Sadly we say goodbye to Vernazza and get onto the train to Sestri Levante. Here we will make a changeover to the Savona train that will let us off mid way at station Genova Piazza Principe.
We are entertained, along the way, by the beautiful coastal scenery of the Italian Riviera. Green mountains set against a cloudless blue sky and turquoise ocean. We pass through countless tunnels as the train snakes its way up the Ligurian coast.
We arrive in Genova and are met by our first encounter with humidity; hot and wet just how I like it!
Our hotel room is 3 minutes walk from the station. Johanna booked this one in April and despite this it turns out to be perfect for us. One room with 5 beds; two of which are on a mezzanine level. We have a fantastic view of Genova from our 6th floor windows. We set our bags aside and hit the road for some lunch and a personal tour of Tony's old haunts.
Now, you can't visit Genova and not have focaccia because from what I can gather, having focaccia here is like having a meat pie at the footy...well maybe this is not the perfect analogy, but you get my point! We stop for focaccia. I choose the traditional style with the local stracchino cheese. Mmmmmm delisioso!
We move on to central Genova, down via xx settembre and via garibaldi. If your a fan of 16th and 17th century architecture then Genova will give you an orgasm (apologies to those that find this word offensive!). This city is full of magnificently planned buildings with perfectly appointed artistic features. I have attached some photos.
Much to Johanna's excitement shopping here is also very good. Just by chance we encounter a Vodafone store so we try our luck at getting Johanna online with her phone. After half an hour we walk out with a SIM card and a big smile on ours (her) face. We are told that it should work but will take about 20 minutes to become active. 20 minutes can't go by fast enough...unfortunately no luck! I let out a little laugh to which the reply is "...it's NOT funny..." to which I reply "...but it's just a little funny.." to which the reply was...well the reply is not important but if you are truly interested the stitches on my forehead should be out next week!
Walking around Genova with our trusty tour guide can make you hungry. Tony asks us where we would like to eat?...to which I reply wherever you think is best. We stop at a small restaurant near the port of Genova. While eating we were asked for money twice and watched some very average people walk by. At the end of the meal I asked Tony if this was the best Genova could offer to which he replied "No, this is the worst!". Confused, I stopped asking questions and hoped that none of us suffered any food poisoning in the process. Hopefully, tomorrow we will eat something less risky!