canestrelli

This weekend we first had plans to go visit the Riekmann's at the beach in Saintes Marie de Mer along the French Riviera, but realized it was quite far and would be difficult to get there without a car.  So we decided to take a short train ride to one of the beaches along the Italian Riviera instead. We decided on Spotorno and Noli, but when we got to the station our train was canceled.  So we decided to take a train in the other direction to Santa Margherita and Rapallo.  But that train was canceled too.  We soon figured out that the trains were on sciopero (strike) and decided to just stay in Genova.  Saturday morning, after pancakes, we hiked up to Rigghi - the northernmost part of Genova. 

walking up the salita to Rigghi

first signs of fall

last of the summer blackberries in Rigghi

view of the forts in Rigghi

The plan was to go to at least one of the castles up there, but we walked up instead of taking the funicolare, so Holden was already tired when we got there and we didn't pack lunch so we were only able to hike a little and decided to save the castle for another day's adventure.  

Then on Sunday, after realizing we weren't going to take a train to the beach, we had a decision to make- take a train to Nervi and go kayaking or just stay in Genova and explore the city a little more. We ultimately decided to stay in Genova and headed for a cafe to recharge. This was a good idea because we later found out that none of the canoe/kayak stores will allow us to take Holden out with us.  Then we did a little shopping on Via XX Settembre and bought Holden some Italian jeans, not super tight and skinny as most are, but ones that actually fit his tiny legs since he lost weight from the stomach virus.  

And then we stumbled upon this fantastic place on Via Garibaldi called Creattivando.  It is a cooking class for adults and also for children and it just so happened that they were offering a children's cooking class shortly on making canestrelli, Italian sugar cookies.  Holden was ecstatic so we signed him up immediately.  He absolutely loves cooking and watches Cristina (the cook) every day in the kitchen and he and I bake treats for the students almost daily but this was a class just for him and he got to do it all by himself, even crack the eggs.  So after a short break for lunch at Eataly, we were off to the cooking class.  There was only one other boy and Holden was by far the youngest, but he didn't mind at all, in fact he got so much attention from all of the older girls that he was loving it!  So he made the pasta (dough), rolled it out, cut out shapes, put them on a baking pan, and then we came home with a nice little box of canestrelli.  And they were delicious! 

ingredients

mixing to make the dough

dough

kneading the dough

rolling the dough

more rolling

cutting the canestrelli

ready to bake

canestrelli to take home

taste test

second taste test

delicious!

Then Dave and Holden spent the remainder of the afternoon building a swing for the garden while fighting off all the mosquitoes ( I never could have imagined Italia would have so many mosqitoes!) Even though we never left the city, it was a good day.

trying out the new swing Holden and Dave built

playing in the garden

painting in the garden

Well...
I'm so slow in writing these posts that this was actually last weekend and on Sunday of this weekend, we headed back to Rigghi with a lunch packed and with a backpack for Holden in case his legs tired and actually did hike to Forte Diamante.  This is a beautiful fort/castle constructed in 1758 on top of the hill in Rigghi.  And I could be wrong, but I think Dave said it was about 700 meters above sea level.  It was a beautiful 5-mile hike in each direction and we couldn't have chosen a more beautiful day!  It offers wonderful views of the sea and the entire city of Genova.  In fact, we met some Americans (from Charlotte) in Rigghi who had just ridden the funicolare up for the scenic view.

on our way up to Forte Diamante

path marker, Holden was our navigator 

forte in the distance, sun in our eyes 

forte nearing on the horizon 

me with our picnic

finally there! 

inside the forte looking out

picnic

in the forte...

exploring Forte Diamante

walking back down

pisa

So we went to Pisa.  As Dave described it, it was similar to an amusement park.  The duomo, baptistery, and campanile (leaning bell tower) are in a complex right on the inner side of the wall, so almost outside the city.  

duomo and leaning campanile

leaning tower

It is totally isolated from the centro and really from the rest of the city.  It is completely full of tourists, more people than I've ever seen in one place and we were there on a Tuesday morning in late September.  I can't even imagine how many people must be there on a Saturday in June.  Dave actually spent the entire time we were there taking pictures of all the people taking pictures of themselves pretending to push over the tower.  

