Paciano to Cinque Terre to Genoa

Thursday, June 13, 2013
Genoa, Italian Riviera, Italy
We woke up a bit earlier on our second day at La Follia - but there was no rush, so we took it easy. Had a leisurely breakfast then drove over to Paciano. We'd decided to walk from Paciano to Panicale - along the Ceraseto Road (3.5 km) and get picked up at the other end.

It took longer than we thought it would (nearly an hour) - must have been because we stopped and admired the view a lot! It was steep leaving Paciano - and it just kept going up! But walking through beech, oak and chestnut woods made it more pleasant . We came across the Tower of Orlando, the only remains of "Old Paciano", destroyed during one of the numerous wars in the middle of the 11th century. Then there was a tumbledown house with a glorious view which has been up for sale for nearly 30 years (at least). The wildflowers on the roadside were amazing. Then we came across a load of bees swarming around their hive in a tree - we could hear the noise, but couldn't figure out what it was until we were close.

The only other cultural place was where it is believed the temple of Janus was located. The temple was later replaced by a pagan temple dedicated to Ceres, the Roman goddess of Agriculture. Today, the Ceraseto church from the 16th century stands in the very same location. Traces of the reused building materials from the Etruscan temple are still visible in the
outside walls, including a stone depicting the two faced Janus.

We met our driver for coffee in Panicale (note to self - Pannicarlay) . Panicale is busier and more touristy than Paciano. There were a lot of English and American voices and there was free wi-fi at the cafes. The square with the cafes would make an ideal setting for a play or opera. We left Panicale by a very steep narrow road, then on through Panicarola to San Feliciano on Lake Trasimeno. We "had" to have an ice cream at a gelateria which was a couple of streets back from the lake. It was a small simple place with a couple of outside tables taken up by local teenagers - and, yes, the ice cream was delicious.

On the way home to La Follia we "had" to stop in Paciano for a drink on the terrace overlooking the valley. Once again the day had got away from us, so after a short siesta we drove back to Panicale for dinner at Albergo Ristorante Masolino. The food was excellent and so was the view through the window. This meal for 4, with wine, was 95 Euro ($A137) - but I think we had more to eat than last night.

Time to move on - we managed to cram in a lot of "must dos" in our 2 days . Thursday 13 June, we were dropped at Chuisi station in time to catch the 10.58 train (2308) to Florence SMN; and changed there for Pisa (left at 13.00 on the 3163). We saw a lot of marble quarries around Carrara - made me think of the poem "Bat" by D.H. Lawrence -
At evening, sitting on this terrace,
When the sun from the west, beyond Pisa, beyond the mountains of Carrara
Departs, and the world is taken by surprise ...

We didn't see the leaning tower of Pisa - but I'd seen it, and climbed up, back in the 1970s, so no worries. We caught a train straight away for La Spezia (the 11850 at 13.54) and Cinque Terre. First stop Riomaggiore, where we'd intended doing the Via dell'Amore walk as it's only a short 20 minute walk. However ..... the walk was closed and had been for 9 months or so. How come I didn't see anything about that on the internet when I was researching? The place was extremely crowded - we had a cup of coffee and then went straight through on the next train to Monterossa . We weren't impressed with it either - not after coming from our beaches with their open spaces. Had a nice icecream. Caught the R11212 for Genoa at 17.17.

Arrived at Genoa Piazza Principe (Stazione Principe) about 19.00. Although we hadn't booked a hotel in Genoa, I'd made some notes in Australia and luckily took them with me. One of the hotels I'd noted was the Nuova Nord only 50 metres from the station on Via Balbi - so we went to it. First of all, we were told it was fully booked. Then she says "Oh, here's a room - but the air-conditioning isn't working. We can do that at a reduced rate if you like."  We liked! We got the room (no breakfast) for 67 Euro ($98) - a saving of 15 Euros. It was rather warm, so we did have the windows open. But it was just traffic noise - no problem at all.

The medieval old city of Genoa is Europe's biggest - back in the 1300s it was one of the world's four largest cities. After checking in and getting rid of the luggage, we still had a couple of hours to explore . We walked passed some of the Rolli Palaces and down to the harbour. A Rolli Palace is the name given to the beautiful Renaissance and Baroque palaces throughout the city and concentrated on Via Garibaldi (also called Strade Nuove). They were used as public hospitality centers, housing heads of state, ministers, and visiting dignitaries on official visits to Genova. The owners of these Rolli Palaces were obligated to host, at their own expense, in their extravagant homes, with beautiful gardens, courtyards and frescoed ceilings, thus attracting famous artists and royalty to Genova.

Checked out the old city gates at the corner of Via del Campo, and then across the road to see Galeone Neptune. The ship was built especially as a prop and used in the film Pirates, directed by Roman Polanski and first screened in 1986. Along past some people selling sunglasses on mats - I remember similar scenes from my last Eurail travel in 1974. We didn't go back that way - after having a look around the markets (near the sun symbol at Porto Antico on the map I copied), we crossed the road . We crossed near another Rolli Palace on Piazza Banchi. I googled it to try and find an exact name and it looks as though there is a B & B in the building now!! Le Terrazze di Banchi - very reasonable rates too by the looks. On the way back to our hotel area, we passed some very narrow alleyways - which we didn't venture down because the light was fading and we might get lost.

Got back and ate at E Prie de Ma Ristorante over the road from the hotel. We had to sit inside as it was crowded on the street. Shared a pizza and had a couple of drinks each for 26.50 Euro ($38). We thought the owner didn't appreciate us sharing a pizza, but I've read a few reviews that mention him, so maybe that is his constant expression. E.g.- "The owner (or the large guy that appeared to be in charge) was a bit surly and unsmiling, but that should not put you off."


It's a pity I read the literature I picked up after we left. We could have walked through the long tiled pedestrian tunnel with old photographs of Genoa on the walls; and then gone up the public elevator 'ascensore di Castelletto' to the residential area above the city centre. Apparently it's an incredible view of the city and port from up there, and is quite cheap. I guess we didn't have time for that
Other Entries

Comments

2025-02-16

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank