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Riviera del Levante

29/9/2011

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The walking season sure started with a bang this year.  

First thing before you plan a hike in the Cinque Terre - check the weather. Second thing before you plan a hike in the Cinque Terre  - check if any of the paths are closed. We dId the first but did not reckon on the second.  So after the obligatory Via dell'Amore path between Riomaggiore and Manarola - where you encounter half the population of Tokyo taking pictures of each other and pay five euros for the privilege - we were told that the coastal path to Corniglia was closed due to a recent rockfall.  Alternative route via Volastra. No problem except that Volastra is 335 metres above sea level (and you start at sea level) and by the time you get there you are sweating like a pig in the 27c temperature. Thoughtfully the Italians provide a drinking fountain gushing out cold spring water when you get to the hamlet of Volastra after you climb what must be more than a thousand uneven, unforgiving steps.  

From Volastra the ground levels somewhat and the walking is incredibly scenic. In short you start enjoying yourself rather than questioning your mental faculties. The path meanders between steep vineyards and the views down to Manarola and Corniglia almost make up for the litres of sweat you lose on the way up. The steep downward trail to Corniglia isn't easy either as by that time your legs start feeling like jelly. It happened to me once before when I climbed down 999 steps in Nafplio in Greece, and pretty it isn't.  

The only pity on this hike is that we did not have enough time for a swim beneath the sheer cliffs of Corniglia. Sadly we also missed out on Vernazza which is probably the most photogenic of the Cinque Terre villages. Bloody rockfalls.  

The next day the going had to be a bit easier so we took a train to the picturesque village of Camogli. Camogli was a mercenary town of sorts and had "a thousand white sailing ships"; threw in its weight in various naval battles and (the brochures say) it once held off Napoleon's navy too. The ferry service to the Abbey of San Fruttuoso was still running so we finally had our swim in the best of places on a small shingle beach with the medieval abbazia as a backdrop.

San Fruttuoso is practically only accessible by sea as it's backed up by a very steep cliff (or you can trudge up and down hills to Camogli and you're there in three hours...). Strange place to build an abbey and a bit silly too; flash floods and rock falls made a havoc of the place as recently as 1915.

Still old Fruttuoso must have had a very good sense of aesthetics as he apparently chose this place to be buried - posthumously, in a vision to his worthy deacons who went by the equally suspicious names of Augurio and Eulogio.
All this happened some time after 259 A.D. when Fruttuoso was martyred in Tarragon, Spain.
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Liguria - Finally a Break

29/9/2011

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First holiday in ages. Marthese and myself had planned a trip to Paris originally but after countless booking requests to a hundred budget hotels being turned down I reckoned they can stuff Paris up their collective sarkozies for the time being. We have both been there before so it can always wait. We turned our attention to Italy and zeroed in on Genoa since we'd never been. The Cinque Terre and the Riviera del Levante are near enough for day trips and I have always wanted to visit Staglieno Cemetery ever since I heard Joy Division's ethereal music. Not a difficult decision then.  

A few queries and we landed a good cheapo place - Palazzo Morali, a real palazzo actually http://www.palazzomorali.com/home.html - slap bang on the waterfront and a steal at 75 Euro per night breakfast included. More than that absolutely no cancellation policy and no upfront non-refundable deposits bollockses if you book directly with the hotel. The Signora just asked for my mobile number and requested that we inform her if we had a change of plan.
Pretty neat. Trust - you don't find that a lot around these days.  

Genoa is not an immediately likeable place but we were prepared for that - the Rough Guide said as much. An elevated four lane motorway scars the waterfront and despite Renzo Piano's best efforts to regenerate the old port (an otherwise highly successful exercise) this road remains a hugely visible scar. In a way very much like Piano's plans for Valletta where he has to create something beautiful amidst a kitsch seventies block of apartments which the authorities are probably too scared to demolish. We had a decent fourth floor room with over the top decor; a great view of the painted Palazzo San Giorgio if you turn eyes right and an unobstructed view of the highway and the old port beyond if you stare straight ahead. Double glazed windows kept the noise out. A very convenient Metro stop was just round the corner.  

But delve deep into Genoa's narrow streets and vicoli and it's very rewarding. The oldest part is the closest thing to an Arab medina I have seen in mainland Europe - smells included. Six and seven storey palazzi totter precariously over miniscule squares. Churches and niches abut everywhere - some sitting on top of a ground floor of shops underneath. It's weird but it is very much alive and you get a real sense that the area has been lived in continuously for so long. I am normally highly suspicious of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites listings but Genoa's warren definitely deserves it. It is quite simply unique.  

Genoa also has it's big draw - the newish Aquarium rated as the second largest in Europe, but frankly this seems more like it is geared up for families with (noisy) children. I almost feel guilty having been there against Marthese's express animal-loving objections. Otherwise the waterfront hosts all sorts of activities (mostly noisy) and is a vibrant place to stroll or just people-watch.  

Genoa cannot really compete in the tourism stakes with the big boys of Rome, Venice and Florence which is just as well as prices here are much more sensible. The priciest meal for two comprising mixed fish and complete with wine, dessert and espresso came to a modest 70 Euro. At the other end of the scales a plate of trofie con pesto can be had for as little as five euro. Definitely a draw if you're on a budget.  

Would I go there again? Oh I really wouldn't mind.
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