TUNNELS, TOLLS AND HOW TO GET AROUND TOWN

There is one big relief - we don't need to buy a car immediately, thanks to an excellent system of public transport (buses stopping at our door step). The traffic in Genoa is probably no worse than any other big European city, but there are couple of special features, which I am very happy to observe from afar first.

When approaching Genoa (let's say from Milan) on the autostrada,  there is an impressive tunnel system to by-pass the city centre. For example, to get to Nervi, where we are, you need to follow the signs to Livorno (which is not at all obvious choice of a road when you look at the map), drive through several tunnels and then take the exit to Nervi. If you take the wrong exit, it may take a while to find your way back to the autostrada...a bit like in America.

The tunnels are very long  and oh boy, do people drive fast in them!

The tunnels are hundreds of meters long and in winter time the bit between exiting and entering the next tunnel can become slippery with ice, which is a real hazard and causes many accidents.

In May, I had to take a taxi once and we were whizzing through one of the tunnels, when I happened to glance the speed meter: 130km/h. I asked the taxi driver, what is the speed limit in these tunnels and he immediately slowed down to 100 km/h. The right answer is 90km/h, as several strategically placed traffic signs clearly indicated. However, be prepared to endure flashing lights from fellow drivers plus impatient attempts to overtake you, if you stick to that limit.

Every now and then along the autostrada (when entering and exiting the road) there is toll station, where you have to pay a fee for using the road.  There are different lanes for paying with coins, notes or with  telepass, which is kind of a reader and lets you pass and debits your account directly.

Using the toll roads is expensive. Old roads are often parallel to the autostrada  and it takes a lot longer to get to the desired destination if using them, however, the scenery is usually much more rewarding compared to the monotony of a motorway.

This is not the best possible picture of the massive number of scooters parked
in the streets of Genoa, but gives an idea anyway.

When in the city, it does not take long to realise, which tribe rules the roads. This is best to be observed on traffic lights: in front of all the cars, there are usually 10-15 scooters/vespas waiting for the green light. Girls in high heels, men in shorts and t-shirts or in suits,  grannies and grandads - everybody uses the scooter. These now come with all kinds of bells and whistles. It is clearly not a done thing to wear heavy leather gear to protect your body, a helmet is enough.

I have already resigned to the fact, that it will not take long before Daughter will spot one essential item, which no Italian teenager can be without...



FINALLY HERE!

Moving out of Malawi was really stressful. No, as a matter of fact, let me be brutally honest: it was hell. I wonder what went wrong. After all, I started to read books about "How to organise your life" already way back last year! Plenty of advise there, it just did not work in practise. To empty a house you have lived for years, was testing to say the least. I almost burst into tears when I opened cupboard after cupboard and there was still more STUFF. Grr... This will never happen again. No to clutter, I say. But in the end, the container was packed and hopefully it is currently sailing somewhere between Africa and Italy. In the meanwhile, we are trying to get everything organised in our rented apartment in Genoa Nervi.

A view from the balcony towards the main road.

Nervi is only approximately 25 minutes by bus from the city centre of Genoa. There is also a train, which goes to one of the main railway stations. The public transport really works wonderfully, there are frequent connections, so no problem there. More about traffic in general later!

Our first task was to get some furniture, as the apartment was rented unfurnished. We managed to find the free bus to IKEA and furthermore, with a pocket English-Italian dictionary, were able to explain to the customer service that we need it delivered. And all of it arrived. In boxes and with instructions how to put it together. John has turned out to be very good in getting it done. He has already built couple of tables and a fabulous display cabinet. The bed with draws is quite complicated, but John is quietly optimistic it will be ready by tomorrow. I have been assisting when asked to hold something and well, you get the picture.

In Italy "unfurnished apartment" means that it is also necessary to get comforts such as fridges and washing machines as nothing is included unless otherwise agreed. We bought a gas cooker from the landlord, however, a new fridge/freezer and the washing machine arrived today. Another interesting detail is that the power supply can be quite temperamental. Because electricity is expensive in Italy (one of the highest tariffs in Europe), people typically have a low voltage,  only 3 KW, as this is cheaper. The problem is that it will not be enough to run a kettle, a cooker and a washing machine at the same time. It is possible to get it changed to 6KW but that attracts a higher tariff compared to the 3KW. We might get it changed, but right now there are other priorities.

The last 7 days have been baking hot, +30 C every single day. Not very different from Malawi, say in end of October, just before the rains. Little by little, this will become our new home.

THE FIRST ENCOUNTER

There is something liberating about being a tourist in a city you are considering as the next base in life. It allows one not to be concerned about everyday issues such as how to open a bank account, why the gas bill is higher than expected or where is the nearest hospital. No. Being a tourist implies that this is a temporary visit and the experience is a welcome break from the place one calls "home" for the time being. It also means that one has a return ticket in the (Italian) handbag and there is a possibility of never going back again.  In other words, you are allowed to be shallow and enjoy it too.

