on rather than sculpted, is the most visible difference. There is also a higher level of attention paid to interior detail on the churches.

Chiesa di San Pietro in Banchi interior. This was the first church we entered, and it was immediately obvious how much money has gone into these religious structures. What we saw in Milan did not compare.

Chiesa e chiostro di San Matteo.

This second church is an abbey founded in 1125, and sports a striped facade. There are a lot of these striped building facings in Genova. To us they resemble the mosques of SE Turkiye.

The cloister behind the San Matteo Church.

A focus of Genova is the Piazza De Ferrari. A number of important buildings are in this area.

This bronze fountain in Piazza de Ferrari dates from the 1930s.

Chiesa del Gesu e dei Santi Ambrogio e Andrea, completed in 1598.

The above church, near Piazza de Ferrari, has some stunning interior decor.

Dome of Chiesa del Gesu e dei Santi Ambrogio e Andrea, featuring a scene entitled ‘Triumph of the Name of Christ’.

Featured painting, ‘The Circumcision of Jesus’ by Peter Paul Rubens.

This was an interesting floor detail. I guess it is Death with a sword, and maybe a cell phone.

Go to the edge of the old city, clearly defined by the preserved city walls. These were completed in 1639 and stretched for 20 km. They are only second in length to the Great Wall of China.

The Porta Soprana through the old city walls, as seen from the outside. The gate is much older than the walls, first built in the 12th C, and renovated in the 19th C. Christopher Columbus’ house is just down the hill from this gate.

We go back into the gate and down the Via di Porta Soprana to the Cathedrale di San Lorenzo. This is a Romanesque structure with the characteristic (for Genova) black and white striped facing.

Cathedrale di San Lorenzo, consecrated in 1118.

One of the two lions out front, created in the 19th C by the artist Rubatto.

Altar in a nave on the left side. For 2 Euros, you can turn the lights on to get a proper photo.

To Odette’s relief, we finish with churches for today. Head down the street to the waterfront. This is the only ugly part of the city, as a bland elevated highway runs over it. Head through Palazzo San Giorgio and out onto the pier to visit the Biosfera. It is a small glass ball with tropical plants and some animals inside.

Finch in the Biosfera.

Scarlet ibis, native to Trindad.