Genoa

Last week I visited Genoa, Italy, in Liguria, to attend a professional workshop on Script to Program Evolution (STOP), and then the European Conference on Object-oriented Programming (ECOOP). Mike Furr, a Maryland student with whom I have worked closely, presented our paper at the workshop, and then we both stayed on for the conference.

We stayed the at the Hotel Bristol Palace. It is a fabulous hotel. My room was quite grand, with probably a 15-foot high ceiling, and large bathroom. Alfred Hitchcock reportedly stayed there during the filming of To Catch a Thief, and was inspired by the spiral staircase for his movie, Vertigo.


STOP was held at the Bristol, while ECOOP was just up the street at the Palazzo Ducale. The original building dates from the 1300's and gets its name from being the Seat of the first Doge (or Duke) or Genoa. The lecture hall in which the presentations were given was pretty amazing, with paintings and sculptures covering the high walls and ceilings.

The Conference reception was held Wednesday night at the local University, the Università degli Studi di Genova, which also boasts some pretty grand architecture, with lecture halls of a similar style to the Palazzo Ducale. Here's the entrance courtyard to the University:

The architecture and layout in the city reminded me of Florence and Venice, and perhaps a bit of Nice (France). There were broad streets and open spaces connected by lots of narrow alleys cutting in unpredictable directions. Within the public part of the city, and within various Palazzos there were some beautiful courtyards.

Like Nice, there were plenty of pastel-colored buildings. Because the city is on the coast and built up the face of coastal hills, there are some pretty great views.

I was constantly astounded by the incredibly ornate churches I would stumble across. I'd be walking for a while and notice that the building walls next to me had no doors, and on rounding the corner would discover they were part of a church. Peeking inside, I would inevitably be floored by incredible sculpture, paintings, and decoration. Here is the interior of Chiesa di San Pietro, a small church and pretty non-descript from the outside:

Just on the other side of the Palazzo Ducale was the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, the Cathedral of St. Lawrence. The striped marble design reminded me a bit of the Duomo Cathedral in Florence (but looking at the picture now, I see the allusion is strained). Again, quite striking.

I really enjoyed the local cuisine, particularly trofie al pesto, and the various focaccia breads. Pesto apparently originates from Liguria, and I must say it was really good! The coffee wasn't bad either!

When I left for Genoa, I didn't really know what to expect. I'd heard of the city before, but other Italian cities I knew seemed more important or glamorous, like Rome, Venice, Naples, Florence, etc. I thought perhaps that Genoa was therefore a bit like Baltimore, in the USA. It's a city a lot of people have heard of, but probably not high on their list of US cities to visit. I was pleasantly surprised! And interestingly, I found out that Genoa is actually twinned with Baltimore! Neat coincidence ...