重返熱那亞：古城迷思

The sound of clinking silverware and

lunchtime conversations drifted into the alley through the dark green shutters of second-story windows. Up ahead， a pair of sculpted cupids floated above a pastry shop. I slowed down to inhale the sweet smell of baking.

A church bell rang as a woman approached me， “Scusi， signora， dov’è…”―I stopped her before she could ask directions. In my 2）shoddy Italian I explained with a smile that I was lost too. She smiled back and I went on my way， meandering through the shadowy paths of the historic center of Genoa.

Most of the time， getting lost brings on 3）grimaces rather than smiles. But losing direction in the maze of narrow and steep 4）medieval streets in Genoa’s Centro Storico， the historic center， could not have been more enjoyable.

The idyllic area， squeezed between the port and the city’s terraced hillside， is said to be the largest historical town center in Europe. Old walls and forts surround this 5）picturesque port city with its many Renaissance palaces and richly decorated churches.

The Cathedral of San Lorenzo is perhaps the most famous building besides the 16th-century Lanterna （lighthouse）―an emblem of Genoa. So I tucked away my impossible-to-follow map and discovered that surrendering to Genoa， letting her reveal herself， was the way to find the essence of the ancient city.

Genoa， beautifully situated on the Gulf of Genoa， an arm of the Ligurian Sea， is the chief seaport of Italy. The city is also a major commercial and industrial center. About 700，000 people call Genoa home.

One of them was my group’s guide， Micaela， a flaming red-haired 20-something part-time pop music singer. Like the rest of the Genovese， she was enthusiastic about introducing us to Genoa’s high-profile sights.

Genoa was named a European Cultural Capital in 2004， and locals like Micaela were pumped to show off their city， “Genoa， La Superba” （The Haughty）―this is the nickname the city took on during its 13th to 18th century maritime heyday.

But I found myself most attracted to Genoa the Humble. Micaela started us off at the Porto Antico （Old Harbor）， badly damaged in World War II and rebuilt in 1992， when Genoa celebrated the 500th anniversary of the voyage of its most famous native， Christopher Columbus.

I drifted from the modern plaza to the folksy food stalls. There， under sunflowercolored tents， cooks sold regional specialties. I spotted what was to become my favorite Genovese snack： thin， lightly salted focaccia bread， served hot and stuffed with melted cheese.

Closer into the historic center， we toured the palaces which encircle it. I admired the creamy yellow-and-rose 6）fa？ade of the Palazzo Ducale， which was formerly the Doges Palace. When I got closer， I realized I’d actually been admiring a masterpiece of 7）tromp l’oeil. “The Genovese have a reputation for being cheap，” explained Micaela. “They didn’t want to spend money on stone masons， so they perfected an art of painting to make three-dimensional effects.”

Shooting off from the cathedral square in all directions are the “8）doglegged” alleys（called carrugi） that make up the treasurefilled labyrinth of the old city. Curiosity 9）piqued， I went my separate way from the tour group to explore the mysterious pathways that cut between seven-story-high buildings.

This was once the site of chases and back stabbings between feuding families. But centuries later， my walk through it could not have been more peaceful. There were no cars， it was practically tourist-free， and I blended in with its working class locals.

It was like walking through an open-air museum， lit by slits of sunlight filtered through the shadows. I found 10）votive stone figurines jutting from second-story corners of pale gold and ochre buildings， and Biblical scenes cut in 11）friezes above the doorways.

One alley opened up to the Piazza Campetto， where I watched painters o n 1 2 ）s c a f f o l d i n g as they restored the 13）pastel fa？ade of the Imperial Palace. A steep stairway attached to the palace led me under starry frescoed ceilings to what was once the goldsmith’s 14）loggia. It’s now the home of Fabrorum， a store， laboratory and museum showcasing the traditional Genovese art of gold 15）filigree. Elegant rooms displayed everything from centuries old 16）chalices to gorgeous necklaces and earrings for sale.

I found Klainguti， a caffé or coffee shop， dating to 1826， where 17）Giuseppe Verdi hung out during the 40 winters he spent here. Past the counters of 18）confections， were small connecting Rococo salons featuring crystal cut mirrors and 19）chandeliers.

