Ah, the white ship, the azure wave... part three
Cruise ports: Civitavecchia (Rome) and Genoa / Italy.
MSC Splendida - self cruise - Barcelona
Cruise starts here:
http://blogs. turpravda. en/hessen/98277.html
http://blogs. turpravda. en/hessen/98641.html
The cruise was selected from 2 directions: western or eastern Mediterranean. For the first time, other options were not considered, because there was little time and there was no time to make additional visas somewhere. I wanted the route to be in such cities where we had not yet been, it would just be the most excellent option. But, unfortunately, there was no such route on our dates, there were always 2-3 places where we had already visited. And only this one, on which we sailed, was almost perfect. Almost, because there is Rome here, and we have already been in it more than once. Of course, this is a city where there is always something to see. And yet, I do not like Rome on cruises, if only to take it as a point of embarkation / disembarkation.
And it did not suit us, some inconvenient, expensive flights were there, and besides this, we really wanted to see Barcelona after the cruise. In my opinion, this port of Civitavecchia is the most inconvenient, so much time is spent on the road to Rome and back. And that's how I did not want to have this port and this city, so we did not get there.
So the cruise continues.
3. Civitavecchia (Rome)
As I already wrote, that only at 15:00 we arrived at the port of Civitavecchia instead of 08:00 in the morning. The captain decided to leave not at 18:00 as scheduled, but at 21:00 in the evening. After thinking it over, counting the time, we decided not to leave the liner. As many write in Civitavecchia, there is nothing to watch, but there is very little time for Rome. And besides, cloudy, windy, light rain. And besides, they gave additional information that very heavy rains took place in Rome, which at the moment makes it very difficult for public transport to work. Well, this was already the last straw for not going: God forbid the train will be delayed ...
I didn't want to miss the ship.
After lunch with the Spaniards at La Reggia, we moved to deck 14 at Bora Bora & Pago Pago, got our favorite bottled juices and watched the disembarkation/embarkation. The spectacle was interesting, however. Cruisers leave the ship, bypass the terminal and turn left. There is a road here: on the left there are free buses plying along the route end / start of the port, and on the right there are taxis and several sightseeing buses. Groups of people are heading for a taxi. Agree on a price, load, leave. They do not agree - they go further on foot to Civitavecchia. And so, for about the first 20-30 minutes, no one approaches the free buses, which stand with open doors, and an employee from MSC in uniform stands next to each.
People continue to leave Splendida, some already with suitcases, without agreeing with a taxi, continue their way further on foot.
Others with children in strollers, covered with capes from the rain, where are these? Well really nobody knows about these free buses? Finally, someone had an epiphany, the whole crowd is heading for the bus, but for some reason only one. It was such a crush ...the words "horses mixed up in a bunch, people ... " I read about it in the reviews, but I had no idea how it really looks like. The first bus filled up, left, people rushed to the second, the rest were empty. It is still not clear why it was not possible to go to all the buses at once? Maybe they just didn't know...
Here, those for whom this cruise has already ended have already begun to leave the terminal. One by one, they approached the bus, loaded their suitcases into the luggage compartment and sat on the bus.
What happened next is not known, only after a while everyone began to get off this bus, unload their belongings from the bus trunk, and transit people followed the bus. So I looked at all this and thought, well, what a mess, what a mess! Of course, this did not affect us in any way, but nevertheless, it is interesting, after all, is it always there or only in connection with the delay of the liner?
It was already five o'clock in the evening, and the tourists continued and continued to leave the ship, I wonder where? We were tired of watching this sad picture, and while there was time before the theater, we went to explore the shops.
That's how this day passed ingloriously, but for us there were also pluses: we had a good night's sleep, we were not in a hurry, we completely rested. In general, half of the cruise has already passed, and we have drawn certain conclusions for ourselves: what do we expect and want from the type of such a holiday as a cruise?
