Arriving in Genoa (Genoa - Wikipedia), we walked from the train station to our AirBnB through what “felt” like a bit of a sketchy part of town. That is not a typical feeling in European cities. Never felt that in Naples; we did in Genoa.
Well, we got used to it and went out for drinks on the waterfront followed by a nice dinner that evening. The AirBnB was large and very clean and was quite near the port area ((Aquarium) Elegant bi-level apt. with tub in room - Condominiums for Rent in Genova, Liguria, Italy - Airbnb).
Our first of two days in Genoa, we decided to take an “overview” type tour, like the Hop-on / Hop-off bus tours I have described in other blogs.
Instead of a bus, this was a segmented, connected vehicle called Trenino Pippo (..:: TRENINOPIPPO.IT ::..). We were given earbuds which we connected to the English language channel for the description of the sights. It was a nice tour, and we got a good perspective of Genoa.
Following the Trenino Pippo tour, we met with a nice couple, Nica and Paolo for a walking tour arranged through AirBnB (Food & Tales - Airbnb). I highly recommend Nica and Paolo’s highly rated tour called, “Food & Tales”.
Map and info on the Port of Genoa. Pesto store and Palace of St. George both are part of the Food & Tales tour... don't miss it...
On our second day in Genoa, we headed to the train station to go to Santa Margherita Ligure, and from there a ferry to Portofino. Out of all the “must see” Italian coastal towns I visited on this trip, I loved Portofino (Portofino - Wikipedia) the most.
Portofino's main harbor, the Piazzetta di Portofino (also known as the Piazza Martiri dell’Olivetta), framed by the colorful buildings and the mountains is much smaller than the heavily visited Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi, and not the same volume of tourists. This could be due to the accessibility by tourists coming by ferry from Santa Margherita Ligure after traveling from Genoa. No major huge cruise ships.
Portofino, on the Italian Rivera (see: Italian-Riveria.com) and commune of Genoa, sits in a cove at the base of several mountains, so it is hilly like the Amalfi Coast towns. However, you can enjoy the Portofino harbor and seafront bars and restaurants without steep walkways and major flights of stairs, which are unavoidable in Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi.
Scenes from Portofino Italy.
The main reason to climb the paths and stairs up from Portofino harbor is to see the fortress of Manarola and visit the Church of San Giorgio (see: Italian-Riveria.com). Be warned, it is a good hike of stairs and paths, paved and unpaved, from Portofino harbor. You can do self-tours of both the fortress and the Church. There’s even a small outdoor café, next to the Manarola fortress, to get a drink or bottle of water and rest a bit after the climb.
The final leg of my trip with both my daughters were a few enjoyable days in Milan. We all liked Milan (A guide to Milan and what's new in Italy's most fashionable northern city (nationalgeographic.com)), a big city like Naples without a lot of the grittiness of Naples or Genoa.
Although we decided to walk from the Milan train station to our AirBnB, there are many taxis, excellent public transportation (bus and Metro), and easy to book Uber cars.
So much to see in Milan, and streetcars – you all know what streetcars are, right? See: Streetcars in North America - Wikipedia for an excellent description of streetcars. They are old electronic (getting their power from overhead wires), steel-wheeled, trolleys (some metal, some wooden) – and you Millennials, Gen Z’ers, and Gen X’ers thought electric vehicles are only from your generations.
Streetcars, often called trams or trolleys in Europe, have been around since the early part of the 1900’s. Some, like the ones I road in Valencia, are more modern and faster. While the ones in Milan, like the streetcars of my youth growing up in Pittsburgh, are slow, rickety, and mostly wooden.
Public transportation in most European countries is excellent and I highly recommend it. These days you can either buy a pass in advance or simply touch your credit card to the reader upon entering the bus/tram/trolley/train. It is roughly $1.70 per one-way trip, a bit less expensive if you purchase a pass in advance. Even though often crowded, I like to take the bus or trolley so I can look around and take in the city as I travel from place to place.
