As Dear Miss Fletcher lead me through the caruggi of Genova, I couldn't resist trying to capture snapshots of the sights that she showed me.
This one was taken just before 6pm, on a dark winter's night and yet the warmth that spilled out of this fruit and vegetable shop warmed my heart.
I can never predict what I might find out in the streets of Genova, Italy.
Never. It seems that all is possible. Today the light was strong and it was hot. Really unbelievably hot but I am adjusting to it. Loving it even ... after the long Belgian winter that was.
I couldn't resist attempting to capture something of the artworks found in the narrow caruggi (alleyways) here in the ancient heart of Genova.
I'm missing the colours and the light of Genova ... so much!
I imagine that the person parking their bike might not have been as excited as I was about this quiet space here in the city of Genova.
I love the colour and textures of that pale golden building. I love that I always find this particular space by chance, while wandering on my way someplace else.
Light is everything here. There is the way the city looks in that deep rich late afternoon autumn light. I photographed a few city buildings last week, simply because the light had changed how I remembered the cityscape along via XX Settembre. I get excited over a blue-sky day and the promise of light in those difficult to reach parts of this tightly-built city. Then a stormy sky promises quite another effect, as the beautiful roofs quietly reveal their full beauty against a backdrop of clouds.
Loving Genova ...
This photo ... I couldn’t resist taking it while on my way to the supermarket this morning. I love this city and its warm colours.
A path is a prior interpretation of the best way to traverse a landscape.
Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking
Found in the Caruggi, Genova.
I love this sign ... for all kinds of reasons.
I know where I am, when I pass by it. I love the colours.
I love these places ...
I want to return to the caruggi of Genova, with a tripod and someone to wander with ... as they aren’t always the wisest of places to pull out a big camera and get lost in your work however, that said, I’ve never had any trouble in there.
I love the ancient alleyways here in the historical heart of Genova. The general rule of thumb is that if the street lights aren’t working, then avoid them. But some have been renovated and I find most of them beautiful, even the dilapidated crumbling ones.
One story goes that, for military reasons, the streets were made narrow and the houses were built close together to slow down the invaders, most particularly the Moors, who frequently attacked this ancient city. I read that the people of Lombard, the Normans and the Saracen also attacked Genova.
Actually, talking of invaders, in 1155, the hugely impressive city wall was built to protect the city from Emperor Federico Barbarossa ... the man I had only previously known as Barbarossa. And then the 16th century was known as the Century of the Genovese and local banks here were lending money to the European monarchs, making it one of the most powerful cities of the time.
Oh yes, an impressive city, an impressive history.
Here’s a little more of beautiful Genova. I love the tiny little alleyways that lead one through the heart and soul of this ancient city.
I spun the ISO setting high for this photograph.
The light was almost over but this beckoned as I wandered home along Via XXV Aprile. Laughing, imagining it an impossible fish to land ... well, I like it.
The photograph below was taken in one of the many caruggi, or narrow alleyways, that criss-cross the ancient heart of Genova city.
I love them. You can be constantly lost, although we are getting there ... retracing our steps and exploring a new favourite area.
Life is lived up close and personal, so very unlike my New Zealand life in terms of living space and yet, in another way it reminds me of how known we were back in New Zealand. I experience this Genovese life as a life lived in the midst of a huge extended family. Today we left our keys in the apartment door. The doorbell rang loudly just before dinner and we discovered a lovely elderly couple, with their granddaughter in tow, just letting us know what we had done.
But it’s more than that. It is about hearing the cafe door roll up most mornings, or the neighbour above getting ready for work. Smelling the heavenly scent from food shops surrounding us and the noise of the evening crowd ... being noisy until hours way beyond anything Belgium would allow. I am loving it.
The music has taken over here at the internet cafe. I must go, I find myself typing in time to some lively gypsy-sounding waltz. I will make less sense than usual if I persist.
Ciao for now, from Genova.
