Genoa: Where's the Damn Salami?

Birthplace of Christopher Columbus, although I think it probably looks very different from the late 1400s. Neal and I were surprised to see the sheer number of Africans, Pakistanis with their Kebab restaurants, and Arabs (I told you it wouldn't be the last time I saw Africans in Italy). This town was unlike any that we had encountered in Italy. It seemed raw and a litle seedy. We felt more like we were walking through an Arabic souk than we felt like we were in Italy. We struck up some conversations with the locals. We found that many of the Africans are from Senegal and Algeria. We started a conversation with a real estate agent, and he said that there are people from all walks of life in Genoa “like any other port city.” Not sure if we agree or not. He also went on to tell us that crime was worse in the 80s. For the anniversary of Christopher Columbus (or was it for the G8 summit...not sure), the mayor put a lot of money in to fixing up the city, but he thinks things have gone back down a little bit.

Genoa was recently inscribed as a UNESCO site in 2006. There are two parts to it. The "Strade Nuove" and the "Palazzi dei Rolli." The Palazzi dei Rolli represents the first example in Europe of an urban development project parcelled out by a public authority within a unitary framework and associated to a particular system of "public lodging" in private residences, as decreed by the Senate in 1576. It was a unique system in which there was a list of a public network of private residences that was designated to host state visits. The houses were subdivided into "levels" of categories of quality and the owners of the buildings were obliged to give hospitality. The site also includes an ensemble of Renaissance and Baroque palaces along the so-called "new streets" (Strade Nuove).

Now, I always thought Genoa was the home of Genoa salami or something. Isn't it? I guess not. Apparently it is the home of pesto sauce or something. You know what though? Neal and I got a nice salami sandwich for lunch anyway and a glass of red wine. Not bad. I may have to try that more often. I did do a bit of research and I guess Genoa salami is a variety of salami that is commonly believed to have originated in the region of Geona, but isn't actually manufactured there. Where the hell do they make it then?


Neal and I strolled along the crooked streets and finally headed over to one of the museums, I think it was Palazzo Bianco (I lost my damn ticket before we even made it into the museum so I don't remember which). I must say, I loved a painting by Jan Wildens. It was a winter scene on a frozen river. One woman has fallen on the ice and her dress flipped up and I swear you can see her bare butt! Didn't they were underwear back then? We also went up to the look-out tower for a panoramic view of the city. He believes that in about 15 years or so, Genoa could be the next "it" place to go to and we could say we were there before it became too touristy or trendy. Neal, we'll see if you're right.

Soon it was time to go, we said our good-byes and headed our separate ways. There were no more trains to Rome that night so I decided to just start heading south. I stopped in La Spezia for the night and decided to hit Pisa the next day.