EU after 12 years (18): Park of the Walls (Parco Delle Mura)

Regione Liguria, in Italian or Province (region) of Liguria is a narrow strip which starts from east of France and extends to where the leg goes into the Italian boot! However I found this area fascinating. That's why I'm going there again but with a busy plan, I don't know when it would happen. I'm not much of a beach fan and I don't do sunbathing or swimming but I do love hiking and photography and that region offers a lot of that.

With that in mind, I decided to go to this park on the top of Genova (Genoa in Italian) on the second day of my stay, after I finished my breakfast in the hotel. Going up to the hills that form parts of Genova comprises of going up narrow streets or sets of stairs but the good thing is the more you go up, the less crowded the city becomes and that is what I loved about it. I hate to go to overcrowded places. So no train, no bus just simply going up and seeing the life of the people and their city. I have to add that after one sunny day, the sky was dark and it was raining off and on. I got caught in the rain a few times but then got dried next! The goal was this park named Parco Delle Mura which basically has some of the protective walls which surrounds the city to protect it from invaders.

Inside one of the abandoned forts in the park area

The fact is park systems and their websites in Italy are not like what we see in Canada and the US. There was no park office and a few signs where all all old and only in Italian. I'm not saying that I regret going there. I in fact enjoyed that there was nobody but if you're looking for facilities, cafe and restaurants, there was nothing there or perhaps it was because of the season or beyond where I decided to return because I saw a few cars passing me or approaching from the opposing direction.  

The view of the other side of the hills, to the north is amazing but I couldn't get a good view of the harbour from there. There was a fort which was closed, probably for renovation and preservation and there was another one which seemed abandoned and dangerous. Returning after a little bit of exploring and photography seemed to be the right thing to do. 

View of the harbour before you reach the park from one of the streets

Do not forget that you can go all the way up using a train system. I passed one of the stations and one of them passed me when I was going down. Finding that would not be difficult. There're lost of trails in the area and a perfect day would be the day that a full day hiking takes place in this area but it still was a good walk. I did something that makes the walk more exciting on the way back! I selected a restaurant's address for lunch, so Google Maps took me down a number of stairs and narrow streets. I went the wrong way once of twice, at least(!) but eventually go where I had aimed to eat. I'm stating this clear that I'm hoping that I can visit Liguria, visiting this park again and eating in this restaurant once again! By the way, in case you wonder where the walls are, I found a wall inside the abandoned fort that you can its picture here. I'm not entirely sure if that is the wall which the name of the park is based on it. There must be tourist offices in the city or tour operators who can answer this question. The fact is the beauty of the area is undeniable and whatever name the City of Genova wants to give it, I will take it and, again, hopefully go back.

(Photo, top: The area of the park in the north of Genova behind the hills. Even in a cloudy day like and despite the size of the photo, you can see the beauty of the area)