Genoa, Day 2 - Still in the Italian Riviera

Touring on our own again

We were on our way to buy tickets for the bus and saw this ship. I believe this ship might have been in a movie.

He loves his “over-the-shoulder purse.”

 Today, we chose a “do it ourselves” trip with a Hop On - Hop Off bus trip. We had 2 routes we could use: blue line for a coastal trip and a red line for a historical trip. They intersected about 3 times so we could change our trip as much as we wanted and lasted about 60 minutes each plus it included an audio tour in English. 😁

Vittorio Emanuele - Last King of Italy

Piazza della Vittoria (Victory Square)

Erected in the 1930s in memory of the WWI victims and the area is used for concerts. 

Christopher Columbus

Two towers of Porta Soprana or di Sant’Andrea

This is part of a ring of walls built in 1155 to defend Genoa. This medieval gateway stands at the spot where a road from Ancient Rome entered the city. Legend has it that Christopher’s father worked here as a gatekeeper. In the bottom right hand corner is Christopher Columbus’ childhood home.

Casa di Colombo (Christopher Columbus House) childhood home. This is a reproduction as the original was destroyed by cannon fire during a French bombardment in 1684.

Staircase of the Unknown Soldier climbing the Carignano hill and leads up to the arch at Victory Square.

The flower beds contain Christopher Columbus’ three ships known as caravelle and are a tribute to him.

Inlaid marble sidewalks

The train station at Piazza Principe built in 1860. 

Trolley car

Now where did I park my Vespa (with the motorcycles)?

A mini trash truck (looks like yard scraps this trip).

The red cross on a white background is the flag of Genoa, Italy.

View from the harbor

View from the top of the double-decker bus

Italian pastry stop

Chocolate naturally 😄

Cute lamp post

Cool statues

Piazza De Ferrari -a plaza designed to link the old with the western modern and industrial part of Genoa. Water shoots into the brass bowl and during celebrations the water is colored to the colors of the team/sports/occassion.

Palazzo Ducale - this palace was built in the 16th century over a medieval hall and was designed with an atrium in the middle. It houses temporary exhibitions, a restaurant, and becomes a venue for many things. 

The door knocker is in the shape of a triton.

Stairway inside Palazzo Ducale

Genoa Cathedral or Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Lawrence or Cattedrale San Lorenzo or The Church of San Lorenzo (St. Lawrence) or just San Lorenzo

There is a long history of when it was built and when editions were added. It was founded in the ninth century and was chosen as a cathedral because of its secure position within the city walls. The interior of the cathedral has a basilica plan with three naves, transept, and a triple apse. The three naves are separated by 14th Century marble columns. It was consecrated in 1118. Here is a diagram to help understand the terminology. 

The alternation of black (slate) and white (marble), a symbol of nobility, typical of Genoese Middle Ages, was completed in 1312.

Over the main entrance is a Romanesque sculpture illustrating stories: Christ blessing and the Martyrdom of San Lorenzo. 

We were unable to walk around inside and I could only take pictures from the back of the cathedral. 

This is over the front door as you exit the cathedral.

Afternoon tea 🫖 consisted of peanut butter and banana on bread, crab cake on toasted bread, cheese on toast, pistachio cake, and fruit and red wine pie.