Tom`s travels: Genova & Moleto (10/08/2018)

After having completed our trip around Sicily, Ania and I flew to Turin where we met with a friend of hers and walked around the town a while. We then took a train and stayed for a few nights over at my relatives' house in Alessandria. The following day we decided to do a day trip and visit the port city of Genova, which I had visited plenty of times before but Ania had not. So after taking a regional train, we reached the Ligurian capital one hour later. As we walked along Via Balbi, constructed during the 16th century and one of the prettiest of the city, we admired the many rich and wonderful palaces lining the street. Many of them are part of the Unesco site, Palazzi dei Rolli, a group of palaces from the 16th and 17th centuries which were associated to a particular system of ‘public lodging’ in private residences, whereby notable guests on State visit to the Republic were hosted in one of these palaces on behalf of the State. Even though not part of this group, the Palazzo Reale, or Palazzo Stefano Balbi, was nonetheless worth a visit especially as it hosted a public museum. Originally built during the 17th century, the palace came into the hands of the House of Savoy and later of the Italian state who then turned it into a museum. The visit started with the historical rooms, mostly in the Baroque, Rococò or Neoclassical style. Each room contained a few paintings part of the art collection of the museum. Particularly noteworthy was the Hall of Mirrors, a rectangular room covered in mirrors and with splendid decorations, which reminded us a lot of the same in Versailles lest the crowds. Then the visit continued to the terrace where we had a general view of the surrounding buildings and of the port. Then back downstairs we also visited the small garden which had a beautiful floor made up of river stones in the shape of figures and animals. After the visit, right on the opposite side of the street, we then gave a quick look at the Palazzo dell' Università, one of the many buildings of the University of Genova, and once the Jesuit college. It featured a beautiful Baroque facade and courtyard which we were able to visit freely. Walking further on, we passed through another main street, the Via Garibaldi, lined with more beautiful Renaissance and Baroque palaces, some of which included in the Rolli list. At the end of the street, we then came out on Piazza De Ferrari, Genova's main and largest square. Surrounded by 19th-century buildings and a large fountain at its center, it links the old part of town to the modern one. It has been an important site for both the city and the country as it was the second most important financial center after Milan during the end of the 19th century. We were quite hungry so we decided to look for a place to eat something. We found a bakery/tavola calda and decided to grab some slices of focaccia and of farinata, made from chickpea flour, both typical of the city. From there we started our descent through the older part of town passing through the Piazza Giacomo Matteotti, where the Palazzo Ducale stands. Once the home of the Doges of Genova, it now hosts a museum which we decided to visit another time. Further downhill we reached Piazza San Lorenzo with the beautiful Cathedral of San Lorenzo, built between the 12th and 14th centuries in a mainly Romanesque and Gothic style typical of the area and featuring green and white marble stripes. After visiting the interior we walked down through the streets, quite narrow and here typically called Caruggi, until we reached the port. The largest in Italy it extends over several kilometers from west to east. The point we had reached consisted of the old port and the touristic part where all the leisure boats are parked. Right in front was also the Aquarium of Genova, the largest in the country and one of the largest in Europe, which I had seen countless times together with my family. We decided to enter the building facing the port which holds the famous food store Eataly, where we browsed the wonderful, yet overpriced, foods from all over Italy. At its top floor, we also enjoyed a wonderful view of the area and of the Bigo, a modern crane structure build by the famous architect Renzo Piano for the 1992 Expo. Then we walked back down and along the pier until we found a shadowed bench where we relaxed for a while taking in the fresh sea breeze. After that, we headed back through the old town and stopped to visit the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato, a beautiful masterpiece of Mannerist and Baroque art. The interior presented a huge nave filled with lavish paintings and marbles and an impressively decorated cupola. From there the station was quite close, and we headed in that direction in order to take the next train back to Alessandria. After arriving, it was still afternoon, so I asked my aunt if I could borrow her car and drive Ania to a place I had previously visited. The drive was very pleasant and didn't take too long as the place was relatively close. We passed through the historical region of the Monferrato, included in the Unesco list and considered as one of the most important wine districts of Italy, comprising beautiful rolling hills filled with vineyards and with splendid views. We first stopped in a small town, Cella Monte, which had recently been added to the club "The most beautiful villages in Italy". Its pretty streets were filled with typical tuff houses and red brick rooftops and the views from there were incredible. Then, we drove to the nearby town of Moleto, the destination of our drive. Here, in fact, was a famous bar called Barchiuso which despite its name, is actually an open-air bar, with tables and seats spread over a large field on the top of a hill and overlooking the beautiful rolling hills and vineyards of the surrounding landscape. There we enjoyed the view and the sunset while sipping on a tasty local red wine. After the relaxing time, we finally headed back to Alessandria to have dinner with my relatives and then head to sleep.