Boccadasse

View from our hotel room. Not the prettiest view, but interesting. You can see the old lighthouse standing guard in the middle of the busy port.

This morning we enjoyed a complimentary breakfast at the hotel restaurant before checking out. Our plan was to drive down the coast to the fishing village of Boccadasse then head home.

It was a wet and cloudy morning as we drove south. This area is part of the Italian Riviera. There are many establishments along the coast where small cabana type rooms can be rented. There isn't a lot of beach here, hardly any at all, but people still come to hang out at the coast during the summer.


Enjoying the Italian coast


Sculpture overlooking the Mediterranean

The coastal towns all seem to blend together and its hard to distinguish one from the other while driving. We ended up driving a couple of towns past Boccadasse before realizing our mistake and turning around.

We found the town pretty quickly and stopped to look around. Boccadasse is a typical fishing village along the Italian coast. Its built on the rocks along the water, the buildings are colorful and it looks very much like a 'working' village. There were many boats on shore and the local men filled the bar (remember, a bar is where caffe and wine are served).



The tiny fishing village of Boccadasse

We walked through the village and climbed one of the steep lanes to the top of the hill.


Looking downhill towards the village


View down the coast

After enjoying the view, we meandered back down into the village and stopped for foccacia bread, a specialty of this region. Very simple and tasty.

Time to drive home.

I hadn't expected much from Genova. It's a port city with a lot of shipping and industry. Many Italians have not spoken very highly of it, other than the aquarium. We found the old city to be charming and full of interesting architecture and history. Sure, the city has a grit about it, and its probably not a vacation destination, but it is was worth the overnight trip we took time for.

We are continually surprised by what each town in Italy has to offer. Occasionally we look at each other and say, "Can you believe we live in Italy!", or "Can you believe we are driving along the Meditterranean!". On the other hand, more and more we feel like it is just normal to live here. That tells us that we are comfortable and feeling settled.