Closing thoughts on Genova and the apartment

November 16, 2007 Friday

Heading into the last few days I’m here in Genova, I thought I’d summarize some of my thoughts on living in the city and in an (the) apartment. First, on Genova:

Genova is a very introverted city. The people are focused on friends and family and stay at home much of the time (resulting in a lower incidence of what I’ll call “Café Society”). Those walking in the street are often in groups, or at least couples. Greetings on the street are frequent and warm. It takes a while to find the shops you like (since there are many of the same type, each small and specialized). Once found, however, the shopkeeper remembers you—the barista who knows you like caffe doppio, the butcher who knows you only buy in small quantities, the grocer who knows you favor clemintines, each has a “Salve!” for you on entry. But Genova doesn’t easily give up her secrets. It takes a while to find the caffe where the brioche vuota (“empty” croissants without filling) don’t have extra sugar sprinkled on them and also has good coffee. Genova holds them close, but not impossibly close. Listen, watch, wait, observe, and gradually over days and weeks, the city slowly reveals its rich and welcoming side. Hesitant and shy, Genova is not a tourist city—tourists don’t have enough time to invest to get to know it. Approach Genova with brashness and all you get is a cooperative, but cold, front. Patience. The warmth is there, but it comes only with familiarity.

Downsides to Genova: Everyone seems to have a dog, and the dogs leave foot bombs everywhere. Some pick up after their animals, but some don’t. You have to watch where you’re stepping! The Medieval historical center is cool in that it reveals the narrow vicoli and small piazzas that have survived until today. Unfortunately, these same narrow vicoli and piazzas have 3-4 story buildings on all sides that prevent the sun from getting to them, so they’re dark most of the time. Not conducive to sitting on the piazza and having a coffee or drink. The restaurants are generally pretty mediocre (probably an artifact that Genova society dines at home or at friend’s homes, not at restaurants—and as pointed out previously, Genova is not a tourist city). The people generally have a pretty dour attitude toward life—the rest of Italy calls Genova, “the stingy”. Perhaps they’re right. And lastly, Genova is a vertical city—there are stairs everywhere you turn.

Upsides to Genova: The people are friendly and are very proud of their city—praise any aspect of it and the burst with pride. Genova is a very walkable city (assuming you can navigate lots of stairs). The Oriental Market on Via XX Septembre is a great place to shop for dinner—everything you need under one roof. Via Luccoli is a very interesting and shoppable street (let’s throw in the via Campetto, too). You can reach most of the Italian Riviera from Genova on a day trip: Cinque Terre, Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure. The harbor area is very nice—and one of the few areas where shops are open on Sunday!

Apartment Peculiarities: I’ve mentioned the mezzanine floor in the apartment, allowing it to be a two-story affair with living room and bedroom upstairs. The owner has also bought the apartment above mine and she intends to raise the floor of that one (ceiling of mine) 40 cm so there is decent headroom on the mezzanine floor of my apartment. [Don’t ask me how she can get away with doing that sort of thing. In the US, the neighbors would be howling about the building’s structural integrity.] The apartment is pretty quaint, thinking about the original floor on the lower level—it’s brick laid in a crossing diagonal pattern. Although it sags noticeably, it’s still cool to know it was put down in the 1600s. The lock on the exterior door is massive and employs not only 5 deadbolts in tandem (each 1 cm in diameter), but also sets a vertical rod into the ceiling and floor. I wonder what has happened in the past to make that level of security a necessity (even my New York apartment’s lock wasn’t that hefty, but I’ve seen the same arrangement in other parts of Italy). The door itself is steel with a decorative and deeply carved wood panel on the outside. There are closets for utility items (iron, ironing board, vacuum, etc.) and clothes in the lower level bedroom. Apparently, closets are a rare thing in these old buildings and only appear in modern renovations. Both closets are partial height affairs because they are under the stairs going up to the mezzanine level. Many of the fixtures are IKEA and the interior doors and hardware are 2nd hand. Okay, so as the Italian sentiment has it: the Genovese are cheap.