Sunday, June 14, Genoa
Unlike other cities in Italy that close down on Sunday, Genoa is active with all types of shops open. In other parts of Italy, the churches are almost always open during the week during daylight hours, in Genoa many are closed, except on Sunday. We wanted to see one church in particular and ended up seeing about 6, each different with exquisite art, sculpture, inlaid marble and frescoes. We spent the morning from about 9 until noon in the old city just following our noses from church to church.
At the risk of being sacrilegious, but in appreciation of the Catholic Churches’ efforts to reduce global warming and its carbon footprint, we have renamed this the Church of the Most Holy Toggle Switch & Electric Candles:
And here is why.
Kidding aside, the churches in Genoa are big, beautiful and plentiful. These are some of the highlights for today:
We returned to our hotel, ate lunch, sat out a bit of a rain storm and then visited the Palazzo de Reale, a sumptuous palace just down the block from our hotel. It is fair to compare this royal masterpiece with Versailles except for its size and lack of a garden. Many of the rooms have original furnishings, art and tapestries dating to the early 17th century. The floors, walls and ceilings reveal the wealth and culture of the successful patrons who lived here.
Both original Van Vyke 
1610 Tapestry 
Modern pebble mosaic
Other examples of position we saw today:
We had some extra time so we walked to the waterfront and read about the Nautical Museum and history of shipping in Genoa which wet our appetites to come back tomorrow and tour the entire museum.
The day was topped off with a Skype with Sam and Max in New York.
pedalsandpanniers 