Viva Italia! (Part 1)

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Genova


Well it took me ages to get to Genova because of the floods in Provence, trains all full up/ delayed / had to run for the last train to Genova where I had to change, but made it phew! And my poor host had to pick me up from the station at 9pm, so late!
But it was all worth it when I met him, the fabulous Fabrizio, what an amazing guy! He has a beautiful appartment, full of rock memorabilia and loads of cool stuff, and a great view of Genova. I had my own double bed and he cooked me amazing pasta with pesto. And then he and his friends took me out in the town. His two friends Andrea and JJ were absolutely hilarious, I don't think I stopped laughing the whole night, my face was hurting by the end of it! We went to one bar where there was a load of old people having a school reunion and a band playing U2 so we left there pretty quickly and headed into town. We went to a bar where we met some more of their friends, and i had an extremely strong mojito. And then we went to find a club but one was shut, one we couldn't get in without a card, so we ended up wandering around for a long time, with everyone complaining it was cold (which it wasn't at all, just windy). But it was good because I got to see some of Genova! So then we went to a bakery type place and got some special bread - really was very special I really liked it - and we met another friend who they call ''the Tiger'' who was this hilarious little guy who was talking to me very quickly. He found out I work in museums and he said ''do you like Italian art? I am Italian art!'' so funny!
Next day Fabrizio took me out on his Vespa! It was so much fun whizzing through the city it was great! We went to a cute little area with a beach (finally it was hot!) and drank a beer looking at the view. We met up with another friend Luigi, who took us to his house and cooked some pasta and biscotti, very nice! And then we went back to Fabrizio's house because it was time for the game - Italy vs New Zealand!!! Fabrizio lent me his Italy shirt so I could be Italian for the day, and there was about 10 of us in his living room watching the game and drinking beer. Unfortuately it didn't go so well for Italy so no one was really up for doing anything else after, so they all left!
Fabrizio took me out again and we went to the port for a walk. It is really pretty, the huge Aquarium, architecture by Piano, a pirate ship and submarine, and loads of pretty boats. We went back and Fabrizio cooked more pasta, and we spent the evening watching School of Rock! It was great though, I really hope to see Fabrizio again...
Next day we had to get up really early, I mean 5.30am because Fabrizio had to go to Milan for work, so by 7 I was wandering around Genova. Unfortunately I don't function too well at that time in the morning, and I didn't have a map so I got completely lost! I found the square with the huge fountain then went the wrong way, walked for ages, found a policeman and asked him where the train station was, he sent me to the wrong one so I was panicking when I got there because I wanted to get the train but my luggage was at the other one! But I made it eventually... never actually found the old centre though, oh well!


Cinque Terre


I had a bit of a problem with my host in Monterosso because there had been loads of rain and one of the walls in his house was full of water or something, so he couldn't host me for the first night. I found a place to stay (which they said would be 35 euros but because I only stayed one night in the end it was actually 50 grr!) It was nice though, a privately owned place with nice bed and my own bathroom. So I dumped my stuff there and went to find Alessandro, who runs a bar on the beach. He works crazy hours, 12 hours a day every single day in the summer, with an occassional half a day off. His company also rents out beach chairs and umbrellas so he let me use some! I stayed there sunbathing for ages it was so peaceful, despite the annoying Americans next to me! The beach was beautiful, I went for a swim and the sea was warm. From the beach you can see all along the coastline and the other four towns dotted around, which make up ''Cinque Terre'' (or 5 towns). The area is protected and conservation goes on in the sea to protect the wildlife.
I went for a walk around Monterosso, it was exactly as I expected, pretty cobbled streets, winding alleyways going up to houses, colourful buildings, cafes and shops everywhere, beautiful! I went back to the beach at 7pm to have a drink with Alessandro as it was a bit quieter then, so we had a good chat. And I met some Australians who were on their honeymoon and were going to England, so I told them to go to Avebury, hope they did! Alessandro had to go and pick up his broken bike so he told me a good restaurant to go to, where I had mussels and chips, wonderful food!
Next day I went to the bar again and Alessandro took me to his house so I could put my stuff there. Then I went on a huge long hike, I wanted to get all the way to the far town Riomaggiore in one day, and I didn't want to use the tourist trail because it looked a bit boring and you had to pay for it! First I walked up a really steep path to a church Soviore, there were a few other people on the trail but not many. It was a really difficult climb up especially in the heat! I had to walk a bit on the road then eventually found my way down the track to the next town Vernazza. Again it was a sweet little town, nice streets and a small beach where I had a paddle. The next part of the trail was closed so I got the train to the next town along, Corniglia. It took me ages to find the trail I wanted, I went the wrong way 3 times! But eventually found it, it was again a steep climb up but a great hike, and great views from the top. The way along the mountain was much more flat and easier. There was loads of agriculture on this part, there was this amazing contraption for taking stuff to the top of the mountain on a rail that goes straight up, almost vertical! I saw the cart thing that goes up, it was just a plastic chair with a couple of metal trailers on the back for tying things on, I wanted to have a go! My final stop was the town Manarola, I had a quick look around then got the train back, I was walking for hours and was exhausted! But it was a great hike!
Back in Monterosso I had a pizza and went to bed pretty early.
I decided to have a relaxing day next day, so I went to a neary town Levanto to the beach for a while, then decided to go and see the final of the 5 towns, which I didn't see yesterday. That was Riomaggiore. It is a beautiful place, I walked through the winding streets and to the marina, which was really pretty. The marina had some rocks nearby so I lay down on one of them and went for a swim in the sea. I saw some crabs! In the evening Alessandro said he would cook for me in the bar, he cooked pesto and pasta, with salad and white wine, it was lovely! And we had a good chat, because he works all the time in the summer he has the winter off when there is no tourists, so every winter he goes travelling and has some great stories. There was a bonfire on the beach that night, ready for a festival the next day, so we got a beer and sat on the beach for a while, before heading home.
I was planning to leave the next day but Alessandro said I should stay for the festival so I did. I went on a day trip to Pisa. My impressions of Pisa was that it is orange! All the buildings and roads, everything seemed orange it was strange! The tower is quite a walk from the station, over the river, but it's such a pretty town I took my time walking through. The Leaning Tower was shorter than I thought but much more ornate, it is a magnificent structure really. There is a huge cathedral and basilica near it in the square as well, all in a similar design, the three structures together were very impressive. There were loads of people standing around in perculiar poses, being photographed pushing the tower over or leaning against it, it was really funny to watch! So of course I joined in! I found some lovely English ladies to take photos of me! I didn't go inside the Tower, it costs so much! But I walked all around the square and took it all in from outside. There are a few other squares in Pisa that are worth a look. One has the university buildings and is very pretty.
Back in Monterosso I cooked for myself in Alessandros house, as he was going out to watch the football. Italy had already been knocked out so he was supporting the Netherlands because his mother lives in Amsterdam. So he went to the bar in a bright orange wig and braces, very funny! I met him in the bar later and his friend was dressed the same, luckily Netherlands won so they were happy! We had a drink in another bar and went to watch the fireworks. It was a religious festival and there were loads of people on the beach putting paper lanterns in the sea with lit candles. It was so pretty to see them all floating off into the sea. Then there was a firework display for about 20 minutes, some fireworks were ones that go on the water and they last for ages, really amazing! I am glad I stayed for it!


