STORM APPROACHING

I woke up last night to the sound of constant rain and wind. This morning the sky is all grey with heavy clouds. The local paper, Il Secolo, says that the Commune di Genova has declared Level 1 alert: some schools are closed and people are told to avoid places such as the sea promenade and parks in Nervi. The storm called "Medusa" is expected to hit Genoa this afternoon with heavy showers of rain and strong winds. There is also a slight possibility of flooding - hope it does not get too bad. Definitely a day to stay at home.

NICOLE KIDMAN FILMING IN GENOA

There has been an announcement on our bus stop the whole week in big green letters, flashing on the screen: Via Balbi is closed, use an alternative route, please. Nothing out of the ordinary as such.

However, this time it is not roadworks but  the Australian filmstar Nicole Kidman stopping the traffic. Kidman has been filming her latest movie, "Grace of Monaco", directed by Oliver Dahan, at Palazzo Reale on Via Balbi. One of the most famous rooms of the palace is being used in some scenes instead of the real palace of Monaco.

Kidman has been staying at Hotel Savoy and her admirers have spotted the actress going in and out of the hotel "in character" wearing a blue sweater, big sunglasses and hair styled like the late Grace of Monaco. She has gracefully stopped to wave to fans from a distance, reports the local paper, Il Secolo.

STAY CALM, WE ARE LANDING AT CRISTOFORO COLOMBO AIRPORT

Having done some globetrotting for couple of weeks, I finally flew back home from London Gatwick to Genoa Cristoforo Colombo airport yesterday. This was my last leg after being on the move for 24 hours already. We left wet, misty and wintry London with the BA flight on time.

  It is only a short hour and a half hop from London to Genoa.  The captain sounded very warm and welcoming on the intercom, the usual cheery and professional "you just relax there and leave the flying to me" - type of an announcement, spiced with some information about weather conditions in Genoa. Not that I was listening, as I was too tired to register anything.

  We soon approached the airport after an uneventful time up in the air and the crew prepared everyone  for landing. I knew that the runway at Cristoforo Colombo is a bit short - it is only 2.9 km long -  and that the sea is right next to it. You can often see container ships alarmingly close to the landing strip.

   This time the plane was just about to touch down, when it suddenly shot up again. I know this happens all the time at airports, it is totally normal and a sensible thing to do, if the conditions are not ideal. But it is a different matter altogether, when you are sitting on the said plane and hoping that there is enough fuel, that the pilot has done this before and not just in a simulator. Passengers around me suddenly started chatting. I heard comments such as "it is a dangerous airport, this one", "happens all the time", "planes have ended up to the sea"... hold on! What???

  After some agonising minutes, there was an announcement from the very confident sounding captain, who explained that the crew had not been 100 % happy with the landing conditions, therefore, he had decided to abort the landing and we would now try again. 15 minutes later the plane was positioned to land from a different direction and down we came, with a little bump but quite smoothly, under the circumstances. The passengers gave spontaneous applauds to the captain and the crew.

  Back at home I immediately checked the Aviation Safety Network (www. flightsafety.org) to find out if it is true that Genoa is a dangerous place to land. The last recorded incident with fatalities occurred in 1999 when a domestic flight from Cagliari failed to land in 15-18 knot winds and crashed to the sea. Out of 31 people on board, 4 died.

  Even though I take comfort in statistics, I also know that from now on, there is an additional factor every time I arrive to Genoa by air. Trains from Milano do sound quite an attractive alternative, but in truth this would be too impractical. The only thing to do is to stay calm and land at Cristoforo Colombo....

THE NIGHT OF WITCHES AND WIZARDS

I have always thought that Halloween is mainly an American invention, which has not really taken root anywhere else. How wrong can one be. Despite heavy rains, ice cold wind and very stormy weather in general, people here in Nervi were pretty determined to celebrate Halloween last night. This could also have something to do with the fact that we are having two public holidays (All Saints and All Souls Days) in the middle of the week, which means that it is a looooong weekend in Italy.

   In our neighbourhood, children were dressed as witches and wizards, going around apartments. "Trick or treat" is a tradition well alive here. One particular group of kids in our apartment block were having lots of fun giggling for ages in the hallway before mustering enough courage to ring doorbells - they did collect quite a few treats. This week the bakeries have sold special, very yummy Halloween cookies and there has been Halloween costume parties at schools.

   However, Halloween is not just for kids. In several Italian cities, Genoa included, many night time events are organised. A friend told me that in Genoa you can collect a map in the centre of town late in the evening.  The map does not have street names. Your task is to find several "treasures" marked on the map and when you arrive to the spot, there might be a performance, delicious food or something else to remember.

  I would have loved to test this, but sadly the storm kept us indoors with hot drinks and less spooky entertainment.  Next year, perhaps. Winter has finally arrived, no doubt about it!