Post date: May 01, 2014 11:20:13 PM
Week 3: Day 1
In De Ferrari today, I saw a group of young men dressed in kakhi uniforms in the back of a military truck. They were carabinieri. Carabinieri is a branch of the army which is made up of young men. Although both the polizia and carabinieri enforce the law, there are some big differences. The Polizia are law enforcement that deals with theft and crimes. They dress in dark blue uniforms and have small black caps. The carabinieri are a branch of the military who deal with more serious law enforcement and investigations such as murders. They wear all kakhi uniforms and some even have hats with feathers. Once I started paying attention, I noticed that there were an equal number of carabinieri and polizia wandering the streets at any given time.
Today we went on a tour of the specialty stores in Genova. We started down by the Porto Antico and walked through the small alleys up to De Ferrari. Along the way we saw a bakery, a barber shop, a traditional textile and ceramic store, a holistic store, and a chocolate store. All of them were extremely small, compact spaces covered in tile. Back in the 1600′s, it was required for stores to have tile floors and walls for sanitation. To maintain their credibility, the majority of stores still make the same products they did when they first opened. My favorite was the chocolate store. Down a tiny alley near De Ferrari, you will see a small wooden sign. The front of the store is a room the size of a closet, with a glass case full of chocolates shining under a bright light. In the back they have all of the original machines still working the chocolate, breaking it down to a smooth paste. They explained the whole process of making high quality chocolate and in the end, we got to try a piece of the history and tradition they have maintained.
That night we wanted to go out to dinner! We wanted to go to the Bistro I’d gone to on my first day in Genova, but when we got there it was closed. I asked a man in the piazza and he directed us to a pizzeria a few blocks away. The way there was confusing to say the least, but after walking around a whole block we found it! Under a little blue and green sign shining out into the night, it was packed with people at 10pm. Although we had a group of 9, they gave us a table right away. Surrounded by Italians, we ordered pizza and wine and enjoyed the food and atmosphere.