THE RAIN AIN'T STOPPING IN GENOA

Today there was  a message on my cell. It is from the Comune di Genova informing all residents of the city that there is very heavy rain and a very real possibility of another major flooding.

I only need to look out of the window facing the street to know that it is true: there is already a small river flowing. Luckily the apartment we live in, is high above the street level but this is still worrying. There has been a thunder storm for couple of hours now.

People are being asked to stay inside and not to go outside unless absolutely necessary. No doubt a major traffic chaos will follow. We all knew that it was coming as the cell phone messages keep coming, Last week schools were closed for three days. If the situation has looked to be somewhat under control in the city centre of Genoa, it was far from it elsewhere in Liguria, for example in Santa Marghareta Liguria and Chiavari. And today there are already reports of rising water levels in other parts of Liguria too (www.ilsecoloxix.it)

This flower stand has been on the balcony and quickly filled in with water in couple of hours. 

It was only barely a month ago that the heavy rains caused major flooding in the city centre of Genoa. One person died, many had to abandon their homes and cars in great haste and millions of euro worth of damage was caused by flash floods. An army of volunteers,  quickly named as the "mud angels" started spontaneously arriving to the city centre to clean the mud, dirt and water. I was not here at that time, but the damage has been visible to this day, especially in the Brignole area, where many shop owners lost their stock and had to close down, temporarily or in some cases for good. Unfortunately insurance companies do not come to the rescue as flooding is not covered in most policies. Some businesses have tried to salvage what they could by selling flood damaged goods outside their premises. What has angered the residents of Genoa is that a similar devastating flood happened in 2011 and the city received emergency funding for essential infrastructure repairs. Very little has happened though because there was a dispute regarding the tender process of who should be awarded the contract and the money is still sitting somewhere three years later.

PRESCRIPTION VALID FOR ALL EU COUNTRIES - DOES IT WORK?

I have high blood pressure and the daily tablet has become a necessity I cannot live without. Yes, I know that loosing five to ten kilos combined with vigorous daily exercise would help too and in the end I might not need any pills, but I haven't got that far yet.  

Usually, when I am in Finland I go and see my doctor to stock up on these tablets so that I don't run out. Last time I visited my country of birth, there were several news articles about a new EU directive which says that a prescription given in one EU country is valid in all EU member states providing that you have asked your doctor to give you an EU prescription. 

That is worth trying, I thought and promptly got one. 

This morning I realised that I have only five tablets left and therefore, it will be necessary to go to a pharmacy here in Genoa. I assumed that there might be problems: perhaps it needs to be translated in Italian? Perhaps this type of medicine is not sold here? Perhaps I need all sorts of documents to prove that this is a genuine prescription? Armed with the correct vocabulary and ready to explain, I went to the nearest pharmacy. 

The pharmacist took the prescription and nodded.
He went to get the tablets.

I paid and left. Time elapsed: 5 minutes. 

Perhaps people advocating against the EU forget this type of little benefits the EU membership brings to ordinary citizens. For once, someone out there in that big bunker in Brussels has been thinking about practical problems faced by millions of EU citizens and got it right! 

HUNTING FOR SPICES IN PORTO ANTICO

I really, really like Italian food. 

But there are times when nothing but a curry full of chili and exotic spices will do. For some reason, I get this craving especially when the weather turns hot. 

  When I moved to Genoa, this was a big problem because initially I could not find any hot spices or curry pastes in the shops. Coconut milk was a particular challenge. The mainstream supermarkets stock soy sauce and some very mild Mexican salsa sauce, but that was about as exotic as they are prepared to go. 

This is one of the shops on Via Gramsci in Porto Antico selling spices, all types of rice, curry pastes, spicy sauces and coconut milk. 

   Even though chili is certainly used in Italy  - I have even come across one Italian who actually makes his own mule kick strength chili sauce - it is usually in a very mild form, unless you are in Calabria: there they make nduja salami where one of the key ingredients are roasted hot red peppers. 

   But in Genoa? I found some spices and sauces from tiny ethnic shops in centro storico. The problem was that as much as I wanted to remember the exact street corner and address, I never did and even if I did, I always seemed to arrive on a wrong time of day and the shop was closed for lunch or a holiday. 

