I flew Alitalia for the first time this trip. I'd say the flight was disappointing at best. They rarely brought beverages around and gave me nasty looks for walking to the back to request water. Also the beer they serve is disgusting. After arriving in Milan, we drove down to Genoa. If I wasn't operating on one hour of sleep, I might have enjoyed the ride more. It was the only time I didn't drive during the trip.
After checking into our hotel, we explored the city a bit. Genoa is a port city surrounded by mountains. There's a huge cathedral to San Lorenzo (Saint Lawrence) with the horizontal marble and slate bands typical of Genoese architecture. We took a boat tour of the harbor. It's amazing to see a modern city with a prosperous port -- such a contrast to Baltimore. It's built around a lighthouse from the 12th century that still functions today. Lastly, we saw the house in which Christopher Columbus grew up.
The next day we hiked up to a couple old forts on the mountains surrounding Genoa. We got a great view of the city and saw the outside of two forts - Sperone and Begato, but both were closed. The lack of investment in their cultural heritage was a bit alarming. Back down in the city, we took a bus tour. It was fairly informative and was available in 5 languages via a headphone jack in the seat backs. Because the city is built up into the mountains, often buildings are built almost on top of each other. It creates a very complex city structure.
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| Lion of St. Lorenzo | Saint George | Lighthouse | Columbus's Garden |
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| Genoa Gate | Fort Sperone | Genoa | Altar of San Luca |