Liguria

In the few months of living in Italy I have had several moments of flashbacks and recall of memories of my past lives. With what audacity do I have to speak about a past lives? I bestow the power upon myself within reason and with a very good explanation.Each time I have relocated to a new country I consider that starting a new life. So I would roughly calculate myself as having had eight lives already and I’m well in my way to my ninth life.

This particular flashback was brought on when my traveling buddies and I were in the Italian Rivera, in Liguria , the north-western coastal region of Italy. We were on the search for mussels, well just really good fresh sea food at restaurants. We had some hits and some misses in our search. The best seafood that we found was at the local fish market in La Spezia. It’s a pity that we only got to see the seafood and not cook it for ourselves. The cooked seafood at the several restaurants we tried left a lot to be desired. I would say in my limited Italian that it was così così (so-so).

Mussels at the market in La Spezia

Fish at the market

While walking through the fish market I remembered growing up on the Mamaroneck Harbor in the USA and having our land-lord and his brother come looking for mussels in our backyard that led to the shore. I knew nothing about the little creatures that are delicacies. I thought it was strange and even funny that a senior citizen would drive up to our house in his bright red classic Mercedes Benz, wear his rubber boots and walk down to the shore with his metal pail and all other tools needed in obtaining the little shell fish.

Seeing and smelling the ocean brought back memories of childhood and the past four years of my life living in a costal city. It was quite refreshing to be near the ocean. I had never seen the Mediterranean Sea, now I can say I have. I think I had the best vantage point that I could ask for while walking through Cinque Terre . (These are 5 little Idyllic Italian towns connected by footpaths. Their beauty is in the way that the towns are situated on the edge of cliffs and the houses literally cling onto the rocks.)

At Riomaggiore

You could describe the towns as the quintessential little Italian village. It was spectacular. Imagine people living in a little village on a cliff. Breath-taking views of the ocean and the mountains. All this can be seen while walking/hiking through the towns. Disclaimer: the memorable walk through Via Dell'Amore should be done with a loved one (although friends are a more than perfect substitute) the name itself ‘street of love’ explains such, and the locks of love illustrate it. Legend has it that padlocks or any sort of knotted materials left by lovers on chain link fences will ensure that their love will last forever.

If you have 5 hours or so to spare while you are in Liguria I would recommend that you walk through Cinque Terre. I would also suggest a little site seeing of the port city of Genova . It’s a grand city with the medieval city walls still intact and numerous castelli (castels) to be seen. While walking through the medieval section of the city I felt like I had been transported to a fantastical place. A place you would only imagine, but alas to my surprise the dark narrow streets lined by enormous buildings from centuries ago exist.

Many of the buildings were being refurbished with modern interiors allowing the inside of the building to juxtapose the ancient outer shell. I must not forget to mention the many beautiful churches that are the norm in Italy. In Genova you will find the beautiful Cattedralel di San Lorenzo built in the majestic Romanesque style. When I see some of the buildings I sometimes think I should have studied architecture. Who knows maybe I will; considering that I have no idea what the future holds for me and anything is possible, for example last year this time I had never heard of Bra, Italy let alone UNISG, but look where I am. I can tell you though that next week I’m planning (well the university is) another adventure to the South of Italy.

Cattedrale di San Lorenzo

Travelers and ancient castles in Genova