Genoa - The Beginning and End of our Trip

Beginning-

This was the jumping-off point for our European vacation - fitting since it's the home of that famous explorer, Christopher Columbus, and one of the major ports of antiquity. Apparently it’s also famous for bringing the black plague to Europe and soccer to Italy.

It was an interesting place that did not feel touristy at all. The old city was fascinating and the narrow cobblestone streets were like a maze. I probably wouldn’t recommend it as a destination, but it was great as a portal to our adventure.

We had a 3BR/2 Ba apartment on the 4th floor on a very narrow alleyway in the Old City. It was convenient to walk everywhere!

Genoa is a pretty big city, but it's airport is small and unintimidating. And right on the Mediterranean!

Ferrari Plaza

Porta Soprano - the old city gate

Christopher Columbus's House

Our AirBnB was on this narrow alleyway

Eating our first focaccia at Ferrari plaza

Caleb and Noah express their politics.  There were some differences of opinion on the trip, but we still had a good time!

McKenzie castle - high on a hill

Living room of our AirBnB.  We all really like this place!  The nightlife below was loud, though.  

All throughout the trip, we were trying out different snack food

At the harbor

Buying Genoese salami

Motorcycles parked everywhere!

Down at the harbor

Garibaldi street - where the rich folk live(d)

Cathedral of Saint Lawrence built in the 1300s. Supposedly houses the platter that held the head of John the Baptist as well as a few other relics.

End - 

By the time we returned to Genoa two weeks later, we were tired and a little homesick and full of fun memories.  We stayed near the airport for an easy departure back to the USA and saw a totally different part of Genoa than we had seen before.  The kids wanted to just chill, but Terry and I were still up for exploring, so we walked around down by the water.

Then, we had our last meal at an Irish Pub around the corner - joking that we were doing this Mediterranean diet all wrong!