Florence


Next day I left for Florence on the train. My host Maurizio actually lives about an hour away from Florence on the train in a small town called Dicomano. I was his first ever couchsurfing guest and he was very excited to host me! He met me at the train station with his cute puppy and took me to where he works in a bakery to get some breakfast for the morning and i met his collegue. Maurizio's house is so nice, really beautiful! He is really interesting because he is gay and when he came out to his parents they wouldn't accept it (his mother is Jehovas witness and his father from Naples, a very conservative area of Italy), so he ran away when he was 17. He eventually ended up in Dicomano and now speaks to his parents again. But he is such a wonderful guy, he is larger than life, and so funny!
We went out to see some sights around where he lives, to a nearby town and a lovely view of the valley from above. We picked up Maurizio's best friend Francesca on the way and I he made me tell her: ''tu sei bonna!'' which means you are beautiful! That evening the 3 of us went to Florence in the car, which was hilarious because Maurizio is obsessed with Lady Gaga so we had to play it really loud in the car, then we played loads of cheesy 90s music which of course I loved because it was Backstreet Boys and stuff! and they showed me loads of Italian music, that was a really fun car journey! In Florence we had a walk around the town while it was still light, we saw the Duomo and other pretty squares and things. We went to a pizza place and had 2 giant pizzas, with 3 different types of topping, it was so good! We went to a bar but it was quiet so went for a drive up to Piazzala Michelangelo where there is an amazing view over Florence at night. You can see the Duomo and the whole city, beautiful!
We went to a gay bar then, of course there were loads of people Maurizio knew, so Francesca and I were sat sipping our cocktails and having a good natter. It was a good night, very funny!
Next day decided to go to Florence by myself to have a proper look around. Maurizio walked me to the station and we stopped at the market on the way. His brought me some traditional maize bread called Polenta, very tasty! In Florence I went inside the Duomo, had a walk around all the pretty little squares and interesting buildings. But I did have the feeling that Florence doesn't have so much to it, pretty buildings but no real life underneath. I walked up to Piazzala Michelangelo again to have a look at the view in the day, again very beautiful except for the dark black cloud heading my way! So I decided to walk back along the river to the station to escape the rain. There is this amazing bridge on the river that has loads of shops on it. From the riverbank the buildings look all higgledy-piggledy, really full of character, but on the bridge the shops are all full of expensive jewellery and posh things!
I didn't quite manage to avoid the rain but when I got back to Maurizio's house he told me they had had a huge storm there and the bakery where he works was leaking, so he'd had to go and help! That evening Maurizio cooked a lovely pasta with tomato and fish sauce. One of his friends came over and we went for a walk around the town, meeting loads of people Maurizio knows on the way! He is so much fun, so full of energy, it's like he knows everyone in the town!
I wanted to leave a bit early in the morning so I said a sad goodbye to Maurizio and headed for the train station. But when I arrived there there wasn't a train for 2 hours because the internet had it wrong apparently! I met an American girl in the same predicament and she told me she had just been to the museum so I decided to go there while I was waiting for the train. It was small but had loads of information on the local history, prehistoric, Etruscan, Roman and Medieval stuff. Then I had some lunch and headed for the train, and onwards to Turin!

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