First some awkwardness. I don't think I was as badly affected as some because I had already breakfasted, brushed my teeth, showered and washed my hair (noticing that the water pressure was pretty feeble), and done the dishes. Then as I went to put on my contact lenses, I noticed the water was completely off. And apparently it's going to stay off until tomorrow morning. I'm going to have to go out in search of dinner, because I can't heat water for pasta. I have heat--no water!
Well, that's not going to stop me from enjoying my apero and blogging. I had a palazzo yesterday, and I'm having palazzi tomorrow, so something different appealed to me, and it makes sense that Genoa would wish to commemorate and celebrate her sea going past and present--even if she does not go as far as Venice and actually have the Doge "marry" the sea.
The museum is huge and is a project. I got a discount for being old. (Dang it. They always take my word for it). The ticket includes a visit to a submarine. I'm a Navy Brat and have seen many a submarine in my time, so I skipped that part.
The informational placards are informative when English is presented, but it is not presented consistently. Nevertheless, I learned that La Nina was Columbus's favorite ship, and although he had to use La Santa Maria as his flag ship, he did not like the way she sailed. She was not a true caravel.
There are plenty of models, and sometimes a chance to climb aboard one that is life sized. There are a LOT of maps and documents. The museum is really a pretty comprehensive history of the city as so much of its wealth and prestige depended on its ships--privately owned and operated by merchants, who nevertheless were willing to rent them out for military uses.
In Genoa's heyday, these were galleys, powered by oars. The theory is that the ships got their name from the Greek word for swordfish. I'm not seeing this myself, but the galleys were meant for ramming and boarding. Conditions on board brutal, but not all the rowers were convicts.
One floor of the museum was dedicated to emigration. After unification in the Mid Nineteenth Century millions of Italians, mostly the rural poor left for the Western Hemisphere. As hard as their lives were as immigrants in the Americas, they enjoyed a far better existence in their new homes.
Italy like many other European countries has an immigrant problem, but Genoa seems to have a more generous and welcoming attitude towards them.
Besides my passport and credit cards, there are two things I always carry in Europe, and if you plan a visit I strongly urge you to follow my example. One is a pack of tissue. The other is an collapsable umbrella. It began to rain as I left my place, and just as I returned in the rain there was a huge clap of thunder.
Apero consists of some Italian rose, some Bresaola (It's cured beef from Lombardy for which I developed a taste when I visited Milan, and I've already had cheese from Piedmont), and to balance out some healthfulness almonds.
I don't know what I'm having for dinner--some form of Focaccia probably and some local white wine.
Tomorrow's post will be much later as I had to book my entrance into the palazzi.
Ciao for now
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