Playing in Piazza De Ferrari, in Genova

I was racing off to the birthday party of a friend here in the city this afternoon, a little late because my beautiful boots bought only last year, were falling to pieces.  Another friend had loaned me her hiking boots made of leather, as they were all she had in my size, but they were a little too small and were destroying my feet.

Traveling on my usual shoestring budget I couldn't replace them however ... it occured to me that if I slipped my sock-covered feet into plastic bags (cut to fit no less) and then put my boots on, they could leak all they wanted but my feet should stay dry. 

Yes, I had taken them into a shoe repair shop but he could only attempt to glue the sole back to the leather however he couldn't promise that it would hold and anyway, the stitching was giving way in two other places and there was no fixing that.

They're only one year old. I had marked them as boots meant to last many years and yes, I only packed one pair of shoes.  I imagined them sturdy.

So I risked being slightly late to the party but I couldn't go past the fountain in Piazza De Ferrari because it was looking spectacular. 

I stood on the edge of it and played with the light a little.

Well yes ... it was all about the fountain today.

So, it was all about the fountain in Piazza De Ferrari, as you will see in the posts and photographs that follow this one however ... I think it's a lovely way to visit the piazza here in Genova - via the fountain.  It is so central to all that is beautiful there.

The exquisitely-coloured building you can see in the background is the Palazzo Ducale.  It’s one of my favourite buildings, for all sorts of reasons, and the colour its painted facade turns when the light is just right, is sublime.

The light today, in Genoa

It’s been a footsore and wearisome day in some ways but in other ways, it was completely sublime.

The light was exciting as I wandered the city, wending my way down to Via San Luca, repeatedly, trying to resolve the mystery of where precisely the shop was, so I could get my usb modem reloaded.

And then I was punished for not understanding everything first time and penance took the form of walking down ... and yes, back up, from the shop I was buying the hours from.  In a twist of ouch that those who know me will enjoy, my lack of any other fluent language in telephone/internet instructions, meant that after being given painstaking instructions in Italian ... my laptop threw that information back at me in Nederlands, making everything as clear as mud.

I could have cried ... but crying never solved anything.  So I went back down to the shop however it was lunchtime and all was locked until 3pm.

I wandered and returned however the assistant there didn’t speak English and, even worse, I couldn’t explain in Italian.

I thought, ‘Okay, this is my punishment for not learning the language’.  The English-speaking guy was gone and anyway, what sort of internet addict was I?

Well ... obviously quite a bad one, as an hour later I resolved not to waste my 20 euro reloading fee, and wandered back down.  I found him!  But I had to bring my laptop back.

My feet were all but broken.  I’ve really struggled with recovering from last week’s cold.  It’s been a complete pain but I did it - that usb modem has been reloaded.  I'm a little sweaty and footsore,  and slightly mortified by the whole process but it's done.

Other rewards from my day?
Well there are some photographs I think I might be rather pleased with.
And yes, I have internet here at the apartment as of tonight.
There is also fresh pasta - the famous trofie, to be accompanied by fresh pesto from the ladies down in Il Lungho. 

Red wine?
Why yes, there is a little of that too.

Anyway, this first photograph from today is a slice of Giuseppe Corsa di Vergagni’s fountain (1936) located in Piazza de Ferrari.  The light and the wind blowing the water around, simply delighted me.

Night-Shoot, Genoa

We wandered out to Isola delle Chiatte to see what the sun would do to Genova’s lighthouse, then ended the evening using the tripod in Piazza De Ferrari, photographing the fountain we love so well.

A sunset stroll turned into 2.5 hours of wandering and photography.
A lovely way to end a day, writes this very happy kiwi from Italy.

The Fountain, Piazza de Ferrrari, Genoa

The fountain in Piazza de Ferrari hasn’t been running lately.  Perhaps it’s because the wind blows the spray all over everything but whatever the reason, it means I am free to hunt down photographs like this by walking in the empty outer pool.

I took this tonight, in the last of the evening light. 

Did I ever mention, I love my Canon EOS 5D Mk II?