We are definitely eating a Thai curry tonight and I already have roasted couple of eggplants for baba ganoush, where tahini is one of the "must have" ingredients. 

Then one day I was on bus number 20 coming towards Porto Antico and saw a very welcome sign for Asia-Africa-South America market on Via Antonio Gramsci. I went back there later and ever since then I have been a regular customer. This is not the only "ethnic" shop on this street, there are at least two others, where the selection is quite similar, but perhaps more catering for people looking for authentic Japanese and Chinese food ingredients. 

FESTIVAL BANDS WITH HAPPY TUNES IN GENOA

I could kick myself for not realising earlier last week that there was an International Music Festival going on in Genoa! Shame, as I missed the party in Porto Antico, where the Copenhagen Showband from Denmark danced on the street ( http://www.ilsecoloxix.it/p/multimedia/genova/2014/07/12/ARbWr5AB-grande_genova_tutto.shtml?hpar=1.) Some lucky friends had also been on Piazza Matteotti on Saturday evening where several bands played happy dancing tunes until very late into the night.

Finally I managed to see some of the action yesterday at Palazzo Ducale - last day of the festival - where bands from Hungary, France, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Israel, Italy and Spain entertained an enthusiastic audience with everything from old classical numbers to jazzy pieces of contemporary film music.

Concert Band of Sarvar from Hungary 

The Junior Orchestr Plzen from Czech Republic has won several band competitions and it showed, they were a joy to listen to. 

This was the sixth time Filarmonica Sestrese www.imf.filarmonicasestrese.com has organised such a huge, international gathering for brass bands, marching bands and youth orchestras. The whole event was free to the general public, thanks to generous sponsorship from the public and private sector.

When one band finished, another one took the stage. Here are members of the German band Fanfarengarde getting ready to play.

SEDUCED BY FRUITS OF SUMMER

Today I felt like a modern day hunter gatherer after a little stroll on our street. 

There are two tiny shops (literally the size of one small room each) selling organic, home grown veggies and fruits. It is always worth going into these shops to see what is on offer and worry about recipes later. In any case, I have stopped making shopping lists since it is a totally useless activity here: I am so easily seduced by whatever looks delicious. Even though I am not always sure what to do with some less familiar vegetables (for some reason artichokes come to mind), I trust that Jamie, Nigella and others have explored this neighbourhood before me and I have never been let down by any of them yet. 

Right now it looks like cherries are on their way out, but on the other hand fresh figs have arrived. Nigella suggests figs preserved in rum and I might try that. I also picked a bunch of dried oregano - the perfume is simply divine and it looks pretty on the kitchen counter too. The blueberries were a bit of a surprise, since they were not particularly sweet, but they will taste perfect in muffins or mixed with yoghurt and sunflower seeds with little bit of honey for breakfast. Garlic makes a regular appearance in almost anything I cook and the cloves of these were big and plump. The lemons are from a friend who came by yesterday and said that there is too much growing in her garden and would I like to have some. Yes, please!  

PROTECTOR OF THE SEA AND THE VERY FIRST VEGAN SAINT

Yesterday afternoon we went to watch a ceremony in the small boat harbour in Nervi.  It was the annual blessing of the sea by Saint Francis of Paola (or Francesco di Paola as he is better known here). Last year we missed it, so I was glad we had an opportunity to see it now.
   It was a hot day and there was quite a crowd watching the procession of the statue of Francis arriving to the porticiolo. First, he was transferred to a small boat with the priest from the local parish and they then went out to the sea.

Francis is thought to be the patron saint of all mariners, boatsmen and the navy. As with all saints, there are many stories about miracles associated with him.

  According to one legend, Francis of Paola was once refused a passage by a boatman when crossing the Strait of Messina to Sicily. Despite this setback, Francis managed to get to the other side. He put his cloak on the water and made it a rudimentary sail by tying it on his staff www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Paola. The wind took to the sail and carried Francis over.

A small number of boats followed to the spot where the actual blessing took place, while the spectators on shore were entertained by a local brass band. They returned 15 minutes later and St Francis was put back on dry land. Couple of very strong looking guys lifted up a big cross of Christ, followed by the statue of Francis and then the procession moved towards the small harbour, stopping every now and then for prayers.

