Upon arriving in Spotorno yesterday, we had no real plans for today except to enjoy the beach and the town. That all changed with the demise of Scott's camera. Its replacement had become the first priority and with many retail shops in Italy closing between 12:30 and 3:30 it was something that we needed to address, preferably in the morning.
Online searches for camera shops provided very few results, likely due to language issues. We may have been looking for a negozio di fotocamereb (camera shop in Italian) but who knows? Many of the google map hits were photo reproduction shops or wedding photographers. A single store with some potential was located back in Savona, about 10km away.
Our hotel provided us with free tourist bus passes and a bus from Spotorno to Savona ran every 30 minutes. An adventure to Savona is the way Pat looked at it. Scott was more concerned about the odds of success. We caught the bus less than a block from our hotel and arrived in the shopping district of Savona by 11am. As it turned out, by 11:30 we had located the shop and bought a very suitable camera. It was also a Lumix and has all the same set up that Scott is familiar with. Given the circumstances, the purchase was an easy choice and Christmas has come early this year. Pat will be wrapping an empty box for the 25th. Nice to have your shopping done by mid October.
We then set out to explore the center of the city which was not on the agenda but now that we were there, was a real bonus. Savona has a very nice old quarter full of pedestrian only areas, plazas and nice old buildings. We also went into the Priamar Fortress which is on the hill by the port. Where else would you build it in the 1500`s?
Great detail.From the web, ¨Among the proposals received, the jury chose "Curvy on the beach – Beauties... in the round": Gina, Pina, Tina (these are the names of the nice characters) were made by seven potters who have eagerly modeled 600 kg of clay.¨
We also set out to find the Port`s Customs building. We knew from previous international trips that taxes from purchases could potentially be refunded when exiting the country. Although we have never needed this service we thought it might be worth a try as the tax on the camera was 22%. The man at the camera shop showed us on a map that the customs office was within a short walk. Upon finding the building, we entered through the doors into a n empty foyer. It looked a bit more like an apartment building than an official government office. Finding no one to greet us, we opened a large wooden door and explained to a man what we were looking for. He directed us to the second floor and again we wandered into an empty foyer with four separate doors, two on each side of the room. As well, there was a small desk with a customs sign on it and a doorbell like buzzer button. After pushing the buzzer several times with no response, we began trying each door. One was a lunchroom, another an office desk with huge piles of papers. Then a man appeared from another door talking on a cellphone and he simply returned back through the large wooden door without even acknowledging these two strangers in his building. Two ladies soon appeared and between the two of them began to understand what we were trying to do. They took us back into their office and soon after, we were joined by a third man. ¨Not possible¨ was the message. One lady showed us on a computer the answer to our query in English and it all became clear. It was the responsibility of the camera shop to complete an online document which allowed them to deduct the tax at the point of sale. Customs stopped facilitating this service in 2018. Did the man in the camera shop know that he could complete the documents or was it simply more hassle? Either way, the shop was now closed until 3:30 and we were not going to wait around.
After a nice lunch at a busy sidewalk cafe, we returned to where we got off the 40/ bus. We completed the full bus circuit and returned back to our hotel. Our ¨sightseeing¨ bus tour of Savona again convinced us that cycling in this city is not without its issues.
Returning back to our hotel we changed into beach wear and flip flops for the first time on this tour. The sand and the sea were a perfect way to spend the rest of the afternoon.
Heading in. Yes, Scott went for a swim. Coolish to start but delightful after a minute.
We are not very good at making dining decisions. Most often we wander and look at menu boards and judge by the look of the restaurant. What kind of food, does it have any other customers, is it too upscale, too low scale are the common evaluating questions. Lately it's been, ¨will you take us without a reservation? ¨ Tonight, we thought we might give a classic pub a look. On route we passed a hole in the wall, local looking place with its door open but no menu outside to look at. Scott, who is sometimes more adventuresome in these risky restaurant picks, poked his head in the door and asked about a spot for two. We were quickly seated between another couple and on the other side, a long table of twelve people that were family or friends.
Restaurant Trattoria U Peo. Authentic Ligurian, unpretentious home style cooking.
We immediately knew that this was a no-frills, neighbourhood restaurant frequented by locals. Just the kind we like but often not easily found. It had a set menu including wine. Appetizers were toast with anchovies, pickled anchovies and some chickpea type patties. All great. Next course was pasta - fish sauce or mushroom sauce. Quite good. The fish sauce was actual mussels. We shared the pastas and Pat was already full. Next course - fish or rabbit? Not want to leave anything we shared the fish. Thick loins of some fish simply prepared. Desert was two pastries. That was the Friday night menu. We left very happy with the meal and thrilled with the experience.
