Port Antico

We felt we couldn't leave Genoa without wandering down to see it's ancient port that we heard had been restored in the early 90's, making it a more accessible and desirable area for locals and tourists.  With the "Museo del Mare" (Museum of the Sea) or, "Galata" as it is also known, as our destination, we jumped on a bus to the Piazzo Acquaverde and then walked towards the sea.

Making our way through a narrow opening between two buildings, we stumbled upon an interesting looking church and thought we would pop in for a quick peek.  As we were the only visitors, a kind, older Italian gentleman greeted us right away and offered to give us a brief history of the church, 'San Giovanni de Pre'.  He was very apologetic of what he called his 'school days' English, but we so appreciated the effort he put into speaking with us and, of course, his English was much stronger than our Italian!

San Giovanni de Pre

He explained that this church and its hospital were built in 1180 by the Order of the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, which later became the Knights of Malta, to provide shelter and assistance to crusaders (he mentioned, for example, that Richard the Lionheart had visited) on their way to and from Jerusalem.   At this time, it sat among gardens and fields and had its own jetty out to the Mediterranean.

He directed our gaze to its romanesque arches that, he said, are the second largest in all of Europe.  When he pointed it out, we noticed the wall on the left slanted towards the seaside, which could perhaps explain why braces had been added to the arches.

Interior of San Giovanni de Pre

A section of the romanesque arches.

After thanking our guide, we continued our walk to the Museum of the Sea.  It has three floors of displays on the seafaring history of Genoa, including old maps and globes, information on Christopher Columbus, a replica of a 17th century galley ship and an excellent 'Italian Emigration by Sea' exhibit.
 

Upon entering, the first thing we saw was a large screen with this 1597 painting by Cristoforo Grassi of the port of Genoa in the late 15th century, copied from an earlier work by an anonymous painter.

Part of the 17th galley ship replica that you could enter.  Reading about the living conditions on these ships, I sure wouldn't have wanted to have spent any time on the real thing.

Barry chained in and giving the rowing a go for a few minutes.  In the real galley ship, he would have been chained up with two other men and giving it all they had for one hour at a time.  Maybe it would have been good for his tennis game to keep up a bit longer, but we all had snack time on our minds.

Sharing some tasty pesto pizza at the museum's café overlooking the port.  After our break, we were ready to learn about the history of emigration from this port, on the third floor.

Between 1861 and 1907, 5 million Italians emigrated from the Port of Genoa for Buenos Aries, Argentina; Santos, Brazil and Ellis Island, U.S.A.  This part of the museum offering us a glimpse of the emigrant experience in this era, was the girls' favourite.

Barry pretending to buy coveted first-class tickets for his family aboard the Città de Torino to Buenos Aires.  (The girls were glad it was the off-season and we had the whole floor to ourselves for Barry's performance.)

Here we are boarding our ship.  We had smiles, but one can only imagine how it felt for these people to leave all they knew behind, most often forever.  We learned that the majority of travellers were confined to third class bunk rooms, with men separated from women and children, in horrible conditions where illness and disease thrived.  It was sobering for the girls to learn that people died regularly on these boats, and that 1 in 20 survived the trip, only to be denied access to the destination country upon arrival.

A replica of a first-class cabin that only a small minority enjoyed.

The emigration exhibit led into a positive exhibit on immigration into Italy.  The immigrant population has increased from 200 000 in the late 70's to 5 000 000 today.  I appreciated the message on the final sign.

We only had one more area to explore, but first we needed to pick up some hard hats.  Then, a quick walk out to the harbour and we were climbing down into the Nazario Sauro S518 submarine that had been in operation from 1980 to 2009.

Lily contemplating which button, out of hundreds, to switch on.

More submarine fun.  Well.... for 3 of us.  The sound effects had started to get to Grace.  She abandoned ship immediately after this photo was taken.

Safely back on land, we decided to give the 'caruggi' of the old town one more shot, but this time we would do it properly.  We went earlier in the afternoon and with a specific destination in mind:  prize winning gelato!