It became quite obvious, for example, for the summer, that we need a 1:2 route, i. e. 1 day at sea, the next two - cities and villages, etc. , we need alternation so that we can watch new cities, well, so that for yourself there was time to rest and relax, and just be lazy. And here, by the will of the weather, it happened. But in winter we won’t go to the Mediterranean anymore. Short daylight hours, the weather is not always sunny, and therefore there are almost no sunrises or almost sunsets, and cities with lush greenery and flowers look much more attractive than in winter, you have to take extra warm clothes with you and other various little things.
In the evening, at dinner, we asked the Muscovites what they were doing that day? It turns out that they got off the ship, got on the bus on the fifth attempt, walked around Civitavecchia, got wet to the skin and returned back.
Well, I say, at least you saw the famous monument “I am a sailor, you are a sailor”, they didn’t see it, they say, no monument, probably, they went in the wrong direction.
4 Genoa / Italy
In the early cloudy morning we enter the port of the beautiful, mysterious Genoa.
Genoa is, first of all, an ancient city with an equally ancient port, which was and is the main source of income for Genoa. The very name of the city is somehow intriguing, we are happy to go there for new experiences.
"Genoa is a major port city (the largest port in the country) in northern Italy, the center of the Liguria region. In the north, the Apennine mountains come close to the city. The combination of sea and mountains gives the city even more flavor. According to legend, Genoa was founded by the god Giano (so in Rome they called Janus), the two-faced Janus is turned with one of his faces to the sea, the other to the mountains. The Genoese consider Janus the protector of all passages, including the doors to the house.
Therefore, the Genoese pay much attention to the entrances to their houses: since ancient times, every doorway in Genoa has been decorated with a bas-relief. " (from the Internet)
Splendida has a very good mooring in the very center, so no additional buses are needed. The parking lot is large, until 6 pm, nevertheless, at about 10:00 am we were already walking along the embankment. It was decided to walk around the entire old part of Genoa. We leave the port building, turn right and walk slowly along the embankment. We pass by the Galata Museo del Mare sea museum, we see the real submarine C-518 "Nazario Sauro", which is named after the Italian lieutenant Nazario Sauro, the hero of the First World War. The submarine works as a museum. If you wish, you can inspect it, what and how it is arranged inside.
Next will be the handsome Galleon "Neptune". True, from my photographs, you can’t say in any way that he is handsome. The sky is dark, everything is in clouds, that look it will start to rain.
They say that it was specially built for the filming of the movie "Pirates", directed by Roman Polanski, while others claim that nothing was filmed on it ...The entrance to the boat was closed, out of season. One of the advantages of the Galleon is that everything is allowed to touch, explore by touch, climb everywhere, it will be very interesting for children.
Then we pass the Bigo panoramic elevator, which was built as a result of the reconstruction of the old Antique port - Porto Antico, which was held before the Expo-92 exhibition, but something is not visible. The exhibition was held on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. Around the same time, the biosphere and the aquarium appeared. Since we didn't see the elevator, so we didn't take it, not a big deal, and I knew there was one.
We passed by the aquarium, photographed the biosphere with tropical plants, bright birds and butterflies fly inside and went to Piazza Caricamento with the beautiful Palazzo S. Giorgio.
"The construction of the palace was carried out in the middle of the 13th century by order of the captain of the people Guglielmo Boccanegra. The palace was the first building in Genoa, which originally had a public purpose - a counterbalance to religious power.
In 1298-1299, the great traveler Marco Polo, a prisoner of the Republic of Genoa, was imprisoned in the dungeons of the palace. During his confinement, the Venetian traveler dictated to another prisoner - Rustichello from Pisa - his memoirs of travel, which were later published under the title "The Book of the Diversity of the World" or "Million". ( from the Internet)
Next, we go to the small Piazza Banchi square. Here on the right is the church of S. Pietro della Porta.
From the square we go to the right along Via Canneto il Curto, then the third crossroads to the left and exit onto Via S. Lorenzo. We go straight to the most historical part of Genoa. The whole route was printed for me, all the names were printed in Italian, and when it was not clear where to go, I usually approached street vendors and showed my printouts. For them, the names were clear, and they showed us the right direction. This made it very easy for us to quickly find something, because I'm not sure that if we said these names, we would be understood as we should be.
