The Correct Italian Riviera Town - Sanremo

So yes, I did make the mistake of going to Genoa thinking that it is the Nice of Italy, aka, the natural equivalent resort town on the Cote d'Azur. Although the working port city of Genoa did have enough charm of its own, this time I'm certain Sanremo fits the bill much better.

I landed in Nice, which is technically the closest big airport, despite being in the wrong country. Rented a Monaco plated car from possibly the happiest guy in France on a Friday 9pm. Maybe it has something to do with the sun. After I asked for a smaller car, the guy was super excited to offer me "a very special car" and told me nobody would dare touch a Monaco plate car because of the high insurance premium. The plate only had 4 digits and no EU flag...very exotic.

And so I drove out to the darkness onto my 1 hr commute to Sanremo. Although I was mentally prepared, it was still annoying to have to go through toll booth >4 times for a 1 hr journey. The highlight was definitely crossing the land border with Italy (A big sign with "à bientôt" followed by a small "Italia" sign) and then immediately getting hit with roadwork and lane closures. Thankfully there were experienced truck drivers in front of me all the time, or else I would have definitely hit something. 

I specifically chose the AirBnB because of its sea view from the balcony...which was in complete darkness by the time I arrived at 10:30pm...so I fell asleep with excited anticipation

Day 1

I did a warm up first in Villa Ormond (almost a a month since I last sketched) before heading to the old town. The sun was really heating up the city, but I found a recess on the sidewalk with opening to the underground parking lot. It was like having my personal AC!

Did the next one at Piazza Cassino, at the entrance to old town "La Pigna". (After seeing Cassini's name popping up everywhere in this town, I finally learned that Cassini was from a small city not far from here) The houses already felt super organic at this point. Apparently the seemingly spontaneous walls are results of multiple expansion of the old city at different times in history.

Even though twisted and winding, there were actually surprisingly many places I could duck out of traffic and settle down to sketch. There weren't many ppl (resident or tourist) coming or going, so it was a very serene experience to sketch just under windows and porches and overhear the occasionally chatters bouncing off the walls. I decided to do this one because of the arches jetting out in spontaneous yet harmonious directions. There was a cat that was hanging out the whole time when I was there. (I think it was trying to get into a building next to me, but nobody was there to let it in). So much so that I think some of the passer-bys thought the cat was with me. I overheard somebody commenting "elle écrit avec le chat!"

I did a final one of the day from the balcony of the AirBnB. Definitely a 10/10 view

Day 2

It was a bit clouded the next day and I decided to check out the old port. It has a super long pier (to serve the many yachts I guess) and I can basically pick wherever I wanted to sit. It was super interesting to see the little canopy of the old town pop up from the back.

I couldn't help but return to La Pigna in the afternoon. It is definitely the most interesting old town I've ever been to. Like a dungeon and castle combined, a choose-yourself-adventure. (maybe even like an Italian Kowloon walled city?) Plus it was mostly quiet and empty. A pigeon has its spot on the inside of this arch and eyed the invader (me) with suspicion.

I realized I missed the west side of the old town the previous day after doing some readings in the evening, so I found my way into the famous Piazza Cisterna after getting lost a fair few times. The sense of place was mesmerizing: the huge drop in elevation, seemingly random pathways intersecting at the water basin/cisterna, arches, plants, and laundries! What more could I ask for?

By this time the sun finally came out again, so I finished off the day at one of the classic Sanremo locale: the Casino. As I was doing some finishing touches, 3 older Italian gentlemen came over and one asked "How much?" Usually I would be alarmed, but maybe because of his accent or the way he said it, it came off as charming and a little goofy. So I just started starting laughing. They were very amused and the same man asked "what's your name?" I thought it was just one of those cliche lines, but to my surprise he then proceeded introduce himself and his 2 friends. As they walked away, I still couldn't believe how wholesome the whole interaction was. Definitely a highlight of the trip