Last Saturday I had a pleasant afternoon stroll on the streets of Chiavari, only an hour by train from Brignole station with an Italian friend, Sonia. We have a little pact: she wants to practice English and I want to learn more Italian, so we combine this with visits to interesting places. This works well as we always have a lot to chat about history and architecture. Chiavari has plenty of both. There is a seaside promenade and many historical sights, including an impressive looking cathedral, Santuario di Nostra Signora dell'Orto, which has been in the same spot since 1633.
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Sadly, we only had a couple of hours and mainly walked along the main street, Via Martiri della Liberazioni. It was buzzing with people looking for bargains at the market stalls selling food, clothes, shoes and other hard-to-resist items. One of the main attractions of this particular area are several long and narrow porticos offering plenty of protection from the elements. Some of the heavy stone columns are from medieval times. People must have been quite short then as the porticos are quite low.
In many places the historical shop signs have been left in place. A shop currently selling clothes and shoes may have been a pharmacy or a grocery store in the past. These signs are reminders of a different time, perhaps of an era of ladies in long dresses wearing hats and carrying umbrellas on their way to the shops.
Some places have even tried to keep the historical interiors in tact. For example, the deliciously decadent looking cafe/bakery called Defilla with heavy golden framed mirrors on the walls and massive chandeliers should not be missed. It is worth going inside just to admire the interior of this famous cafe.
I also could not resist taking a photo of this particular shop window. You never guess what is their main line of business: electrical goods and hardware!!
Not a bad way to spend a leisurely afternoon. Plenty more to discover the next time.
Sadly, we only had a couple of hours and mainly walked along the main street, Via Martiri della Liberazioni. It was buzzing with people looking for bargains at the market stalls selling food, clothes, shoes and other hard-to-resist items. One of the main attractions of this particular area are several long and narrow porticos offering plenty of protection from the elements. Some of the heavy stone columns are from medieval times. People must have been quite short then as the porticos are quite low.
In many places the historical shop signs have been left in place. A shop currently selling clothes and shoes may have been a pharmacy or a grocery store in the past. These signs are reminders of a different time, perhaps of an era of ladies in long dresses wearing hats and carrying umbrellas on their way to the shops.
Some places have even tried to keep the historical interiors in tact. For example, the deliciously decadent looking cafe/bakery called Defilla with heavy golden framed mirrors on the walls and massive chandeliers should not be missed. It is worth going inside just to admire the interior of this famous cafe.
I also could not resist taking a photo of this particular shop window. You never guess what is their main line of business: electrical goods and hardware!!
Not a bad way to spend a leisurely afternoon. Plenty more to discover the next time.
I really love your Market shot, with the plant in the foreground!
ReplyDeleteThanks Di! Really appreciate your comment. I should have taken more photos, but there is always the next time...
ReplyDelete