Italy > Wandering through Nesso

“Buongiorno,” sounds cheerfully. We are shown to a table for breakfast. Would we like coffee or tea? A nice Italian cappuccino always tastes good. In the hotel’s parking lot, no one seemed to mind our parking. The lot is still full. Several cars are parked outside the designated spaces. After breakfast, we load the luggage back into the car and drive down the mountain pass. Along the way, we pass a surprisingly large number of cyclists. This is probably a challenging mountain pass to ride on a Sunday morning. The hotel owner mentioned yesterday that there are some parking spots in Nesso. “If you arrive early, there might still be a place,” he said. Due to its location on the mountainside, there is little room for cars in Nesso. Near the church is a small lot for about twenty cars. There is exactly one spot free. That’s all we need. We quickly park the car. Through the narrow streets, we walk to the lower part of the village. Every street looks charming. The residents must be used to climbing stairs. We pass through some gates and walk under houses built over the alleys. We follow the route toward the sound of the waterfall. Nesso is split by a deep gorge in the rocks. Water flows through here. Two streams come together in the village and form a single waterfall down to the lake. The falling water is a beautiful sight. As we continue walking, we are addressed in Dutch. Do we have a B&B in Barna? We apparently resemble the owners. We descend the stairs down to the lake. Here we have a view of the old Roman bridge over the mouth of the stream. We also see the wide Como lake. On the other side, we climb back up via stone steps. A calm atmosphere prevails in the streets. We are frequently wished “buongiorno.

Italy - The old Roman bridge is in Nesso

” In a small café, we order something to drink. Through the open window, we see a tower of the castle. A little later, when we try to find the route, signs indicate that the castle is still closed to the public. We climb the stairs anyway between the houses. We go higher and higher but do not see a castle. When we are already walking in the forest on a grassy strip, we conclude that we are too high for the castle. On the way back, a construction worker points out where the castle is. He personally apologizes that the castle is not open, citing COVID as the reason. We view the castle only from a distance. We cannot find an entrance. We return to the center. Through various charming narrow streets, we reach the car again. The parking lot is still full. When we drive away, another car is already waiting. All parking spots in the village are occupied. In nearby Cortana, we see no parking possibilities either. We had considered stopping there briefly. We decide to change plans and drive on to Como. In Como’s center, there are parking garages. Right next to the garage stands the Cathedral of Como, the Duomo di Como. A custodian indicates that a service is still in progress. The church can be visited after one o’clock. So, we first walk to the boulevard. It is busy around the ferries on the lake. Long queues of people wait to board. This is probably the best way to travel between the mountain villages. On the pier, we buy an ice cream. We return to the cathedral. Construction of the cathedral began in 1396 but was only completed in 1770 with the Rococo dome.

Italy - The imposing Cathedral of Como

In the fifteenth century, the beautiful west façade was built. The cathedral is sometimes called the last Gothic church built in Italy. After visiting the cathedral, we head back to the parking garage. We set Genoa as our next destination and drive out of Como. Just outside Como, the toll road begins. It is unclear whether we can pay when leaving the toll road or if we must create an online account. We’ll see. Meanwhile, we receive a message from our accommodation. Is our arrival time still between five and six o’clock? She has to come from outside the city and needs some travel time. We confirm we are still on schedule—for now, at least. Above the road, a matrix sign warns of an accident ahead. Not long after, we enter a traffic jam. The traffic is completely stopped. The road is closed. Police, firefighters, and four ambulances pass by on the shoulder. We also see a trauma helicopter landing less than a kilometer ahead. There is nothing else to do but wait. People walk alongside the cars everywhere. Everyone wonders when we can move again. Meanwhile, we notify Gaia, our accommodation contact, that we will arrive late. After more than an hour and a half, the line of cars in front of us begins to move. Traffic is directed into one lane. Two cars have collided. Both cars are badly damaged. A trail of debris is scattered across the road.

Italy - The highway was closed for hours due to a wrongway driver

Several other cars were involved, but with less damage. Carefully, we drive between the wreckage. How could such a serious accident happen? One car is wedged diagonally on the guardrail. Firefighters cut the roof off to reach the driver. We drive on cautiously. It’s still about an hour to Genoa. The road winds through the mountains toward Genoa by the sea. At the Genova-Ovest exit, we leave the toll road. We pay with a credit card without issue. We follow Genoa’s boulevard. Gaia advised us to park at the Marina parking garage on the boulevard. Luckily, there is space. We quickly grab our luggage and walk into the old city. The old center of Genoa is a maze of small narrow streets. The street plan dates from the Middle Ages. Some narrow alleys look dark and unsafe. We avoid those. Our accommodation is near the San Vito church and square. We cannot immediately find the house number. Gaia comes outside and leads us to the B&B. The room is on the fifth floor of Palazzo Nicola Grimaldi. We sleep in a former palace from the 14th century. Many buildings in Genoa were once mansions or palaces of wealthy citizens. Our accommodation did not make the UNESCO World Heritage list. Tomorrow we will visit some of the Palazzi dei Rolli (“palaces of the list”). With some careful maneuvering, we just fit with our luggage into the small elevator. The doors still need to close. It’s tight. Although some floors of the little palace look dilapidated, the Bed and Breakfast is perfectly fine. Gaia gives us some tips about Genoa for tomorrow. In the evening, we walk into the historic center again. It is a labyrinth of streets. A wider road leads to the San Lorenzo cathedral, one of Genoa’s most beautiful churches. Unfortunately, the church is scaffolded. In the adjacent district lies Piazza di S. Donato, a cozy square with tables under parasols. We eat at a pizzeria. After dinner, we wander through the streets. We think we are heading back toward the hotel. This orientation turns out to be wrong. We end up on the exact opposite side of the old center. From Piazza de Ferrari, we use navigation on the phone to return. On the internet, we read that the accident this afternoon was caused by a wrong-way driver. The drivers of both cars died. Sad.