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Reflections on Italy. A lot of streets are call Via de 20 Sept, or similar. Why? took me back to Higher History: The capture of Rome occurred on 20 September 1870, as forces of the Kingdom of Italy took control of the city and Papal States. Rome was officially made capital of Italy on 3 February 1871, completing the unification of Italy. Today we remember Garibaldi as a biscuit. We also forget some large European Countries were formed only [relatively] recently, including Germany.

They also like Alfa Romeo: the first police car we spotted was an Alfa —now part of Fiat-Chrysler. Most of the cars have been “small” or medium sized. It’s only now as we enter the wealthier (or showier?) areas that the SUVs, Porches, Mercs etc start to grow in popularity. They seem to like their horns more too: probably reflects their complexes.

We passed through places called Superior and Inferior this or that. Not necessarily correlated with car sizes.

Today we continued on the railway track for a glorious 15miles, then in and out of narrow street towns, hugging the coast. The route avoids Monaco: too dense with lots of roads now in tunnels as they pack in more unreal estate. So a Tour de France hill it was. No records were broken.

Another border crossing on a steep hill. A neat change of lingo gets a smile from the bored border polis man (bon jour vs buongiorno). Nice cake stop, then into the main city and a rest day. It’s been a fine day all round.

A Times article proves inspiring: Big Pharma is campaigning against NICE – they want the NHS to pay an increased price; never mind evidence based QALY – we want more of your lolly; our shareholders demand a greater slice. Plus ca change.

Hugging the coast along the Italian Riviera (Liguria region) – along with the holiday traffic, people going to work. The first 20km to get out of Genova were the busiest (aka focussed stress) with traffic coming from all directions. The little scooters were having a ball, weaving their magic dance around their bigger siblings. And making more noise about it.

It feels like “ribbon” development all along the coast line. Cars hunting for parking spaces, people thinking that zebra crossings were meant for them. The challenge is you can see far in front of you as the bay turns: like the Swansea Half Marathon or Lincoln Cathedral: you can see for miles where you are going.

Part of the route was on the former Genoa-Ventimiglia railway line. Through tunnels, which add a frisson of water dripping in darkness to keep things exciting. The shame is, today, it wasn’t for longer. Tomorrow more please!

The route meant plenty of cafe choices. And enough deck chairs to cirle the UK. People come in droves to sit under a square metre of parasol, arranged in multiple rows. So come to the sun to spend time avoiding the sun. The towns are pretty. Rereading this I may have given the wrong impression: I enjoyed today – a happy assault on all the senses.

It’s the type of area my mankini will come in handy. Get that thought out of your head!

I took the opportunity in Imperia, I had to wash off the bacteria: little did I think, I was the cause of the stink; and now I can go to another cafeteria.

Tomorrow to Nice. If I survive the children’s music party outside: come on it’s after 9, need to be in bed: we are!

There was a young lady from Genoa, who was quite something of a goer; she met a young artistic chap, jumped right onto his lap – and ended up painting the floor.

The sun has got to me, or maye today is light on gelato.

It was heavy on fantastic wee alleys off squares and broad streets. Colourfully decorated with a happy splattering of grafitti. Some of them were of course murals. From the 16th Century, decorating Via Garibaldi. So many of them that UNESCO had a committee to draw lots to see which ones would be listed. It also claims to be the origin of urban architecture. Whatever.

The port is bustling – one of the cruise ships takes 9000 people (including 2200 crew). Not my bowl of porridge.

It’s good to get a sense of how old buildings are repurposed and still in use. Lots of people living in the City Centre. How the odd cars get down the alley is a feat to imagine. How they got rid of sewage from the middle ages when building them that high need not be thought about. Garde Loo as they say in Old Reekie (Edinburgh old town).

Start heading towards Nice for next couple of days. Lovely you know.

A small plaque in the pull in used for our lunch spot, near the top of a hill, sits quietly waiting to be read. Google lens helps a little – later delving and you enter the world of freedom fighters resisting the Nazis. Places like Bobbio are liberated and lost. For a while Bobbio was the centre of the declared Republic of Bobbio. The Bishop had a foot in both camps it is implied.

We left via the Mona Lisa (disputed) bridge. The Romans know how to make things last. Other bridges have been washed away. A new one shows it started in 2021 with completion due in 2023: twinned with HS2 one assumes.

On a serious note one near Genoa collapsed in 2018 with 43 fatalities.

Today was some sloping things up, followed by some switchbacks down. Villages hung at impossible angles to the hillsides. Watched by men outside smoking with a coffee.

Genoa was quite a shock to enter: immediately faster traffic in some chaotic dance. Vast rows of high rise apartments lining the river. A wee explore to find a bike shop (tomorrow is Sunday so everything is closed) reminded me Google Maps is not infallible. Why walk 18 mins when you can take tunnel to the place you can see the other side of the railway line. Maybe it had heard about the traffic.

Genoa is for tomorrow. Some famous Genoans come from here, including Mr America 1492:

In Genoa, a port by the sea, A mariner’s heart felt free. With fleets of the past, and Christopher Columbus unsurpassed, They’d sail to a rich history (Anon, not me!)

Bobbio punches above its weight. Not quite sure why UNESCO has passed it by. The Val Trebbia (Trebbia Valley) was described by Ernest Hemingway as the most beautiful in the world. The Monastery here (now a wee bit run down private property) was the basis of the design Umberto Eco used in the Name of the Rose. The Church dates from the 11 Century. And to top it all it is meant to be the backdrop for the Mona Lisa which Leonardo Da Vinci finished here.

It has excellent gelato.

My Jeremy Clarkson farming fix yesterday was good preparation for another agricultural day. The ploughed fields have huge clay sods. The hills we go up are also sods. They offer spectacular views of the valley below.

Tomorrow back to the coast we left a few days ago. Nice. No it’s Genova.

PS. The Bishop of Bobbio has a good ring to it. Opportunities for a stanza. “There was a young Bishop of Bobbio, who went looking for a jobio. He went to the Church, but got left in the lurch,; he talked too much Latin gobio”. I’ll work on it…..