Hallowed Hollow Hall

As expected, we arrived in Genoa, Italy about 1:30 pm but not without just a little drama. We put AirTags in our luggage so we can track it on our phones. Dolli’s worst nightmare is the airline losing her luggage on the way to a cruise & having to wear the same boring clothes over & over again. The airline showed all bags on board, but the AirTag in Dolli’s case showed it was still in Newark after we departed. She was quite relieved to see her purple bag appear on the conveyor. Crisis diverted!

A short taxi ride & quick check-in process had us in our room at the Grand Hotel Savoia before 2:00 pm. We love this historic hotel with its 20-foot tall ceilings & Italian marble floors & columns overlooking the Principle Train Station & a statue of Christopher Columbus in the heart of this little port town. Genoa is exactly what we pictured a classic seaside Italian city would be. A quick shower & we were out the door to go exploring…

Our first stop was a 300 year-old church but the doors were locked. Next we traversed the cobblestone streets down the hill to the city’s old port full of sail boats & tourist vessels. We hiked back up the hill taking a different route & miraculously ended up exactly where we wanted to go yet have no idea how we got there. Poof, the city’s gorgeous fountain magically appeared as we popped out of an alley way. After a few-hundred yard trek through a tunnel, we once again lost our way found on the steps of Genoa’s Cathedral.

The historic church was built in the 1400s & barely survived WWII. This Barogue structure with is classic Italian marble statues & Al Fresco ceilings is currently being restored. As you enter, they request a small offering so the facility can remain open. It occurred to me that this large building probably hosted hundreds if not thousands of people each week for Mass & was most likely a focal point of village life. Now, it is essentially a museum where visitors admire the architecture & I wonder if many even give a second thought to its original purpose – worship of the Almighty God. How long did it take for a once-vibrant church to become a cold hollow hall? How many years, decades or centuries is the American Church away from following the same path to irrelevancy? I wonder?

Two final stops on the Genoa-by-foot self-guided tour. We once again stumbled our way to exactly where we wanted to be – a quaint little bakery/coffee shop we ave been to before… cappuccino, latte, cannoli & tarts at the little standing bar. Bellissimo! Next was a small sidewalk cafe for a little focaccia and people watching. 3 miles and a little jet lag later and we were back at the hotel.