Episode 28: La Superba, Genova .... Part 8 - The Padova to Paris Journey
Welcome to Episode #28 Genova, Liguria
One of things I adore about this whole Italian adventure is just how many doors Italy has to offer. Open one or two in you are in for a treat. Books, art, food and everything else. Travel takes on some kind of luminous quality once you get there, or are there...
A port city will always be an interesting multi sensory experience, a place where the mix of culture, ethnicity and class will not only dominate but inform the place. The commercial enterprises of the city are paramount to not only survival but the cultural diversity… in other words everyone has tried and tested these waters. Genova is the trade link for the Mediterranean Sea, in years past it has been called by many names….”la Superba" ...the proud one, "la Dominante"... the dominant one and/or, "la Repubblica dei magnifici", the Republic of the Magnificents.....
The colours and streetscape in the city of Genoa / Michelle Johnston
As a maritime republic Genova maintained control from around the 11th century to later in the 18th. La Superba indeed, the gritty beauty of this large city runs parallel to Unesco World Heritage sites, old world palazzos and the fabulous array of art that hides behind beckoning world class architecture and the historic detail of a rivaling maritime city that makes for a fascinating and deeply layered place.
In a way I do not feel alien in Genoa, not a foreigner but just a part of the tapestry that is unique to its history, after all people have come from all over the world to land in this city, why not an Australian family wandering its old city walls.
Enjoy the podcast offering and visit www.visitgenoa.it to get a sense of everything else this city has to offer....
The fantastic view outside our window, La Suburba indeed / Discovering Genoa / Michelle Johnston
Shownotes:
Honey From a Weed: Fasting and Feasting in Tuscany, Catalonia, the Cyclades and Apuglia by Patience Gray
Fasting and Feasting: The Life of Visionary Food Writer Patience Gray by Adam Federman... (2017)
*the article mentioned from the London Review of Books was cited in this Fasting and Feasting by Adam Federman and was written by Angela Carter
Within Tuscany: Reflections on a Time and Place by Matthew Spender (1992 First Edition)
Coastline: The food of the Mediterranean Italy, Spain and France by Lucio Galletto and David Dale (2017)
(See image Below - at my abundant table….love this book, I want to do this journey basically!)
Slow Train to Venice: A Love Letter to Europe by Tom Chesshyre (2019)
Summer in Genova / Genova film (2008)
See You in the Piazza: New Places to Discover in Italy by Frances Mayes
Always Italy by Frances Mayes with Ondine Cahane
Currently Reading: Slow Train to Venice (below) and taking a few weeks at home to live the slow life....
Liguria mention: Keys of Italy tourism company:
Loved the juxtaposition of house and streetscape, a walking and wandering city / Genova / Michelle Johnston
Music Composed by Richard Johnston
“caruggi, they are maze like and narrow winding into places you might not want to be lost in”. But don't worry about that, being lost is after all half the fun..... From the Podcast Share / Michelle Johnston
“There is already a tantalising sense of escape - of slipping beneath the radar of modern life”