Through narrow streets we approach Piazza S. Lorenzo, where the Cathedral of St. Lawrence with the relics of St. John the Baptist is located. Cattedrale di San Lorenzo. A building with a very peculiar, striped black and white facade, although such churches are not uncommon in Italy. Two huge stone lions are placed on the sides of the building.
"One of the legends says that in the 3rd century, not far from the place where the cathedral was built, St. Lawrence and Pope Sixtus II stopped during their trip to Spain. After their death, a small chapel was erected here, and later a church. According to archaeological excavations, carried out in the area of the cathedral, there really is a cemetery of early Christians, which was founded in the ancient Roman era.
In the dungeons of the Cathedral of St. Lawrence in Genoa is his treasury. The collection of valuables of the treasury began to form already in the 12th century, and over time, the collection was significantly enlarged, thanks to numerous donations.
There are the "Sacred Chalice", which has been revered for centuries as a relic associated with the Last Supper, the "Zacharias Cross" - a Byzantine reliquary made of gold and precious stones, "The Cancer of St. John the Baptist" - a masterpiece of late Gothic jewelry that was used during festive processions. Cancer is made in the form of a cathedral and decorated with scenes from the life of the Baptist, made of gilded silver and enamel, "Dish of St. John the Baptist". (from the Internet)
We continue straight until Piazza G. Matteotti, where on the left is the Ducal Palace Palazzo Ducale, the former seat of the government of the Republic of Genoa. Now it is a museum and is open to the public.
"In the interior of the palace, two halls painted with frescoes and decorated with sculptures are of the greatest interest: the hall of the Great Council (Giuseppe Isola, 1875) and the hall of the Small Council (Carlo Giuseppe Ratti and Carlo Barabino, late 18th - early 19th centuries), as well as the Doge's Chapel, decorated by Giovanni Battista Carlone in 1653 - 1655. " (from the Internet)
In addition, conferences, various exhibitions, meetings and events of the highest level, concerts are held there...
Next we head to a not particularly conspicuous building - is it the Jesuit Church of Jesus and Saints Ambrogio and Andrea Chiesa del Ges? e dei Santi Ambrogio e Andrea. An unremarkable facade, I would have passed by if I had not known in advance that this place must be visited. Many years ago we went on a bus tour to Italy for the first time, and we had a very wonderful guide. It was then that he told us (and later showed us) that in Italy one should not attach special importance to church facades.
They may be shabby, shabby, inconspicuous... but inside there are always works of the most famous masters. At least take the facade of this church, nothing special, but what is hidden inside ...The temple is decorated with the most expensive works of art by famous masters: frescoes by Giovanni Carlone, paintings by Giovanni Merano, Giovanni De Ferrari, Guido Reni, and of course Rubens. Marble, mosaics, frescoes, gold, paintings, and a look under the dome ...When we went there, I involuntarily burst out: ah! oh my god! I don't think I've ever seen such beauty.
I sat down on a bench there, contemplated the beauty and didn’t even want to move. Wearing glasses for the distance, she looked at the painted ceilings. After five visited temples, this one definitely takes the first place. But time does not wait, we must move on along the compiled route. Beautiful temple, well, just a must to visit.
Leaving this amazing temple, we go further straight along Via di Porta Soprana and exit to the oldest gate of Porto Soprana Porto Soprana with two twin towers, which are the remains of the fortress wall of Genoa. This fortress wall was built in the 12th century around the city in the form of a defensive ring. And this gate is all that's left of her. I didn’t know in advance that it was possible to climb stairs to these two towers to look at the city from above, they would definitely climb.
We pass through the gate and head to the house of Columbus Square. Dante Piazza Dante. Not a large, two-story, dilapidated house, in which in 1451. Christopher Columbus was born, or Columbus lived here between 1455-1470, or his family lived...