Slowly, we approached the local church, which was not far away.

The bells of the church started playing a very joyful melody as soon as the procession appeared.This was definitely not a pre-recorded tape, but someone who was clearly enjoying a bit of a "solo".
  St Francis, by the way, founded an order of monks. He was very fond of animals and therefore this must have been the very first vegan order in the world as the monks were not allowed to eat meat, fish, dairy, eggs or cheese. Quite ahead of his time, I think.

A GARAGE IS WORTH A FORTUNE

"There in 5, just have to find a parking space first!" said a text from a friend. 

I know what this means. The chances of finding a parking space near our apartment on a busy weekend night is slim and it might be closer to 15 minutes before my friend appears. But in truth, finding a free parking space in whole of Genoa is a real pain. 

We don't own a car at the moment because it is more practical and less costly than having one. True, there has been moments when I wish we had a car, for example, when I am coming home from a supermarket with three bags instead of one, when waiting for trains which never arrive or not being able to drive to a beach in France at a moment's notice without planning well ahead and renting a car. 

  But if we had one, we would almost certainly also need a garage or "box" as it is more commonly known. These are not cheap: they cost anything between 50 000 to 120 000 euro to buy, providing that you find one in the first place. When buying an apartment, a box  is not necessarily included in the deal either. Instead of sinking this amount of money just to keep the car out of the street, many people prefer to rent a parking space or a box. This is considerably cheaper, approximately 80 to 100 euro a month. 

For the time being, owning a car is more trouble than it's worth for us, but who knows, one day we might be in a queue for a box... 

DIET ALONE DOES NOT EXPLAIN ITALIAN LONGEVITY

I was recently introduced to an elderly Italian lady, who turned out to be the mother of a friend. She looked very elegant, not a hair in a wrong place, well dressed and slim. She was well over 70, but if she would have told me that her age is 60, I would have totally believed her. I also know another lady, who lives on her own, walks without any difficulties and seems to be in excellent physical health in general. Every day she leaves her apartment to have a walk, looking like she has just come out from a beauty salon with perfect make-up and hair. I was genuinly surprised when she told me her age: 83. Elderly Italian men also seem to be well preserved. My favourite butcher's shop is run by a gentleman,who I suspect is close to 90. 

  It is often said that the Mediterranean diet is the reason for longevity. Lots of fruity olive oil, fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit every day plus couple of glasses of red wine with a meal. A good, healthy diet is certainly a factor. 

  But there are other reasons, too.  

  Elderly people are an inseparable part of a larger community here. They go to shops, they stop to say "ciao" to friends, they talk in small groups on street corners every afternoon. They know everyone's family histories because in general people don't move very often but stay in the same neighbourhood several decades. They work way past official retirement age, especially, if it is a family business. 

  Ladies go to dance classes and walk up mountains. They might think about marrying again after 70. 

  Elderly people use local buses to the extent where all the seats meant for invalids are already taken by the most deserving cases and there might be elderly men and women supported by walking sticks standing. I have often seen an elderly person sitting on a balcony or watching out of the window to the street, observing passers-by. 

   When the time comes, I wish I will be like them: moving, shaking and passionately screaming one word - life! 

GIRO D'ITALIA WAS HERE!

Italian flags and pink balloons were flying high in the Ligurian Riviera and Genoa today, when the Giro d'Italia cyclists showed who are the true kings of the road. They were welcomed by cheering crowds who were shouting words of encouragement and applauding to the fast pedalling group trying to complete stage 11 of the race today.

The route started in Collecchio and finished in Savona, total of 249 kilometres. We managed to get a glimpse of them in Nervi around 2. 40 PM. Luckily our neighbours have a balcony facing the street and we all took positions, cameras ready, just on time: it was all over in 20 seconds!

 There is clearly an enourmous organisation behind this race and this could be appreciated both while waiting for the cyclists to appear and when they had become tiny spots on the road.

Even though the whole moment was over in matter of seconds, there was a feeling of a carneval in the air long time after the cyclists were gone!

CATS ARE THE NATION'S FAVOURITE PETS

I love cats, but cannot have one in the apartment because a) our rental contract stipulates that pets are not allowed and  b) I have become allergic to hair in animals. In the past our family has had both cats and dogs in large numbers, but the circumstances were very different in Africa, where our pets were able to walk in and out of the house freely. 

