÷Next summer you can quench your thirst in Paris with fizzy water – from the city’s fountains. Yes, a trial project has been given the green light and every arrondissement will have its very own sparkling water fountain. Only in Paris…
of knowledge but with a sense of humour and a talent for the well-placed anecdote, Mohammed had been at this game for a long time, but had never lost his passion for it – or his talent. Last weekend in Genoa I found another gem. Andrea Azzinari. From the moment he bounced through the door of the Palazzo Grillo hotel to collect me at 9.30 on Saturday morning until we parted at after 1pm, he was a joy to be with. A bundle of energy, and with excellent English, he was great fun, terrific company, and really, really knowledgeable about his home city.
He knew everybody, and everybody knew him. Before we’d even left the tiny square where the hotel (and the lovely Santa Maria delle Vigne church) is located, he had introduced me to three friends of his – the organist in the church, a Saturday morning jogger who happened to be the head honcho of one of the city’s museums, and a local artist who specialises in 3-D work.
We walked the feet off ourselves, Andrea leading the way and, with his wonderful skills of persuasion, talking us into some places that were actually off-limits – like the stunning room in the Palazzo Ducale where Genoa’s ‘doges’ were once elected. A quick chat to the keeper on the gate, a nod in my direction and, hey presto, we were in!
Used to dealing with groups of up to 45 at a time he decided that, because it was only me, we could squeeze in a bit more than his normal tour. So we took public elevators (a feature of Genoa) to reach the higher parts of the city, we jumped on a bus at one stage, and we rushed to get to the terrace of the Palazzo Rosso to take in the city views.
Why did we rush? Because Andrea knew that since it had started to rain they would soon close the terrace because, when wet, the slate tiling underfoot is deemed too dangerous to be letting tourists loose on it.
That Andrea is knowledgeable is an understatement. But knowledge alone does not a good guide make.
So he doesn’t do what so many guides do – take you into a church/palace/place of interest and bore you to tears with every detail about everything. Rather, he picks and chooses, tells you the interesting bits, avoids the banal, points out things that you might not have come across in a guidebook or on Google. He tells you the stories, bringing the city alive for you.
Nor was it all churches and palaces last Saturday.
We stopped for a quick espresso (he’s addicted to the stuff), we tasted pesto (a Genoa speciality) in the city’s food market, we visited Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano, a famous confectionery shop and, before I knew it, he had me in ‘privato’ territory in the back of the shop, so that I would better understand how some specific sweets were made.
For over three and half hours we walked and talked, talked and walked.
I discovered that he loves dogs (he showed me a photo of his pug, Pompelmo); that he works in the university in the down-season; and that he speaks seven languages, with his German and French, he reckons, better than his English. (For the record: Italian, obviously, English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese.)
Then, as if seven wasn’t impressive enough, he took himself off to St Petersburg last summer to learn Russian. Why? He’d turned 40 and wanted a new challenge!
I don’t think I have ever recommended a specific guide to readers before. I certainly haven’t given out their details.
But here goes: if you ever find yourself in Genoa, you can contact Andrea Azzinari at zuggino@yahoo.com
Tell him I sent you.