In the grand Genovese tradition of free art exhibits we found our favorite one yet. This exhibit was called Francesco Leoni e il fotogiornalismo: Istantanee per una storia (Francesco Leoni and photo journalism: Snapshots of history). The main reason we wanted to see this exhibit was because it was a chance to get inside the very ornately constructed Borsa building, the former stock exchange turned office building that is normally closed to the public.

The building’s main rotunda with its marble columns and stained glass window rosettes was nice, but it was the exhibit itself that stole the show. On display were well over 100 photographs spanning the career of one man, Francesco Leoni, who had an incredible knack for capturing the sentiment of the scenes he shot. His career began in the mid 1930s and continued all the way into the late 1990s. He was there for all the significant events and regular days in Genova during that time.

The most interesting part of his photography was his early work during fascist times and World War II. A picture of Mussolini saluting on top of 30 meter tall concrete podium built in the shape of a ship’s helm and street scenes from the duration of World War II from British bombing, to Nazi occupation, to American liberation brought a sense of immediacy to those times that no history text book ever had.

There were lots of fun photos too! There was a whole series of photos of Hollywood celebrities from the 1950s and 1960s in Portofino. The likes of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were the original “jet setters.” Then there were the pictures of everyday life around the city: soccer games, street vendors, and construction projects. Our favorite was a picture 1965 with a woman selling chestnuts in front of what is now our local deli.

To see more photos, go to this link, then open the pdf file at the bottom.

Chiavari and Rapallo are two towns about an hour train ride east of Genova, just past the Portofino peninsula. Both have beautifully frescoed and brightly painted buildings with some stunning architecture along well organized and flat streets.

In Chiavari the main cathedral looks more like a monumental building from Washington DC than a church with it’s giant white marble pillars and intricately carved triangular roof. Inside it’s like an art gallery everywhere you look, with ornately carved angels climbing up each pillar, frescos on every last inch of ceiling space, and a grand main altar. The palace of justice looks like a medieval castle, and the buildings lining the streets and squares are particularly vibrant and colorful.

Rapallo has a lovely waterfront promenade lined by palm trees and people sunning themselves on park benches. At one end of the promenade is a castle built over the water in 1551 to defend the town from pirate attacks. Just inland from the other end of the promenade is an old Roman bridge that now traverses a street rather than a river. In the historic center of the city, the fresh pasta shops, meat and cheese stores and focacciarias will make your mouth water.

The highlight of Rapallo is the Santuario di Montallegro, a beautiful monestary of crisp white and pink marble with steeples and statues punctuating the facade, high in the hills above Rapallo. From the santuario there are coastal views all the way to Portofino. The hike up is pretty serious, beginning with a long series of stairs followed by a steep uphill hike along a stone paved trail. A much easier and quicker route up is a ride on the suspended cable car, which we chose to avoid in favor of a good workout. Bring plenty of water for the hour and a half long climb!

April 25 is a national holiday in Italy called Liberation Day. The date commemorates a battle in 1945 that marked the liberation of Italy by Allied forces at the end of World War II. The holiday honors everyone who served in and died during the war. On Wednesday there was a ceremony in Rome attended by policial dignitaries. Here in Genova on Tuesday there was a concert with bands and orchestras that ran all afternoon and into the evening.

All over Italy there are ongoing reminders about World War II. Most cities and towns have a street or piazza called XXV Aprile (25th of April). Buildings damaged during the war echo of the past. In Genova the opera house was destroyed by bombing, and was only properly rebuilt in the 1986. In Parma a section of a palace was damaged and never rebuilt. The jagged edges of what remains of the building stand as a reminder of the war.

With so much culinary inspiration around us, like the seasonal fruits and vegetables on display in the markets and the dishes prepared on the cooking show “Prova del Cuoco,” along with an excellent resident chef, we’ve decided to start a new section of our blog for recipes.

The recipes can be found in the Recipes tab above. Or just click here.

One of the first towns I noticed when studying a map of Liguria was Masone, or Mason,E as I like to think of it, even if it is pronounced Mah-zoh-nay. Naturally, I wanted to visit this town, which is just a little ways inland from Genova. We started off the day in Campo Ligure, one town further inland than Masone, because that’s where the train station is. Campo Ligure is a small, medieval town watched over by a castle dating back to the twelfth century. We were shown this castle by a friendly, older gentleman who noticed us taking pictures of the church in the pretty main square. He was a fan of photography and wanted to show us a good spot to take pictures. High above the town, the castle’s lookout tower provided great views of the tangle of red rooftops below, and the surrounding hills we would soon be walking through.
From Campo Ligure Masone is either a 10 minute bus ride along the bank of a river or a 3 hour hike through the hills. We decided on the hike. It started started out quite pleasantly as we followed well marked signs along the side of a hill overlooking the valley below. After awhile we found ourselves in the woods where the trail was abruptly stopped by a fallen tree. Undeterred, we climbed around the tree and picked up what we thought was the trail. Soon we found ourselves smack in the middle of someone’s backyard, between the dog kennel and vegetable patch. It was time to ask for directions. We flagged down a man who just pulled into his driveway, and he explained there were two ways to get to Masone: follow the road back into town and take the bus or follow the other road over the 783 meter Mount Tacco. In the spirit of a good hike, We chose Mount Tacco. The road up was in good shape with packed gravel, but it was STEEP! After schlepping up it to what we thought was the crest of the mountain, it soon became clear that we were only curling back down the same side of the mountain. Resigned, we turned back to head to Campo Ligure to catch the bus, which after nearly 3 hours of hiking didn’t seem like such a bad option.

Masone, at first sight, is less than spectacular. Plain apartment buildings line a main street, and the historic center doesn’t have any stand out sights. Masone is, however, smack in the middle of the Valle di latte, Valley of milk, and that means fresh cheese! Along the main street we found a little shop that makes it’s own cheese in a back room using local milk. We bought a hunk of this “nastro produzione” cheese and a few fresh baked roles, and that is when Masone became well worth the effort to see.

I have never seen such a high concentration of vespas and motor scooters as in Genova. To say that motorini make up half the vehicle traffic in Genova might be an exaggeration, but not by much. There are entire lots designated just for motorini where they pack in like sardines with handlebars wedged precariously close to the next bike. Business men and women zip around in their suits; passengers clutch little dogs in their arms; and kids can be seen at any time of day walking around with their helmets. The strangest thing about motorini are the traffic rules, or rather complete lack of traffic restrictions they are subject to. As long as they obey the speed limit and wear a helmet, motorini can pretty much do anything. They creep through traffic at red lights, and by the time a light turns green half a dozen scooters will have assembled ahead of the cars only to zip off the split second the light turns green. It’s common practice for motorini to pass cars at will along windy streets in no passing zones. If you’re standing on the curb at a crosswalk, look out! It’s entirely likey a motorini may use that as an entrance to hop onto the sidewalk to park.