The stores I stumbled upon could have been roped off with velvet as displays of life in another century， each decked out with 20）baroque painted or sculpted signs. There were white-tiled butcher shops with 21）marble-slab counters， 22）pharmacies with colorful ceramic jars displayed in dark wood cases， and dusty engraving workshops.

Though the shopkeepers didn’t speak much English， I found browsing with smiles and hand signals was welcome. Unlike other Italian cities， the Genovese have not been burnt-out by an onslaught of tourists. As a result， the 23）authenticity of the city has not been compromised， the locals are patient and accommodating， and there were no overcrowded restaurants or long lines at museums.

At our farewell dinner that night， everyone in our travel group had stories to tell about their adventures in the “l(fā)abyrinth.”

Tom had visited Genoa’s Jazz Museum， which chronicled the stars who had played at the city’s festivals and nearby coastal resorts. Antonia showed off a pair of pearly chic shoes she’d bought for a bargain.

I’d picked up a handmade cut glass lavender bracelet. It sparkled on my wrist as I made a toast： “To return for more days of getting lost and finding Genoa’s treasures.”

敲擊銀器和午餐聊天的聲音從二樓深綠色的百葉窗里飄到了小巷之中。繼續(xù)前行，一對丘比特雕飾浮現(xiàn)在糕點(diǎn)店門楣上。我放緩了步伐，深深吸入這烘烤的甜香。

教堂的鐘聲在回蕩，這時(shí)，一名女子向我走近，“對不起，女士，哪里……”——我在她打算向我問路之前就打住了她。我用自己稀爛的意大利語和微笑向她解釋說，我也迷路了。她對我回以微笑，然后我繼續(xù)自己的旅程，漫步于熱那亞歷史中心那些幽暗的小巷之中。

在絕大多數(shù)時(shí)候，迷路帶來的是古怪表情而非微笑。但在熱那亞的歷史中心——古城區(qū)那些狹窄而陡峭的中世紀(jì)街巷迷宮里失去方向，沒有什么比這更讓人愉快的了。

這片質(zhì)樸宜人的地區(qū)，夾在海港和城內(nèi)的山坡階地之間，被稱為是歐洲最大的古城。老城墻和堡壘環(huán)繞著這座別致的海港城市，城中有著許多文藝復(fù)興時(shí)期的宮殿和裝飾繁復(fù)的教堂。

建于16世紀(jì)的燈籠塔是熱那亞的標(biāo)志。圣洛倫佐大教堂也許是其旁邊最著名的建筑了。所以我折起了自己那不可能看明白的地圖，發(fā)現(xiàn)干脆向熱那亞屈服，讓她自我揭示，那才是探索這座古城精髓的正確方式。

熱那亞城，優(yōu)美地坐落在熱那亞海灣——利古里亞海的一條臂彎上，是意大利最重要的海港城市。這座城市也是主要的商業(yè)和工業(yè)中心。約七十萬人稱熱那亞為其家園。

其中之一便是我們團(tuán)隊(duì)的導(dǎo)游米卡艾拉，一名有著火紅色頭發(fā)，二十出頭的兼職流行歌手。就像其他的熱那亞人一樣，她熱情洋溢地向我們介紹著熱那亞聲名遠(yuǎn)揚(yáng)的美景。

熱那亞于2004年被命名為“歐洲文化之都”之一，而像米卡艾拉這樣的當(dāng)?shù)厝丝偸瞧炔患按仂乓麄兊某鞘??！盁崮莵啠祟愹湴痢薄@是這座城市在13至18世紀(jì)航海盛世時(shí)得到的昵稱。

但我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己最為著迷的卻是熱那亞的謙遜。米卡艾拉領(lǐng)著我們從“老港口”開始觀光。二戰(zhàn)時(shí)期這里被嚴(yán)重?fù)p毀，1992年，熱那亞慶祝其最著名的本地人克里斯托弗·哥倫布航海（發(fā)現(xiàn)美洲新大陸）500周年時(shí)重建。

我從現(xiàn)代的廣場游蕩到頗具民風(fēng)的食物攤上。在那里，在那些向日葵色的帳篷下，廚師們售賣著當(dāng)?shù)氐娘L(fēng)味小吃。我發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種小吃，后來變成了我最喜愛的熱那亞小吃：纖薄且微咸的弗卡夏面包，端出來時(shí)熱乎乎的，里面填滿了融化的奶酪。

