Genoa Times Three
Genoa, Italy, was the site of a conference I attended from 21 to 24 June. It was my third visit to this ancient Italian city-state, now a prosperous modern city. The subject of the conference was Ship and Shipping Research -- and Genoa, the home city of Christopher Columbus, with its centuries-long seafaring traditions and its great harbor is a natural setting for such activities.
The conference was held in the Palazzo Ducale -- the Duke's Palace, a magnificent building dating from the days of the Genoese Republic, whose construction was undertaken in the 1290s. The plasterwork, gilding and magnificent ceiling and wall frescos of the main salons make a fantastic (if somewhat distracting) venue for the exchange of scholarly ideas and information. (Unfortunately, since I forgot to take the camera with me, this article will not be accompanied by any photographs.)
Day one of the meeting was capped by a beautiful dinner in the old Dominican monastery (no longer active as a monastery) in the nearby waterfront town of Sestri Levante. The dinner paid homage to Genoa's fishing heritage, featuring seafood in several courses. The views from the two large terraces, one facing landward and overlooking the lovely little cove of Sestri and the other looking to the open Mediterannean, were spectacular in the late evening light. What a perfect place to have a glass of crisp Italian white wine -- and what perfect pictures they would have made, if only I had brought the camera!
On the evening of day two, I joined my Italian ship-engineer friend, Natalino Dazzi and a Dutch shipyard engineer who I've also become friends with -- Bob Van de Graaf (and his wife Gea). We took an incredibly beautiful drive over and through the Appenine Mountains (which come nearly to the sea at Genoa, making the city a long, narrow one, hugging the seashore) to a fine local restaurant in the nearby suburb of Recco. With Natalino's expert guidance, we all chose delicious traditional dishes of local Italian favorites and the food was excelled only by the company and conversation.
Day three included a trip, by boat, to the shipyard of the Fincantieri company in Sestri Ponente, an area in the northern part of Genoa, where a massive new cruise ship is nearing completion. The ship, when finished in a few weeks, will take 3500 passengers (served by 1500 crew members) to sea. The ship (the Costa Concordia, of Costa Lines) is truly massive, approaching a US Navy aircraft carrier in size. Experienced ship designer, Chuck, found his jaw dropping repeatedly with each new revelation of how truly large the ship is.
The harbor, where we boarded the boat to the shipyard, is a short walk from the Palazzo site of the conference. The last presentation of the day ended at about 1, and the boat was scheduled to leave at about 2:45. So I found myself walking to the harbor through some of Genoa's medieval, very narrow streets, during the siesta hours -- yet the neighborhood was simultaneously alive and resting. Strains of opera being played on a stereo in a distant flat mingled with the piano musings of someone a bit nearer -- the laundry hanging on the lines strung between windows in adjacent buildings viewed against the bright blue sky -- the smells of Italian cooking coming from the alleyway just passed -- the scene could not have been more Italian or more reminscent of the ancient culture represented by this vibrant city. After the tour, it was another 15 minute walk through this area of twisting, climbing passageways and tiny squares, to my hotel.
Then, on Saturday morning, it was back to London. The only negative aspect of this trip -- and it was a huge negative -- was the fact that Kathi wasn't able to accompany me.
The conference was held in the Palazzo Ducale -- the Duke's Palace, a magnificent building dating from the days of the Genoese Republic, whose construction was undertaken in the 1290s. The plasterwork, gilding and magnificent ceiling and wall frescos of the main salons make a fantastic (if somewhat distracting) venue for the exchange of scholarly ideas and information. (Unfortunately, since I forgot to take the camera with me, this article will not be accompanied by any photographs.)
Day one of the meeting was capped by a beautiful dinner in the old Dominican monastery (no longer active as a monastery) in the nearby waterfront town of Sestri Levante. The dinner paid homage to Genoa's fishing heritage, featuring seafood in several courses. The views from the two large terraces, one facing landward and overlooking the lovely little cove of Sestri and the other looking to the open Mediterannean, were spectacular in the late evening light. What a perfect place to have a glass of crisp Italian white wine -- and what perfect pictures they would have made, if only I had brought the camera!
On the evening of day two, I joined my Italian ship-engineer friend, Natalino Dazzi and a Dutch shipyard engineer who I've also become friends with -- Bob Van de Graaf (and his wife Gea). We took an incredibly beautiful drive over and through the Appenine Mountains (which come nearly to the sea at Genoa, making the city a long, narrow one, hugging the seashore) to a fine local restaurant in the nearby suburb of Recco. With Natalino's expert guidance, we all chose delicious traditional dishes of local Italian favorites and the food was excelled only by the company and conversation.
Day three included a trip, by boat, to the shipyard of the Fincantieri company in Sestri Ponente, an area in the northern part of Genoa, where a massive new cruise ship is nearing completion. The ship, when finished in a few weeks, will take 3500 passengers (served by 1500 crew members) to sea. The ship (the Costa Concordia, of Costa Lines) is truly massive, approaching a US Navy aircraft carrier in size. Experienced ship designer, Chuck, found his jaw dropping repeatedly with each new revelation of how truly large the ship is.
The harbor, where we boarded the boat to the shipyard, is a short walk from the Palazzo site of the conference. The last presentation of the day ended at about 1, and the boat was scheduled to leave at about 2:45. So I found myself walking to the harbor through some of Genoa's medieval, very narrow streets, during the siesta hours -- yet the neighborhood was simultaneously alive and resting. Strains of opera being played on a stereo in a distant flat mingled with the piano musings of someone a bit nearer -- the laundry hanging on the lines strung between windows in adjacent buildings viewed against the bright blue sky -- the smells of Italian cooking coming from the alleyway just passed -- the scene could not have been more Italian or more reminscent of the ancient culture represented by this vibrant city. After the tour, it was another 15 minute walk through this area of twisting, climbing passageways and tiny squares, to my hotel.
Then, on Saturday morning, it was back to London. The only negative aspect of this trip -- and it was a huge negative -- was the fact that Kathi wasn't able to accompany me.
posted by Chuck and Kathi Calvano @ 9:05 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home