  Soon after moving to the new apartment I realised that there are at least three cats, who come and go to our nearest rooftop to enjoy the sun. They can be seen on a particular part of the roof almost every day. I don't know who owns them, but these cats are one of the largest specimens I have ever seen. Well fed with shiny coats, too. I have tried to observe them discreetly, because they are not very trusting of strangers. They are actually positively hostile, as cats often are (until you start feeding them, which I have promised not to do). But they do allow me to adore them from afar. 

Living in a small apartment is no obstacle for Italians. According to a survey published last year, 55.3 % of Italian families have one or more pets. Cats are leading the popularity charts with 7.5 million of them having a loving Italian owner. Dogs come a close second with 7 million having been accepted as a member of the family. 1.8 million rabbits, hamsters and mice have also been included in the statistics collected by Assalco, an association for pet nutrition and health. 

  Dogs are especially visible on the streets and public places. They travel in buses and trains. They come to shops and owners may even allow their dogs to share the shopping trolley with their purchases, especially in IKEA. It is not uncommon to see a resident dog in a shop welcoming customers or preventing them to enter the establishment (in which case they may have misunderstood their role a bit). There may even be a sign on the shop window informing customers that they can take their dog into the shop but they must be aware that there already is a "friendly" canine inside. 

   Most restaurants have no problem for a dog to wait under the table while their owners are having a meal. I have even been in a classical music concert in Genoa, where a fairly large dog was sitting next to its owner throughout the concert. Granted, it was an afternoon matinee and not a symphony orchestra either, but I was astonished to see such a well behaving dog.

  Dog ownership comes with regulations to know and obey. If you are moving to Italy from an EU country or anywhere else, remember to register your dog's residency in the local Anagrafe Canina (the vet will know). A friend of ours was recently fined for about 50 euro for having an unregistered "alien dog". This was discovered when three officials stopped him in the street and checked the dog's microchip with a small buzzing device. Not knowing about the rules was not accepted as an excuse. He had to pay the fine. 

HUFFING AND PUFFING UP THE MOUNTAIN WE WENT

Yesterday was such a glorious day that staying inside was not an option. We decided to check out the views 202 metres above the sea level on the mountain of St Ilario, which we can see from one of the windows in our apartment. 

There are two ways to get up there: you can either cheat and take bus number 516 from Nervi to the last stop and walk from there or you can have a really good leisurely work out session on the way up through the long, narrow alleyways and hundreds of stone steps. This is an excellent way to find out one's current level of fitness and it is really worth it. In the end, it took us roughly half an hour to walk up to the mountain, not bad at all. 

  On our way up we could not help but wonder how do people manage to live on the mountainside. Judging by the number of private gates and doors to numerous buildings next to the stone steps, there must be quite a large community of people out there. Daily tasks, such as carrying shopping bags or getting mail delivered, could be interesting challenges when there is only a limited access to the main road. 

 As soon as the top of the mountain is in sight, there is a short, well positioned  promenade with delightful views across the sea and an ancient church Cappella San Rocco di Nervi, nice and cool escape from the heat, full of local history. Looking down from the promenade, Nervi is like a toy town. The trains passing through Nervi station could easily be part of a skillfully built miniature train set. The size of the park of Nervi can  also only really be appreciated when looking at it from high up.

 There are no cafees or restaurants in the immediate vicinity of the promenade, but it is certainly possible to find a quiet spot for a picnic. Going down on the same stone steps is faster than walking up,  but a word of warning: if you have any knee problems, there might be some painful moments. 

EARLY MORNING AND THE AMBULANCE IS COMING

In the early hours of today I had to call an ambulance.

John woke up with intense pain in his right arm, something that had been there for couple of days but was by now considerably worse. A tennis elbow, for sure? We thought that couple of painkillers would take care of the problem, but this was a case for something far stronger than paracetamol. So much worse that around 3.30 am I woke up with John screaming in pain. He had some kind of a muscle spasm, we realised later. Then he passed out. Came back to this world again, but only just. It was pretty frightening. John's face was totally white, he looked very sick. John barely responded to my frantic attempts to get him to answer me when I called his name. I decided that it was time to get the professionals in as it was obvious that this was beyond my thin internet based knowledge of the science of medicine and way past the "best before" date of the first aid course I took years ago. 

