February 2026. Turin. In 1985 the New Musical Express gave a legendary review of The Jesus & Mary Chain, berating them for no longer having the energy to play the twenty minute sets, slipping into the “rockism” of hour long shows with encores. Similarly with blogging, it’s harder (for me, anyway) to write concise posts… Continue reading TURIN – SHROUDED IN MYSTERY
Tag: europe
A PINT IN MONACO OLD TOWN
February 2026. Monaco. One night in Monaco, as Murray Head nearly sang; one day is plenty, but not more than enough. I really enjoyed the principality, but you can walk from shops to casinos to the Old Town in half an hour, though you’ll appreciate those evcr-present free elevators on the walk back. We left… Continue reading A PINT IN MONACO OLD TOWN
ONE OF THE BEER GUIDES IS MISSING….
February 2026. Genoa. Last Genoa post, I promise, but I know many of you share my evangelical zeal to see hand pumps in developing nations, so I welcome the cask in Scurerria Beer & Bagel. I love a trad pub name, me. If Public House, the other real ale outlet I found in Genoa was… Continue reading ONE OF THE BEER GUIDES IS MISSING….
CALAMARI
February 2026. Genoa. The best way to get a sense of Genoa Old Town is from the Spianata Castelletto, reached by an attractive Art Nouveau lift, or by persuading Mrs RM to take an exhausting half hour zig zag of a walk from Via Balbi. You can see the giant cruise ships from that viewpoint,… Continue reading CALAMARI
PAVIA – COFFEE, CAKE, COBBLES AND CHURCHES
February 2026. Pavia. I was going to skip the architecture of Pavia and go straight back to Italian real ale, but Lana on her Retirement Chapter blog just got a great post out of Shirley, so how could I leave out the castle, the bridge, the cobbled streets, and those beautiful shops. In truth, Pavia… Continue reading PAVIA – COFFEE, CAKE, COBBLES AND CHURCHES
THE BLACK BULL, PAVIA
February 2026. Pavia. I’d booked Trenitalia tickets to Pavia, reckoning a 7pm return* would be ideal to allow us to have a quick pint before a mad 20 minute dash for the train to Genoa (though I would caution against ever making Mrs RM dash for anything). But as we stood outside the Black Bull… Continue reading THE BLACK BULL, PAVIA
PASTA IN PAVIA
February 2026. Pavia. For those bored of foreign muck, here’s a Bass mirror from Turin last night. Quite a bit of travel to go before we get there, though. A week in Italy was enough to confirm the greatness of Genoa, tick a new country, finally see what Turin is all about (food) and revisit… Continue reading PASTA IN PAVIA
Via di Prè, Genoa. My Favourite Street.
February 2026. Genoa. It was actually that first morning in Genoa, leaving the grandeur of Via Balbi and those World Heritage palaces and descending to the noise and colour of Via di Prè, a half mile of multi-ethnic shops and barbers and even tinier lanes down to the sea, that I suddenly realised why Genoa… Continue reading Via di Prè, Genoa. My Favourite Street.
THE CINQUE TERRE ON THE CHEAP – LUNCH IN CAMOGLI
February 2026. Camogli. Italy. 25 years ago we flew to Genoa, hired a car, and set off around the Ligurian coast towards the Cinque Terre looking for signs saying “Zimmer Frei” “Camera” to stay for the night. In a world before websites and Booking.com, turning up at 4pm with two toddlers without accommodation seems reckless… Continue reading THE CINQUE TERRE ON THE CHEAP – LUNCH IN CAMOGLI
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… Continue reading VIA BALBI
retiredmartin 