I spent much of of the weekend walking around Genova. The weather was great—temps in the low 70s (22-23 C) with blue skies and a very light breeze. Both days I walked over 15,000 steps—not on purpose, mind you, but Genova is a fairly big town with half a million folks that stretches over a hilly terrain up against the Ligurian Sea Walking is usually the only option since I don’t know the town well enough to use the Metro or buses, and I am too cheap to get a cab.

On Saturday I was on my own as I haven’t formed a group of buddies at school as happened during my time in Alberobello a couple of years ago. That’s ok…it’s hard not to have a good time, even solo, and Google Maps helps getting around without getting lost. The Galata Museum of the Sea was recommended to me as a destination, so I decided to give it a try. Genova has a long history of seafaring, dating back to the Roman Times.

The museum, however, was a mixed bag—starting off well with a life sized model of a Medieval Galley and a good section on Christopher Columbus—but with each floor going up, the displays got more chaotic and haphazard & I got more frustrated and tired. (Six floors and no elevator or any that I could readily find and utilize.)

One interesting fact: more than a million Italians emigrated, mostly to the States and Latin America, from Genova during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The photos below show a globe almost contemporaneous with Columbus, a 19th century picture of Genova, and a mid 16th century map.

At the end of the experience, you return to the entrance where you can pick up a hard hat and walk over to a WWII era submarine floating in the harbor. Walking through the boat, you have to ask yourself “who would be comfortable serving on a submarine, in a war or not”—certainly not your’s truly.

Fortunately, leaving the submarine, you are confronted with your choice of several restaurants in which to eat lunch. I chose the Love Restaurant (that’s what it’s called) where I ordered a tall mug of cold beer and a plate of mussels (cozze). Le cozze were incredibly scrumptious, the beer was ice cold, and a tiramisu and coffee topped off a perfect repast. I sat at the restaurant savoring my food and watching the tourists popping up out of the submarine for well over an hour, enjoying the beautiful spring day.

I liked the restaurant so much that the next day, when my house companion, Patrick, and I failed to find a restaurant in the historic center of town that he thought he remembered, I suggested we walk a little further to the Love Restaurant. He agreed, and pretty soon he had ordered spaghetti with clams and I, risotto ai frutti di mare (seafood risotto). WOW…the risotto was even better than the mussels. Being full, we decided to skip dessert, but succumbed to the lure of artisanal gelato on the way back to the house.

Patrick is from Hamburg, and he has lived and worked in Italy several times over the last decade. As you can imagine, his Italian is a lot better than mine, making conversation with the Signora a lot easier. Speaking of the Signora, she has invited us to dinner tonight as a special treat. She is obligated only to provide breakfast. I bought a dessert to share, and Patrick has decided on a bottle of wine. I plan on letting him handle the dinner conversation, as I get tongue tied trying to respond to her questions.

The second week of school started today.