  It is so funny what you remember and what you don't remember in a situation like this. Such as: what is the emergency number....

  I called 112 and got quickly transferred to the right people and talked to a lady who had clearly dealt with panicky people before, possibly one every 5 minutes. She reassured me in Italian that an ambulance was coming, trying to assess the situation at the same time. Is this a heart attack? The pain was on the right side, so no. But it was still a very serious pain. The Genoa ambulance service got there pretty quickly, just 20 minutes or so. By the time they arrived, John was concious again and was able to walk to the ambulance where he was put on a stretcher.

   Believe me, in a real emergency things are suddenly happening like in a slow motion movie. The ambulance men said that John may need his trousers, for example. And did I think I might be coming in the same ambulance to accompany John to the hospital. Oh yes, I should get dressed too. It is amazing what kind of a combo you can think of when you have exactly 3 minutes, definitely not one of those fashion moments worthy of a selfie.  In John's case, he got the trousers but still had his heavy woollen night socks on his feet plus shoes. At least I knew how to behave in the ambulance: watching all those episodes of "Casualty" were not in vain. 

  We were taken to San Martino hospital's accident and emergency department. Within half an hour John had been processed, had his first medication and was waiting for a cardiogram, which he had very quickly. We were lucky, there were not very many other patients. Then we waited for the morning shift to come in and a doctor saw him couple of hours later.  We were reassured at every turn that we had not been forgotten in the corridor and people were unfailingly friendly. John got medication and even though this particular problem will need a long time to go away totally, he is fine and now recovering at home. 

  The ambulance service is run by trained volunteers, if I have understood correctly. They depend on donations and the goodwill of the community. Never have I had such a good reason to be grateful for this service. Next time I see them asking for a donation, there is no need for speeches. 

They deserve every single euro they get. 

  San Martino hospital is a very large establishment in Genoa and they take care of  thousands of patients every year. It is easy to be critical about hospitals, but perhaps "thank you" are the words we should be saying more often. And today there was a good reason to do so. 

FRUSTRATING TIMES BUT A NEW BEGINNING AWAITS

There has been a long silence on this blog but there is a good reason for it: we have moved to a new apartment. Still in the same neighbourhood, so not a biggie. We also love the new place and are very happy to have found it.

Moving to a new apartment is an excellent opportunity to discover all the useless stuff which has been hiding in cupboards and dark corners in the previous place. This time I will be ruthless! "If it has not been used for the past year and a half, it is not needed" is my new motto. 

Nevertheless, this has been a very difficult and frustrating three weeks and during this period I have almost started questioning the decision to come and live in Italy in the first place. Honestly, I can barely believe that we are in Europe. The endless delays and explanations why something cannot be done today but next week are driving me to the point of utter exhaustion. The lessons I have learned in the last couple of weeks are priceless and the next time I know that moving must be planned like a military operation. 

Perhaps the most infuriating issue was discovering that there was no electricity meter in the place and a new one had to be ordered. This has turned out to be a very difficult thing to solve. Customer service is the last thing the electricity company is interested in. For them it is totally reasonable to ask people to wait anything between 4 to 6 weeks while they are getting their paper work in order. The gas company was not much better. There was a long delay in getting the gas connected because the gas people could not come to an agreement which gas meter belonged to our apartment. Luckily, this has now been sorted out and we finally got our gas cooker to work last week. Hot water and heating system is also now operational (only that there has been a general problem with gas in Genoa and everyone has been asked not to put their heating on or to use gas for cooking only, but that is another story!). Even though we started the process of getting new gas/electricity contracts well before moving into the new apartment, it has taken a lot of time and effort to settle in properly. We are also only dreaming about the internet connection inside the apartment at the moment. It is probably going to take another six weeks as the telephone company people have to come and sort out the telephone line.... 

However, we are finally in the new place. Hopefully all this will be a distant history very soon, my blood pressure will return to normal levels again and all the unpacked boxes have dissapeared from the lounge. Patience, patience. 

This Christmas tree seems to be in the back of the building more or less permanently. waiting for another December. Quite practical as there is no need to decorate it again. 