There are so many tourists near the house of Columbus, taking pictures against its background, a Chinese group approached us just in front of us, we thought that there would be no end to this photo shoot.
We left there, turned left onto Via Dante, walked around the amazing gallery of Sant'Andrea Galleria di Sant Andrea XII, and then returned to the house again. Fortunately for us, there was almost no one there, so we managed to take a photo without people.
And finally, we are approaching the central square of the city - Sq. Ferrari Piazza De Ferrari.
"Until the beginning of the 19th century, there was a small square of San Domenico, named after the church of the same name of St. Dominic located here - one of the symbols of the city, the largest, richest and oldest church of Genoa. After the territories of the Republic of Genoa were annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia, it was decided to create on this site is a new modern city center, the focus of transport routes.
Work on the "renovation" of the space was entrusted to the Genoese architect Carlo Barabino. The complex of St. Dominic's Church was demolished, new streets were laid and the existing ones were widened.
In 1879, the monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi was inaugurated, placed in front of the colonnade of the theater Carlo Felice.
In 1887, the square was named after Duke Rafaele de Ferrari, diplomat and banker, philanthropist, generous benefactor and patron of the arts. " (from the Internet)
The area is surrounded by many historical buildings: the Doge's Palace, (the facade faces the other side, on Piazza G. Matteotti) the Ligurian Academy of Fine Arts, the theater Carlo Felice, which is named after the Sardinian king, who founded this theater, the monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi, the palace of the Duke of Galliera and the Palazzo della Borsa, or the New Exchange, which is closed to the public.
I liked Palazzo della Borsa the most, a very beautiful building.
Let it be cloudy, let it be cold, but why did it rain? Caps, scarves, gloves, everything was taken out of the backpack, everything came in handy. And as always there are no umbrellas. But in Genoa this is not a problem at all, Africans sell at every turn.
And I will tell you that in Genoa, on the very central square, and coffee is not at all expensive. We took 2 coffees and some kind of bun for my husband, paid 4.40. We refreshed ourselves, warmed up further, but the rain does not stop, shallow, cold, in a word, nasty.
Having bypassed the fountain, we exit to the street on April 25 Via XXV Aprile. We walk along it for a short time, 400 meters and exit to Piazza delle Fontane Marose. Here we went to the shops a couple of times, well, such junk is for sale, who only buys all this? At the same time, they asked for directions, my printouts were very helpful, they just look at the name and immediately show the direction. We turn left and find ourselves at the beginning of the famous Garibaldi Via Garibaldi, on which the palaces are one more beautiful than the other, both to the left and to the right, in a row. The most famous of them are Palazzo Rosso Palazzo Rosso, which now houses an art gallery and Palazzo Bianco Palazzo Bianco, which houses an art gallery.
In general, on this street it was possible to photograph every house
...all of them there are unique, inimitable, in a word, monuments of art.
The rain either stops or starts again, and we need to get to Piazza della Nunziata. Here you will visit the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato, which was built in the 16th century. But we did not get into it, it was closed.
And again everything repeats itself, we did not see any luxury on the facade of the church, but the interior decoration, as they say, is very beautiful, elegant and rich. But unfortunately we didn't get there. We cross the square straight ahead and exit onto Via Balbi, which was born as a personal project of the banker Stefano Balbi, at the beginning of the 17th century, along which beautiful palaces are built.
The most interesting of them is the Royal Palace, in which the kings and princes of the Savoy dynasty subsequently lived for a hundred years. Palazzo Stefano Balbi/Palazzo Reale XVII.
We passed through the central square of the Palace to the inner courtyard - the garden, it is very pleasant to walk along the paths with pebble drawings, comfortably, softly.
Now the Palace houses a museum with paintings and sculptures exhibited in its halls.
We look right and left, take pictures, go down to the port. We pass by the monument to Columbus, walk a little more along the embankment and return to Splendida.
We leave the native port of registry of the MSC company - the port of Genoa and head for France.
Photo album here:
http://my. turpravda. com/hessen/gallery/117254/