Frederica, our Italian cooking teacher, had recommended we go to "Profumo in Vico del Gerri", a gelataria that frequently wins best gelato in all of Italy.  With no complaints from either daughter, we headed back into the narrow alleyways.  We knew we had arrived when we came around the corner and found several groups enjoying gelato.

We were not disappointed.  The blackberry gelato was the most delicious gelato I have ever tasted.  The only complaint we had was some of the flavours (no chocolate for Lily!) were sold out by the afternoon, as they make fresh batches daily, and we didn't know what all the flavours were due to our poor Italian.  I was so tempted to go back for another bowl when a young Italian boy came out with some sort of raspberry or strawberry looking flavour.  How did I miss that?  If I am ever back, I won't be as shy asking about flavours!

Sale & Dede Laboratorio di Cucina

As anyone who has done any travelling knows, sometimes it's difficult to get a good night's sleep in another room and bed.  Lily had this experience our first night in Genoa.  She felt as though she hadn't slept all night, and it was very tricky getting her up and out of bed.  However, we had to insist as we had a new family experience booked on the other side of Genoa and needed ample time for the  journey on the city bus.

We managed to get the half-awake Lily down to the number 36 bus stop.  Our morning rush hour bus ride to the Brignole railway station was an adventure in and of itself.  Crazy crowded!

When the number of passengers thinned out a bit, Grace announced, "I can breathe."  Lily shared "There was, literally, no room for my head."  Apart from those comments, they had both handled the commuter crowds better than I did!

The number 39 bus we transferred to, thankfully much less crowded, took us east along the water and out to the old fishing neighbourhood of Boccadasse where we were to meet a woman named Frederica.

The beach at Boccadasse

We made it to our meeting place at the beach with 15 minutes to spare.  Conveniently, this gave us time for a coffee and our first taste of Genoese foccacia bread.  We started with 3 pieces and quickly headed back in to buy two more.  Lily felt she needed a hot chocolate to complete her wake-up.  She described it as chocolate soup, adding that she meant that in the best possible way.   Grace was convinced, without much prodding, to give it a taste.  She, too, was impressed! 

Enjoying some Italian "chocolate soup"

Frederica arrived at 10:00 am sharp to walk us up to her brand new "laboratorio de cucina", or cooking school.  When we arrived and saw the snacks she had ready for us, we regretted having gone back for the extra foccacia bread at the café!

Frederica had set out cheese, Genoese salami and foccacia bread for us to snack on.

We spent the next three hours learning to make;  focaccia bread, gnocchi al pesto and canestrelli, all specialties of this region.  It ended up being one of our most enjoyable family activities we've done while travelling.  Frederica was so kind to the girls and they loved working in her cooking school kitchen.  It didn't take long for Lily to admit that this was so worth getting up for.

Preparing the focaccia dough

Adding mashed up hard-boiled egg yolk into the Canestrelli cookie dough.  This was something new for this group of cookie makers.

Pressing the boiled potatoes for the gnocchi

Mixing in flour, a bit of salt, pepper and nutmeg with our potatoes.  Barry is whisking the egg to also be added.

Rolling out, chopping and using a wooden tool called a 'rigagnocchi' to prepare the gnocchi for cooking.  We each got to keep our 'rigagnocchi'.  And, no, the chocolate you see in the bowls isn't for the gnocchi.  When she heard we liked chocolate, Frederica brought out the chocolate she uses in her baking for us to sample.  It sure beat any chocolate chips I've bought in Canada!

The basil we used for the pesto was so fragrant and fresh, as were the pine nuts. 

Frederica told the girls they had made much better pesto than the last few groups.  They were proud.

Grace is pressing out our focaccia bread for its second rising.

Mmmmmm, a bowl of our gnocchi al pesto.

Ready to sample the pesto with potato gnocchi.  I, evidently, had difficulty taking my eyes off of it.

