VIA BALBI

February 2025. Genoa.

You’ll have to excuse this post, a little worse for wear after a night on the beer in Turin and now watching Mariah Carey introduce the Winter Olympics. Don’t the Italians have any singers ?

It’s a dozen years since I was last in Genoa, marvelling at the 17th century palaces along Via Balbi, and completely missing the African buzz of Via de Pre,

Genoa hardly gets any tourists, bar the cruise boat daytrippers who head for the aquarium and the calamari takeaway, who miss one of the world’s great streets,

Opposite the University, Via Balbi houses the Royal Palace Museum,

with its hall of mirrors,

and exhibition on St George, patron saint of Engerland, and the dragon.

I’m very much Team Dragon.

Via Balbi leads to the first of a dozen marvellous churches,

the Basilica of the Annunciation of the Vastato most notable for its dolls house,

but once you leave the Basilica the best thing you can do is get lost in the tiny streets of the Old Town,

like Chris Cross in Arthur’s Theme.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

26 thoughts on “VIA BALBI”

  3. “You’ll have to excuse this post, a little worse for wear after a night on the beer in Turin and now watching Mariah Carey introduce the Winter Olympics. Don’t the Italians have any singers ?”

    You had me at ‘night on the beer’.

    Also, the Winter Olympics have started? I may not be commenting for the next two weeks. 😉

    “and completely missing the African buzz of Via de Pre,”

    (looks down)
    Blimey. My darling wife and myself are watching the 2005 mini-series ‘Casanova’ with David Tennant (it’s how he became the 10th Doctor Who; Russell T. Davies directed and liked his acting), and that could be a scene from the 1700s!

    “Opposite the University, Via Balbi houses the Royal Palace Museum,”

    Surrounded by greatness.

    “and exhibition on St George, patron saint of Engerland, and the dragon.”‘

    He’s the patron saint of footie?

    “I’m very much Team Dragon.”

    Can’t argue with that these days.

    “the Basilica of the Annunciation of the Vastato most notable for its dolls house,”

    For some reason the song ‘It’s a Small World’ is running through my head.

    “but once you leave the Basilica the best thing you can do is get lost in the tiny streets of the Old Town,”

    I have to admit, Europe, hands down, has this side of the pond beat when it comes to tiny streets in the old parts of town.
    (I wandered many a tiny European street back in 80/81)

    “like Chris Cross in Arthur’s Theme.”

    Blimey. That’s bordering on a philosophical discussion.

    Cheers

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  7. When you were last in Genova, 12 years or so ago, you’d have bought postcards for all your friends and they wouldn’t have arrived until long after you got home because you packed them underneath your used underwear, only narrowly escaping the washing machine.

    Now you can post beautiful photos on this marvellous WordPress site and we can see the wonderful sights of Genova in February before you’ve even left the pub. For a fraction of the price of a postage stamp.

    Ain’t progress wonderful.

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    1. Will,
      I didn’t send any postcards from Italy.
      That’s because we were only in Domodossola for thirteen minutes – yes, even less time that Martin and Mrs RM in Monte Carlo !

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