我們走入古城的更深處，游覽了環(huán)繞古城中心的宮殿群。我熱愛公爵宮那如奶油般泛著鵝黃和玫瑰紅色的外墻面，這里的舊稱為總督宮。當(dāng)我靠得更近時(shí)，我意識到自己實(shí)際上正在瞻仰一幅錯(cuò)視畫派的大師之作?！盁崮莵喨艘粤邌荻劽?，”米卡艾拉解釋說。“他們不愿意為石匠而花錢，于是他們將一種繪畫藝術(shù)加以完善，造成三維效果?！?/p>

蜿蜒曲折的小街小巷（被稱為“窄巷”）以教堂廣場為中心向四面八方延伸開來，構(gòu)成了老城藏匿珍寶的迷宮。出于好奇，我離開了旅行團(tuán)獨(dú)自去探索這些被一排排七層高的小樓分割開來的神秘小徑。

這里曾是那些世仇家族相互追打和背后捅刀的地方。但數(shù)個(gè)世紀(jì)之后，我行走于其間只能感受到十足的平和。這里沒有汽車，幾乎沒有其他游客，而我也與當(dāng)?shù)氐膭诠るA層完美相容。

就像是行走于一座露天博物館，由滲過暗影的縷縷陽光作為照明。我發(fā)現(xiàn)用以還愿的小石雕像，從淺金和赭色建筑的二樓轉(zhuǎn)角處凸出來，門口還鑲有圣經(jīng)場景的浮雕飾板。

在一條通往坎佩托廣場的小徑上，我看著腳手架上的畫師們在修復(fù)帝王宮那淡粉色的外墻。與宮殿相連的一段陡峭階梯引著我穿過繪著星辰的天花板，來到曾經(jīng)是金匠們聚集的涼亭。如今這里變成了“工匠之家”，一個(gè)展示傳統(tǒng)熱那亞金絲工藝的商店、實(shí)驗(yàn)室和博物館。優(yōu)雅的房間里陳列著各種可供出售的物品，從幾百年前的圣餐杯到華美的項(xiàng)鏈和耳環(huán)，應(yīng)有盡有。

我還找到了熱那亞的克萊古提咖啡館，一間建于1826年的咖啡店，朱塞佩·威爾第居住此地時(shí)曾在此消磨了40年的冬日時(shí)光。走過一排甜品柜臺，便是相互連接的洛可可式小沙龍，因水晶切割的鏡子和枝形吊燈而聞名。

我偶然發(fā)現(xiàn)的那些小店本來可以用絲絨繩帶隔開，作為展廳，展示另一個(gè)世紀(jì)的生活方式。每個(gè)小店所裝飾的招牌都是巴洛克式的繪畫或雕塑。這里有鋪著白色瓷磚并裝有厚厚大理石板柜臺的肉店，在深色木盒里展示著各色廣口瓶的藥店，還有灰塵撲撲的雕刻工坊。

盡管店主們不太會說英語，我依然見到笑盈盈的目光和歡迎的手勢。不像其他的意大利城市，熱那亞還沒有被洶涌而來的游客所消耗殆盡。其結(jié)果是，這座城市的原汁原味尚未受損，本地人依然耐心且隨和，既沒有人頭攢動的大小餐館，博物館也不用排成長龍。

那天晚上在我們的告別晚餐上，我們旅行團(tuán)里的每一個(gè)人都有一肚子關(guān)于他們在“迷宮”中的冒險(xiǎn)經(jīng)歷要告訴大家。

湯姆參觀了熱那亞的爵士博物館，那里記錄了那些曾在這個(gè)城市的節(jié)慶和附近的海濱游樂場演出過的明星們。安東尼婭炫耀著她經(jīng)過一番討價(jià)還價(jià)后買來的一雙雅致的鑲有珍珠的鞋。

我則尋到了一個(gè)手工切割的淡紫色玻璃手鐲。當(dāng)我祝酒時(shí)，它在我的手腕上閃閃發(fā)亮：“愿還能重返熱那亞，用更多的時(shí)光迷失其中并尋覓其珍寶?！?/p>