Canestrelli dough has been in the fridge and is ready to roll and cut out.  We started with the traditional Italian flower shape, but afterwards, Frederica brought out a big bag of cutters where the girls found some Canadian-style cookie cutters; a moose, bear and maple leaf.

Freshly baked focaccia bread.

A touch of powdered sugar, and our canestrelli cookies are done.

Such a fun morning in Frederica's kitchen.  She even let Grace and Lily keep their aprons.

After our cooking class, Frederica drove us back into the city to show us the food market full of fresh produce at great prices.  Heading home with our arms full of baked goodies, we felt our experience at the Sale & Dede Cooking School was worth the splurge (even Barry agreed!).

Frederica had her school's opening-night party just last night.  We hope this young Italian woman's new business enterprise will be a great success.  If the experience of these four happy Canadian clients is any indication, it will be.

A First Evening in Genoa

Last time we were in Europe, our Italian visits were some real highlights for us.  With stops in Rome, Florence, Pisa and Sedona, how could they not be?

For this year, we had Venice and Naples on our to-visit in Italy wish list, but I have to admit that Genoa wasn't on our radar until we started looking into an Italian destination only a short train ride away.  Once we read that the food specialties of this region are pesto and focaccio bread, train tickets were bought and an apartment was rented.

After 4.5 hours of travel time, including a stop-over in Ventimiglia to change trains, we arrived in Genoa.

The girls were impressed with our private train compartment for the Ventimiglia to Genoa leg of our journey.

 
Paola, the thoughtful woman whose apartment we were renting, had a snack waiting for the girls upon arrival that they dug into right away.  Nutella, for Lily, was the perfect welcome. 

After multiple helpings of crunchy Italian toast crackers with Nutella, we were ready to go and explore.  Using a photo-copied, highlighted map from Paola to guide us, we walked down the hill toward the old town and its street of palaces, Via Garibaldi.  On the way, we found an elevator, that is part of the transit system, to take us down the rest of the way to the old city.  Before hopping on, we enjoyed the great views of the city below us.

Looking down towards old town.  You can see several of the huge palaces, where we were headed, in the forefront

The street Via Garibaldi is an UNESCO World Heritage Site in Genoa that is lined with many palaces dating back to the 16th century, when the wealthiest and most powerful among the Genoese aristocracy decided to create a single setting for their lavish homes.  We had serendipitously arrived during the "Rolli Days" event (referencing the official list ("rolli") of these palaces that was used, back in the day, to decide which noble family's turn it was to host the next visiting state dignitary).  This meant we had access to a good number of these palaces free of charge.

15-16 ottobre:  Rolli Days in Genova

Palazzo Tursi, that has served as Genoa's Town Hall since 1848

While at the Palazzo Tursi, we popped into a concert featuring students of Roberta Ivernizzi's master class singing pieces from the 16th century accompanied by a cellist and harpsichordist, . 

By this time, the girls' nutella snack was wearing off.  Here's a little tip for visitors finding themselves with two hungry children on the Via Garibaldi:  perhaps don't wander down the Medieval alleyways (caruggi) of Genoa's old town as evening falls on a Sunday.  I've enhanced the photo below for your viewing pleasure, but night was falling and the further we walked into the belly of the caruggi, the emptier the streets became with all shops and eateries closed up.  As Grace later said, "All there was was the odd person sitting on the street smoking."

We were mere steps from the street of palaces, heading down the alleyways of Genoa's medieval old town.

Barry was keen to push through this maze, to the restaurants he was sure were somewhere on the other side.  However, he found himself with a bit of a mutiny on his hands.  So, we turned and  headed back from where we came to ask at the tourist office where we could eat.  She directed us to Genoa's largest square, the Piazza de Ferrari.

The carrugi was quickly forgotten and interest was instantly piqued upon seeing 18 (Grace counted) white tents set up around the Piazza de Ferrari.  Again, luck was on Lily's side as we had stumbled across a chocolate festival.  Talk about a frown being turned upside down!

Some of the chocolate tents set up in the Piazza de Ferrari, with Genoa's opera house in the background.

