Our dinner last night with Alba and Alex was a gustatory delight. We tasted some of the local dishes of Genova that included fried chips made from chick pea flower, frisciue which is something like a zucchini and onion donut (savoury), verdure pansoto (vegetable tortollone with a walnut cream sauce. The pansoto was something different and a real treat!
Today we met old friends Franco and Sabina for lunch/coffee. Johanna and I met them for the first time 20 years ago. We had dinner with them then and this was followed by a game of cards ( scala quaranta ). Those that know Sabina understand that she is a real card shark and hates losing. She doesn't even care if your the guest! However, on that fateful night she lost...to me of all people...she was most upset! I was never sure if she ever got over it. I was too scared to broach the question today, however when the topic of cards came up she was quick to change the subject. At 83 years old, Franco and Sabina are getting on but are still good for their age. We enjoy a pleasant lunch in the shadow of the Porto Antico ( the old sea port of Genova). We finish lunch and then go for a short passeggiata before stopping to say goodbye. As they walk away, waving goodbye in their placid yet frail way, it becomes clear to us that at their age we may never see them again. It gets harder to breath as we are all overcome by the emotion of that moment. Goodbye Franca and Sabina and thanks so much for the memories.
In the afternoon we head off on an inland journey to Arquata Seravia to one of the largest factory outlets in the north of Italy. Big brands such as Armani, Bulgari and Prada have their factory shops here. Apart from the high end stores there are also others such as Nike, Adidas and Puma. Naturally, Johanna is in her element and while the girls weave in and out of stores Dahlsen and I manage to make conversation while following them around and loitering out the front of stores. Our departure from there results in us taking the wrong bus to the station. This is the first time that we have had this sort of issue with public transport so we have been lucky. As I write this, we are still 50km out of Genova waiting to catch the train. It is 8.30pm and we haven't had any dinner so we are waiting for Lucy to evaporate! Tony has a cold so he keeps blowing his nose, Ruby and Lucy are removing their nail polish, Johanna is admiring her purchases and I'm hoping we get out of here alive!
PHOTOS ATTACHED