Sam (a student) flipping Holden outside the tower

Holden in the middle of the students outside the duomo

inside the duomo 

inside the duomo

inside the baptistery

Going up in the tower was definitely the highlight.  It was a bit of a surreal experience.  I had no idea that you could feel the incline so much once inside.  It was actually difficult climbing the stairs and you could really feel which side of the tower you were on in the spiral staircase. Once on top, you could really feel the incline as well.  And there is a beautiful view from the top (especially of Holden down below).  Holden could not climb to the top and gladly waited at the bottom with Giudi because the tower has a minimum age of 8.

looking up into the tower

view from the stairs inside the tower looking out

looking down at Holden (sitting on the steps with Giudi beside the ramp)

shadow of the tower from the top 

view of duomo from the top of the tower 

view from the top of the tower

panoramic view from the top of the tower

From Pisa we drove to Carrara, the marble quarry. (I decided to take Holden there in spite of warnings from Kristin Harding.)  This is the huge quarry for the luna marble, the light gray marble used in many cathedrals throughout Italia.  We drove straight up the mountain and then straight into the mountain.  

Carrara

Carrara

view of the quarry and old train tracks

bridge used to transport marble

Holden and Giudi buying tickets

It was a bit frightening, but a little sublime too.  As one of the students said, "I feel like I've just entered the lair of some evil villain."  Holden enjoyed splashing in the residual puddles from the water that is used to cut the marble and dancing around in his hard hat.

driving into the cave

view from inside the mountain looking out at a tiny spot of daylight

view of the quarry and the machines

adjusting hardhats 

trying not to look terrified 

more hardhat adjustments

view into the quarry

Holden peeking out through some marble 

listening to the guide tell how marble is cut

getting bored

entertainment by splashing in puddles

trying to stay warm

For me, we couldn't leave the cave soon enough, but once outside in the open air, I was glad that I had done it.  Marble was used in an almost ridiculous manner up at the quarry, even the edges of the parking lot and the light posts were made of marble.  And we bought a marble mortar and pestle to bring home as a souvenir.

lucca

I was super excited to be returning to Lucca as I fondly remembered it from the last time I had visited.  The last time we rented bikes and rode along the perimeter of the city along the wall and then through the entire city.  We were unable to rent bikes on this visit due to time constraints (but Holden was very excited about the prospect of renting bikes so we hope to return to Lucca and do this before leaving Italia).

We first went to La Villa Reale di Marlia before heading through the walls into the city of Lucca.  This was a 15th century palazzo that was belonged to Napoleon's sister, along with an entire line of other noble families throughout the years, with beautifully designed gardens out in the middle of Toscana.  It was beautiful, but I would have preferred to spend the extra time in the city of Lucca.  

Once we were in the city we had a delicious Tuscan meal of pesto ravioli, pear and pecorino risotto, pappa di pomodoro, and that wonderful true unsalted delicious Tuscan bread.  The bread in Genova is good but it doesn't compare to Tuscan bread, really none of the Ligurian food compares to Tuscan food in my opinion.  But that is just my opinion and I'm sure many would disagree with me.  Tuscan food tastes like coming home to me, perhaps because I am so fond of Toscana.  And I'm really looking forward to independent travel week when we plan to visit friends in Caponnole and Castiglione Alberti.  After the lunch, Holden and I went for cappuccino and gelato and skipped out on visiting more churches to do some shopping.  He tried on some new jeans, but opted for a Lego instead.  Then we bought some handmade chocolates to take home and met up with Giudi and Dave and the students to walk along the wall back to the bus.  

And when we returned to Genova a dinner of meatballs (as Holden and I were hoping) was just sitting there awaiting our arrival!


[Thanks to everyone who is reading this blog.  So many of you are reading it, yet few are leaving comments. Holden and I are really missing our friends and family and love getting messages and comments from you guys.  

So if you feel compelled, please leave us comments or to those of you who send me private messages, this is great too!  We miss and love you guys!]