The A10 autostrada around
Genoa is about the scariest piece of highway I have ever experienced. Any day of the week or time of day it is the closest thing most of us will come to experiencing driving in the
Monaco Grand Prix. Curving lanes through tunnels and vistas with cars traveling way over the posted speed limit and the beautiful
Mediterranean sea flashing by at warp speed. Tailgating takes on new meaning when the car behind you is so close that you can not see their headlights in your rear view mirror, but you can see the driver smoking a cigarette and talking on his cell phone. The flip side of this experience is bumper to bumper traffic that can seize this highway that will allow you to alternately enjoy the views and want to blow your brains out.
This view of Genoa from the Autostrada is one of the less attractive sides of the city. Tattered sun shades and laundry drying along the balconies from the canyon of apartment buildings that line the highway
TIP FOR DRIVERS: Stay in the direction of A12 Livorno, there are a few places where the left lane exits into Genoa with very little warning.
Surviving the drive and exiting the Autostrada at
Rapallo allows you to pry your fingers from the steering wheel long enough to begin saying a new set of prayers as you swerve back and forth on the road into Santa Margherita.
TIP FOR DRIVERS: You will be greeted with one of those confusing moments that gives you the town name Santa Margherita Liguria BOTH to the left and the right. The left takes you the shorter less attractive way through Rapallo with some small streets and tight turns. The right takes you down the aforementioned swerving road, it is longer but more beautiful and breathtaking, especially if you encounter a city bus coming in the opposite direction.
Santa Margherita is a beautiful village on the
Golf of Tigullio on section of the Italian Riviera called Riviera di Levante. A 40 minute train ride away from the beautiful if now tourist driven Cinque Terra. Santa Margherita is far more enjoyable outside of the summer season of July and August unless crowds, heat, noise and high prices are what you are looking for. If you are there in those summer months it is best to stay in a hotel that has their own beach. If you have never witnessed an Italian beach in August, the people watching alone is worth the trip.
...liguria, santa margharita, Italy, genoa, Driving In Italy