LOOKING FOR A BETTER LIFE IN THE UK

The internet radio is a wonderful invention. Thanks to that I listen to the radio much more than I used to, often while cooking or doing boring stuff in the kitchen. Recently I happened to have the BBC Radio 4 on and there was an interesting discussion about freedom of movement in the European Union area. 

  They interviewed young, educated and upward mobile Italians who have moved to the UK in hope for a better life. For these young professionals Italy represented a place with no jobs and no opportunities. Unfortunately, they are right. Italy's economic growth has been very slow for many years now and unemployment is on the rise. In January 2014 Italy's youth unemployment rate jumped to 42.2 %. There are not enough jobs for graduates either (read more on www.italoeuropeo.com). Average monthly wages are very low in Italy compared to what you could earn in a fast moving, happening economy such as Britain. In Britain professional advancement is also not entirely a question of who you know or how good your parents are in networking. Wages are higher in Britain (but so are living costs). And if you can take the rain, wind and winter floods, why not use the right to seek your fortunes elsewhere. But will these young people return to Italy one day? Judging by the interviews on the BBC Radio 4, it's unlikely. 

AN AFTERNOON IN CHIAVARI

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.

  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.

THE DAY IN MILAN THAT NEVER HAPPENED

I was supposed to be in Milan yesterday. Got on the train very early in the morning at Brignole station and settled down to read a book. I love travelling by train and despite all the bad publicity trains get here for being constantly late, I still much prefer trains to planes and cars. Couple of minutes later we arrived to the next station, Piazza Principe. An Italian man came to the cabin (there are six seats in one cabin) and said that I was sitting on his seat. I took out my cellphone with the SMS from Trenitalia and checked my number and it was correct.The man went to get the conductor, who arrived just when the train left the Piazza Principe station. He had one look at my ticket and declared that it was for the next day (meaning today) and therefore, I did not have a ticket. And he was right. Naturally, by this time all the other passengers in the cabin were mighty interested in what was going on. 

As this was an Intercity train, the next station was Tortona, an hour away. Luckily, the conductor did not start demanding that I should pay a fine, which would have been quite a lot (I think 80 euro). I am sure he had seen it all before and realised that this was a genuine mistake. I got off in Tortona and returned to Genoa, the day ruined!!! But I learned my lesson: when buying a ticket on the internet, check what you click on the travel date section before proceeding to pay... 

MY LITTLE POT OF ESPRESSO

People, I know what you think. "This woman has been in Italy for well over a year and not - repeat - not made a cup of espresso at home yet." Iknowiknowiknow. But I have owned an espresso pot for well over a year and that counts for something. Today was the day I decided to use it for the very first time.
  In the beginning, I actually did not like espresso much. Too dark and bitter coffee for my liking. But the coffee culture in Italy is so addictive. At 10 am every morning I either want to go to a coffee shop and have a shot of espresso, often with a cornetto (brioche) - or I make coffee at home, usually an instant...
  Naturally, there are now very fancy coffee making machines in the market and capsules with different flavours so that you can be your own barista, but I like the shape and size of my espresso pot and prefer to make coffee this way. Especially now that I know how easy it is. 

I found excellent step-by-step instructions from this blog  www.thehungrymouse.com - so well worth checking it out, if you want some re-assurance on the actual process of making a decent cup of espresso. 

  There are couple of things to be aware of. An Italian friend told me that when making espresso in a never before used pot for the first time, you have to throw away the first cup of espresso because it often tastes bitter. Did that. The other thing is to make sure that you do not boil the water too fast or on a too big flame of gas. Again, the espresso will become bitter very quickly. You are also not supposed to peak inside the coffee pot all the time. Leave the lid on and the little pot will do its job. So, all this advice in mind, I set to make  a shot of espresso.

   I put cold water on the bottom part of the pot, up until the little screw mark. Then I added 3-4 teaspoons of coffee to the second part, enough to fill the small container. All that was left, was to tighten up the top part in place and set the pot on a moderate flame of gas on the stove.

 After couple of minutes, there was a bubbly sound. When that finished I took the pot off the flame and took a peak inside: there it was, my very first home made espresso. It tasted very good, too!!! Success!!