The AirBnB in Milan was awesome – we all agreed (Charming early 900s apartment near Central Station - Apartments for Rent in Milano, Lombardia, Italy - Airbnb). A beautiful, large 3-bedroom, 2 bath apartment, on a quiet street a couple of blocks from public transportation and parks. Although we stayed in nice places, this was the nicest.
Leonardo di Vinci's Last Supper and Santa Maria della Grazie church in Milan Italy
On our first evening we walked across town to see Leonardo di Vinci’s Last Supper masterpiece. Erin chose not to purchase our tickets through a tour group. Instead, she went directly to the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie’s website, at: Santa Maria Delle Grazie - Last Supper Ticket. Even though we checked-in on time, and had a specified entrance time on our ticket, there was a slight delay. So, we waited and enjoyed watching kids playing in the yard in front of the church. Our ticket included a tour guide that explained the details of the location, planning, initial painting, and subsequent restorations. It was very interesting, especially the story of how it survived the WWII bombings. I highly recommend taking the time to view Leonardo’s masterpiece. It is AWESOME!
Numerous photos in, around, and under the Cathedral of Milan (Duomo di Milano)
We had two tours scheduled for our only full day in Milan. In the morning, we went on a tour of the Duomo (Milan Cathedral) Duomo di Milano - Official Website (duomomilano.it), including climbing to the roof top. By the way, Erin chose to go directly to the Duomo di Milano website and schedule/buy a tour and tickets for us. We met the very knowledgeable tour guide outside, near the ticket office and our tour began as planned. Although the Duomo (Milan Cathedral - Wikipedia) had a lot of tourists and tour groups, we made our way through and saw the major parts of the Cathedral. We also went under the Duomo to see the Baptistry of the original Cathedral and adjoining Basilica dedicated to St. Thecia, built in 355 AD and destroyed by fire in 1075 AD (Milan Cathedral - Wikipedia).
Next, we took an elevator to the lower roof level and continued the tour. The guide discussed the various renovations and cleanings, as well as pointing out the various architectural high points, like the beautiful flying buttresses, numerous statues, and colorful windows. We gradually worked our way around to the front of the Duomo and the stairs to the top of the roof over the nave of the Cathedral (Milan Cathedral roof: up on stairs or by lift? (italy-sights.info)). After a quick climb up a set of stairs, we were rewarded with a beautiful 360-degree view of Milan and the end of our tour.
After the Duomo tour, we decided to walk to one of the two remaining canals (“navigli”) in Milan (Navigli - Wikipedia). They are beautiful and as we walked around the canal, the shops, restaurants, and sights reminded me of Venice – don’t know if they were trying for that. Although it was a Thursday afternoon, there were a lot of people – tourists, shoppers, workers, and street entertainers. So, we got some gelato and watched the people go by.
Ottocene Restaurant photos from wine tasting with owner and sommelier Jacopo.
That evening we went to a private wine tasting, scheduled through AirBnB, called “Fun Wine Tasting with the Most Italian Sommelier in Milano” (Fun Wine Tasting with the most italian Sommelier in Milano - Airbnb). The sommelier was Jacopo, and the wine tasting was at his restaurant Ottocene in Milano (Ottocene - Restaurants in Milan - Vivimilano (corriere.it)). But this wasn’t just a wine tasting, it was a wine education followed by a four-course chef created masterpiece of a supper. Jacopo was an excellent teacher and sommelier, most of all he made the wine tasting FUN! We tasted 5 or 6 different wines and he then paired wines with our different meal courses.
We were very tired after our last travel day together. We talked about our next plans, Erin to London to see friends, and Taylor and I to Barcelona – me continuing my trip and Taylor to visit friends.
The next morning, after hugs goodbye, Erin left for the airport and Taylor and I did the same to Milan Malpensa for our flight to Barcelona, Spain. The Italian portion of my trip, both solo in Naples and with my daughters, was a fantastic time.
As I have mentioned in other blogs, I highly recommend solo travel. However, traveling with both of my daughters (my first time doing this) was a lot of fun.
I look forward to doing it again, someday.
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