Genoa is pretty easy to explore by walking. We had one "let's check the map moment" when we took a wrong turn.

Genoa's operahouse,Teatro Carlo Felice, was destroyed during the Second World War.
It was rebuilt and finally re-opened in June 1991. This is the place to come and listen to world class performers: there are at least 3-4 classical music recitals monthly and tickets go fast.

 

Genoa is clearly an interesting mixture of history and the present day. It has hills and valleys - big green parks too (82,000 square meters!!) It is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. There are numerous museums, an Aquarium, historical palaces, churches and basilicas. The Port of Genoa is busy with container ships and cruise lines. Genoa is a modern city, yet it is impossible not to stop and admire buildings which scream "I was built hundred years ago". I would have guessed that Genoa has at least million people, but suprisingly, the population is only approximately 600 000 and the whole of Liguria 1.5 million people.

Several forts - at least some of them from the Napoleonic time - can be seen on the hills of Genoa.

The hills seem to be going on and on and on... beautiful.


 

 

This is what I mean: in the city itself, an ancient looking castle and a building site next door

This is the statue of Vittorio Emmanuele II - the king who unified Italy

This marble floor was in excellent condition even though thousands and thousands of people
must have walked through this portico.

As I watch the skyline of the City of Genoa for the very first time from the Hop Inn-Hop Off bus, I am intrigued. I want to know more. I want to know everything there is to know about this City. Have I been seduced? Of course I have. Big Time.


SPRING IN RAPALLO

Some useful sources in all things Italian...

This may come as a surprise but we decided to settle into the Genoa area without visiting it first. Don't take me wrong: we have been in Italy couple of times for holidays and originally considered Turin/Asti area as a possibility. But we decided to dig deeper.  Research is John's passion, and he practically transformed his desk at home into an impressive command post full of guidebooks and maps for months, spending ours on the net on top. Genoa started to feature more and more in our discussions and it became necessary for one of us to visit the place. I volunteered (reluctantly, of course, you understand).

As my Italian is currently limited to a very useful sentence "sono non parlo italiano ancora", I enlisted my Finnish friend Heli to help. She is not only fluent in Italian but also knows a thing or two about the cultural sensitivities. Heli is also an expert in Italian food and she has an uncanny ability to find just the right trattoria with divine food on a side street - need I say more? Fortunately, we also had an Italian friend who was willing to assist, so all that was left to do was to pack the suitcase and go!

Rapallo was chosen as the base camp for research, as it was easy to get there by train (only 1/2 hour  from Genoa Brignole). The autostrada from Milan/Genoa leads to Rapallo as long as one faithfully follows the signs to Livorno so it was a very suitable starting point for other day trips too. 

The spring had just arrived in May, everything looked quite tropical and we had several days of sunshine. Very surprisingly, the climate in Rapallo seemed to favour similar plants we have in Malawi, the same palms, bougainvilleas - I felt instantly at home. Rapallo was very easy to get around by walking. There was also plenty of restaurants. The Elite, very close to the castle of Rapallo on Via Milite Ignoto, is particularly worth a visit. We were asked if a freshly made fish cheviche would appeal as an antipasti. We sat in respectful silence in front of this excellent dish and ate slowly, slowly, enjoying every mouthful.

A busy street next to the main seafront promenade

We stayed at Hotel Italia e Lido, right next to the castle of Rapallo. The hotel has all the best qualities of a family owned place, clearly heavy with tradition. Quite small but clean rooms, and some do come with a seaview too. After this pleasant and welcoming athmosphere, we were ready for the next stop: City of Genoa!

The castle of Rapallo is a good landmark

The castle was built to defend Rapallo, after the town was destroyed in 1550s by

a particularly determined pirate called Dragut.



                        

THE ITALY PROJECT

It started with a vague need to have a Plan B. After years of living in Southern Africa (Malawi)  and very happily thinking that Africa is the place for us for the rest of our lives, we gradually started gravitating towards the idea of returning to Europe for all sorts of reasons.  As I am from Finland and my husband John is Irish, we wanted to find a neutral third country where we would all have to start afresh and where a plane trip to our respective countries would not be 24 hours door-do-door, but three or four max. Our 16 -year old Daughter has had a very happy childhood in Malawi, but now needs something else, such as an opportunity to expericence a Big City life. As all parents of teenagers are aware, it would be risky to let this happen withouth any supervision.

Why Genoa? We like the idea of living on the coast and close to the sea. There are good connections to Milan, Turin and Rome from Genoa. The Italian Riviera is not an entirely unpleasant place to be either, we hear.

We do not yet speak Italian. This will be a challenge as Italy is one of those refreshingly different places where people simply think there is no pressing need to speak English. We are determined to learn the lingo as it might be totally impractical to telephone friends fluent in Italian to translate in case of an emergency.

What will we be doing in Italy? We are not yet entirely sure that there is a comprehensive answer to this question. That is why I have decided to write about it. This is a slightly crazy move. But that is also the beauty of it all.