THE DIFFERENT SIDES OF EDWARD M

It is incredibly expensive to bring in an art exhibition featuring an international star. Decisions are made years in advance. Then it is the actual transportation of priceless paintings across borders and setting up the whole exhibition. In this light, it is exciting that  the city of Genoa and the Foundation of Palazzo Ducale have decided to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of the most famous Norwegian artist, Edward Munch, at Palazzo Ducale where 120 of his paintings and lithographs are on display until April. 

  If there ever was an artist who has suffered from over exposure of one piece of work, it has to be Munch's painting "Scream". Thankfully, the original painting is not on display among the works selected for this exhibition, however, it is featured in the parallel exhibition of Andy Warhol's works titled  "After Munch". These are on show for the first time in Europe. 

 I have recently read Munch's biography by Atle Naess. Munch had a very stormy life full of dramatic events, such as being involved in a shooting incident where the other participant was his over jealous and totally obsessed girlfriend who would have been classified as a stalker, if it would have happened today. Munch's life story fresh in my mind, I was curious to see the works. 

  But I have to say, the exhibition left me lukewarm. There was a whole room dedicated to portraits of the family of Max Linde, Munch's supporter and someone who commissioned him when nobody else would. These were sweet and presumably the likeness was praised by everyone, but a whole room of these portraits? In general, there were a lot of portraits. There were very few works from his early years. Most of the lithographs did not speak to me at all. 

   If I compare this to last year's blockbuster at Palazzo Ducale, the Miro exhibition, it was not half as interestingly put together as the Miro was. There was one particularly delightful surprise at the end though: music by an English composer Frederick Delius, who met Munch in Paris around 1896. We are told that they both influenced each other and wanted to collaborate by creating a work which would combine painting with music. This never happened. We can only guess what kind of a painting would have accompanied the beautiful piece of music by Delius, "Aqvarelles". In any case, it is a very fitting tribute to Munch. 

OLLI MUSTONEN SHINES AT CARLO FELICE

If you love classical music, there is one particular place you cannot possibly miss in town: Teatro Carlo Felice, the local opera house and concert hall ( www.carlofelicegenova.it ) conveniently located at the Piazza de Ferrari. 

I recently went to a concert there by the Finnish pianist and conductor Olli Mustonen. 

 The concert started with one minute's silence to honor the much loved Italian conductor Claudio Abbado, who died last week at the age of 80. Abbado performed at Carlo Felice only last year and Mustonen's concert was dedicated to his memory. 

  I especially loved Mustonen's own composition Three Mysteries. Not sure, if the Italian audience was totally convinced of its qualities though: an elderly lady sitting quite close to me made her feelings known by saying loudly "I don't like it" in Italian. I choose to believe that she was in the minority, judging by the very warm and long applauds Mustonen received at the end of the concert, which also featured Mozart's piano concerto 20 (K466) and Tsaikovski's symphony number 4. Mustonen is one of those very few musicians, who can conduct the orchestra at the same time as performing the concerto as a soloist. It was quite fascinating to watch Mustonen in action: he lives the music with his whole body. 

  For many years Carlo Felice has been in financial difficulties and last year there was a real threat of bankruptcy. There was a lot of talk in the papers about the possibility of Carlo Felice being closed down altogether. But luckily they seem to have survived the rocky waters. It is worth keeping an eye on their current programme. You can even try to get a cheaper ticket one hour before performances, if you are not too bothered where your seat is. There are some free concerts on offer on Sundays and aperitivos with jazz on Thursdays or Fridays. Stuffy place it isn't, this Carlo Felice. 

NO SALT PLEASE, THIS IS A MICROBIOTIC MEAL

For the first time ever, I was asked to present an ID when I went out for lunch with a friend this week. We had agreed to meet at the macrobiotic restaurant in Nervi  (Via Commercio, close to the end stop of bus #17). I was not aware about this in advance, but this restaurant is for members only. If you want to eat there, you have to become a member. That is easily said and done, there are no particular requirements for becoming a member, but you have to have your ID when going there for the first time so that a membership card can be issued.
  The restaurant is run by volunteers. The menu is written on a board and you get what is available on that day - not from a long list of dishes. Around lunchtime the place was full of Italians enjoying a different kind of an eating experience and many of them had brought containers to take food home as well, in case there is too much to eat. Wasting food is strongly discouraged. There was also a notice on the table that cellphones must be switched off. Another first in a restaurant. 