Lily taking a time out by the Agora Fountain to contemplate which chocolate treats she will purchase.  Lots to think about with so many tempting options!

With Lily continuing to narrow down her chocolate wish list, we sat down in a quaint Italian café for some supper.  Grace was very pleased with her pesto lasagna.

Before heading back to the apartment, we were finally ready to make our chocolate purchases.

Our chocolate festival stash.

Our first day in Genoa ended on a real sweet note.  More fun to come tomorrow!

La Chapelle Saint-Bernardin

I've written about the dance school, the beach, the bakeries and the chocolate shop all so close by, but there is a historical building that is literally a stone's throw away that I would love to show you.  It is Antibes' Chapelle Saint-Bernadin.

La Chapelle Saint-Bernardin and its two orange trees

This chapel was built to commemorate Saint Bernardin, who in the early 15th century was a priest and great orator from Sienna, Italy and delivered sermons throughout Italy for over 25 years.  He was also known for creating the monogram "IHS", the first three letters of Jesus' name in Greek, which was commonly found painted on buildings and churches of Italian towns during this time.

 Like many historical buildings in Antibes, the chapel was built on Roman ruins, in either 1513 or 1581, depending on which local historian's opinion you choose.

In September, we went on a French walking tour of our vieille ville neighbourhood, which included a visit to this chapel.  As we approached, our guide had us all look up to the carvings on either side of the door as a clue to which group had funded its construction.  All the other participants were from France and right away piped up with the word "les pénitents", which then led to colour words:  "noir, bleu, blanc gris..".  I have to admit, I was really feeling out of the loop as to what this all meant.

Carving of a member of the White Penitent Brotherhood which funded the building of this chapel.

It was only after some post-tour reading that I caught up to speed.  Christian Penitent Brotherhoods were religious organizations that were flourishing in the South of France in the 16th century, and were classified according to the colour of their cloaks and hoods and each had a particular combination of charitable activities to which they devoted themselves.  For instance, the White Penitent Brotherhood that built St. Bernardin's Chapel were to take care of the sick, bury the dead, and provide dowries for young woman from poor families.

Fire destroyed much of the interior in the 1970's, however in 2007 it was totally restored.  Sitting in it now with its lovely colours and paintings, it is hard to imagine the shambled state it was in until recently.

A statue of Saint Bernardin.  Beyond the baroque styled column, you can make out some of the faded, yet original, frescoes from the 16th century.

In the chapel's crypt there are images of the original 16th century frescoes and several original paintings by Antoine Aundi.

"Notre Dame des Anges":  Antoine Aundi 1513

The medieval town of Antibes found in the bottom left-hand corner

"La Deposition du Christ":  Antoine Aundi  1539, again showing the medieval town of Antibes in the background

As charmed as I am with many of the characteristics of this small chapel, in my opinion, "la cerise sur le gâteau" is found as you approach it from the the little lane parallel to our street.

 

In 1581, some extremely relieved citizens of Antibes who survived the plague that had ravaged Provence in the previous year, had these solid walnut doors constructed to show their gratitude. 

The door with its date and Bernardin's "IHS" insignia clearly written.

Each year in September, the city of Antibes hosts the festival d'art sacré, and I was pretty excited to learn that one of its music venues is Saint Bernardin's chapel.  The girls had no worries with us heading out for a night concert featuring a a collection of Bach music, considering we would be mere steps away.

The only sobering part of the evening was that every single male, regardless of age, had to be patted down before entering the concert and there was a very serious police presence on the street afterwards.  Yes, France has changed in some ways since the last time we lived here.

However, this did not detract from how lucky I felt to be listening to such beautiful music in this pretty little chapel.  My favourite musical selection was the "suite no1 en sol majeur BMW 1007 for the violoncello" performed by Eric Courreges.  To give you a taste of his talent, you can listen to him play the prelude here.  I might add that he plays a German violoncello made in 1770!

Concert night

If you ever find yourself in Antibes, la chapelle Saint-Bernardin is worth a peek.