Instead of going to bed extra early, I did my taxes. I'm such an adult. Tonight, I'm heading to Genova (Genoa). It is an opportunity for me to see the (Western) coast and apparently get rained on a lot. Genova is a port city, important both historically and now.
I've booked myself a fairly nice hotel right in the middle of the touristy area. There is an Andy Warhol exhibit at a museum, which I am very excited about (and solidified my decision to go). I am also planning on going to Christopher Columbus' house - I'm interested to see the "discovery" of America presented from the European perspective. There are other Palazzos, museums, etc to see - but I haven't done further planning yet.
While Genova isn't particularly far away, the Italians are still (or planning to?) constructing the high-speed rail between Milano and Genova. So, the train takes about 2 hours since it goes more slowly. I've written down the times of the possible evening trains - I'm hoping my "get to the station and buy a ticket" approach works like it did for Lecco. My plan is to come back Saturday night and have Sunday to clean and prepare for my talk at Oxford (next weekend, eep!)
Full disclosure: I read some things on (English-language) tourist websites about safety concerns in Genova. I spoke with multiple Italians, including women my age, who all said it is fine. I think it is like Oakland, in a way. There is a perfectly reasonable part of the city, and then there is an industrial/etc part that is less safe. When people discuss "less safe" in Italy (and most of Europe), they seem to be talking about pickpockets. If I was to describe an area of Atlanta (or Boston, or San Francisco, etc) as less safe, it would be because of gun violence. The Italians have told me that the only risk of gun violence here is from the mafia, and that they are fairly careful about who they shoot.
While I wandered around without a map in Lecco, I will be staying in the touristy area of Genova and being more careful about where (and when) I go places. Part of why I chose a nicer hotel is so that there is a concierge who I can ask for advice - and since the hotel name sounds very British, perhaps people speak some English there! Finally, I do not plan to do anything to make the mafia cross with me. That is genuinely less of an issue up here in Northern Italy, and isn't as big of a problem as it was years ago.
I've booked myself a fairly nice hotel right in the middle of the touristy area. There is an Andy Warhol exhibit at a museum, which I am very excited about (and solidified my decision to go). I am also planning on going to Christopher Columbus' house - I'm interested to see the "discovery" of America presented from the European perspective. There are other Palazzos, museums, etc to see - but I haven't done further planning yet.
While Genova isn't particularly far away, the Italians are still (or planning to?) constructing the high-speed rail between Milano and Genova. So, the train takes about 2 hours since it goes more slowly. I've written down the times of the possible evening trains - I'm hoping my "get to the station and buy a ticket" approach works like it did for Lecco. My plan is to come back Saturday night and have Sunday to clean and prepare for my talk at Oxford (next weekend, eep!)
Full disclosure: I read some things on (English-language) tourist websites about safety concerns in Genova. I spoke with multiple Italians, including women my age, who all said it is fine. I think it is like Oakland, in a way. There is a perfectly reasonable part of the city, and then there is an industrial/etc part that is less safe. When people discuss "less safe" in Italy (and most of Europe), they seem to be talking about pickpockets. If I was to describe an area of Atlanta (or Boston, or San Francisco, etc) as less safe, it would be because of gun violence. The Italians have told me that the only risk of gun violence here is from the mafia, and that they are fairly careful about who they shoot.
While I wandered around without a map in Lecco, I will be staying in the touristy area of Genova and being more careful about where (and when) I go places. Part of why I chose a nicer hotel is so that there is a concierge who I can ask for advice - and since the hotel name sounds very British, perhaps people speak some English there! Finally, I do not plan to do anything to make the mafia cross with me. That is genuinely less of an issue up here in Northern Italy, and isn't as big of a problem as it was years ago.
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