   I had never tasted microbiotic food before. My friend explained that microbiotic diet is based on a whole philosophy about how you should eat food that is in season and locally grown, mostly grains and vegetables and avoid anything that is processed. It is all about balance, ying and yang. This balance can be achieved by eating whole grain cereals (brown rice, barley, millet, oats, quinoa, spelt, rye) together with cooked or raw vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and fish. So, not totally vegetarian then. But not all vegetables qualify as microbiotic food. For example, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, spinach and eggplant should be avoided altogether. But on the other hand, using cabbage and carrots is a highly recommended combination. 

   As a starter, we were given a vegetable soup with small pieces of wholewheat pasta in it. I am not wild about pasta in a soup, even though it is common in a minestrone. The soup was quite thin and there was no salt. Good news for those who suffer from high blood pressure (as I do) but I could not taste any other spices either, such as herbs. The main meal consisted of a tasty risotto, which had olives in it (very good) and a nice relish made out of cabbage and carrots combined with cooked beans and a wholewheat pasta with a sauce. The risotto, veggies and beans were tasty and nice, but I have to say that the wholewheat pasta was totally overcooked and did not look very appetizing either. All this was washed down with a glass of warm japanese bancha tea. 

  Afterwards we went to the macrobiotic shop, which is right next door to the restaurant. I stocked up with honey, bisquits, cabbage and the bancha tea. There was a good selection of all kinds of organic and natural products, including freshly baked whole wheat bread. 

 Would I go back? Perhaps. I felt really good for many hours after the meal. However, I don't think that I would be able to follow a totally microbiotic diet - too restricted. And I do need some salt. Tomatoes also appear on our dinner table every day.  But every now and then, why not? 

RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING ON THE FLOOR

Back in Genoa after the holidays! Feels good. We went to Finland for Christmas and oh boy, it was dark, dark, dark - no snow whatsoever, quite unusual for this time of year and very depressing too. Normally, I would expect Helsinki to be closer to the temperatures currently experienced in Chicago. It was a quite a relief to arrive to Genoa, where we  enjoy at least a short periods of blue sky and rays of sunshine on most days, even though it is quite cloudy and rainy too. The temperature has been between +9 to +14 C this week, not bad at all. 

On New Year's eve we went to a party in Nervi with friends and staggered home at 4 am - something I have not done for about 30 years! Seriously. The first day of the year 2014 was a very quiet one... 

But last week it was time to get back into action.

For quite some time - almost a whole year actually - we have had a problem on the wall in the lounge area. Structurally, this wall faces outside and is therefore open to the elements. First, it was only a little stain on the wall, but last winter was quite stormy and with time this developed into proper rain damage and the plaster started peeling off at an alarming phase.We alerted the landlord early on, but apart from a visit to assess the damage, nothing has really happened for months. I have to say, that we have very good landlords and I mean it. If ever there has been the tiniest thing wrong in the apartment, they have repaired and fixed it in record time.They definitely have tried to get some action on this. But it is a bigger problem and clearly involves negotiations with other people who own properties in the same building. Essentially, it is probably a question of how to share the cost of structural repairs.

The whole thing got a little bit more urgent last week, because - apart from the peeling plaster - we also had a proper leak on the ceiling. There were couple of days of rain and clearly the weight of the water sitting on the roof became a bit too much. I went to the lounge and was surprised to get my socks wet, which made me to look up to the ceiling and notice the very big drops of water happily coming down to the parquet floor. A bucket and a large bath towel were on constant duty for hours. Luckily, the rain eventually stopped and we have been able to assess the seriousness of the latest problem a bit better. 

This week we have had a committee of people coming to see the damage. Measurements have been taken. The outside wall and roof has been inspected. Everyone is in agreement that it is a big problem. No promises have been made but the general consensus is that speedy action is necessary. We have been told that there is a plan to repair this, but it will take time.

This has also made us think one other issue: if  we ever decide to buy an apartment, the top floor may not be ideal. These old houses are clearly built for sunshine only. Farewell to my dreams of a roof top terrace. 

In the meanwhile, I have a bucket and a towel ready.