By the Sea
 
Genoa was almost an afterthought on our trip to Italy.  We had planned out our itinerary first to attend the Slow Food convention in Piedmont, to explore the Cinque Terre, and to visit the walled city of Lucca.  Since Genoa was on the route back to France, we thought we’d take a couple of days to see what the city had to offer.  Happily, we found a lot to admire in this beautiful, historical, and multi-faceted city.
 
In a port city all roads lead to the sea and that is where our visit began.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The port is lined with marinas, shops, and ships of all shapes and sizes but our prime destination was its world-famous aquarium with its amazing array of sea life.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As we continued our exploration, we discovered the first of many statues dedicated to Genoa’s favorite son, Christopher Columbus.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
But there is more to Genoa than its port and we were enthralled by the stunning architecture we found in its churches....
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
and palaces by day.......
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
......or by night.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And as this was Italy, we expected to eat well and we were not disappointed, whether window shopping......
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
or having lunch at the legendary Trattoria da Maria, a no frills establishment which just concentrates on serving inexpensive, delicious food to workers, businessmen, students, and tourists alike.  We’d go back to Genoa just for a meal there.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Orr d’oeuvres
Sunday, November 23, 2008