I left Copenhagen on the 9.20 flight to Amsterdam. With a very short connection to Genoa, I was hoping that there wasn’t going to be a delay. We boarded on time, but the first thing the captain said as I found my seat, was that there was traffic congestion in Amsterdam, and we would be delayed. We taxied from the gate roughly 20 minutes late. Luckily we were only 10 minutes late as we arrived at the gate in Amsterdam. I rushed to the new gate, concerned about whether my baggage would make it. At the gate with 25 mins to spare, I could see the plane to Genoa taxiing towards the gate and my bag lying on the floor next to the gate – they were effective.
I arrived in Genoa at 13.30, my bag at 13.45 and took the 15 minute walk to bus #1, that would take me to the Voltri district of Genoa.
On March 16th, 2024, I had walked to Voltri from Celle Ligure and experienced the Milan-San Remo cycle race on the way. However, I never walked from Voltri into the centre of Genoa. On some of the walking forums, I had read several people write, that if there was one stage ever they would drop, it was the walk into Genoa. The 19km from Voltri to the centre of Genoa were now the only kilometers I was missing to walk each and every kilometer from Sagres to La Spezia, where I ended the Via della Costa. Therefore despite the warning, I decided to I would walk them today, so that when I arrive in Rome in 3 weeks time, I will be able to say I walked all ca. 4.500kms.
I didn’t have to wait long for the bus, but I had no idea how to pay for a ticket, and I didn’t see anybody else paying – I assume most have monthly cards or similar. With bit of a guilty conscience for not paying, I arrived at the spot I had stopped in 2024. Just after 15.00, I set off towards Genoa. There was a light drizzle, but the clouds in the background looked very, very dark and torrential rain was also forecast, so it was a race against the rain.
In essence there is very little to tell about the stage. I walked primarily along the coastal road, following the train line along the coast. I passed through a number of suburbs to Genoa, when I was forced inland every now and then. I passed through commercial and residential areas, a number of train stations, the airport and the port. I passed many beautiful and colourful buildings, but also many run down buildings. I stopped at one point to buy a slice of fresh cheese pizza, that tasted very good – I am in Italy after all.
As I came closer to the centre of the city, the buildings became more grandiose, and I also heard the first thunder claps, but no rain yet. The path took me past the docks and I recognised areas my wife and I had walked. There were two very large cruise ships docked and a few people running to get onto them before they sailed. I walked through the maze of the old town. passing the Cathedral of San Lorenzo and the fountain on Piazza Rafaele De Ferrari, both of which I had visited last year.
I wasn’t far from my hotel, which was situated on the arched commercial street, Via 20th Settembre, as it started to get even darker. I checked in, washed and left for a restaurant, not far away, where my wife and I had eaten previously. I got there in dry weather, and enjoyed a pizza for dinner. However, by the time I had finished, the weather had changed. The ca. 1km walk back to the hotel was in torrential rain. A combination of my umbrella and walking close to the walls of the buildings, got me back to the hotel fairly dry – but as I looked out onto the street from my hotel window, not everybody was that lucky. It rained, off and on, for much of the night.
