Boccadasse: the village of Livia and the cat
Genoa and surroundings
Boccadasse, the village that is also one of the postcards of Genoa, much loved by the newlyweds who come here to take their wedding pictures, owes its fame to its great beauty: the sea, the colourful houses overlooking the bay, the small square and the fishermen's boats. A beauty that has not escaped great authors of literature, such as Andrea Camilleri, and of song writers such as Gino Paoli. The first set the house of Livia Burlando - girlfriend of Commissioner Salvo Montalbano - here. While the singer-songwriter imagined and perhaps met, among the boats in the small square, the famous “cat” mentioned in one of his most famous songs.
Love at first sight
“I fell in love with Genoa when I was 25, thanks to a poetry prize. That is why Montalbano's girlfriend lives in this city of a thousand encounters... I found more than a companion, a guide for my wanderings. A beautiful girl who took me to her home in Boccadasse one afternoon” - this is how Cammilleri explained why he chose Boccadasse as Livia's place of residence. Home does not exist, although many are looking for it. The first stop is in Piazza Nettuno, on the seafront, where Camilleri probably imagined the home of Montalbano's eternal girlfriend
From the bay
From the small square, with its marble fountain, its famous ice-cream parlour and the small cafés overlooking the sea, the gaze goes to Capo Santa Chiara, which closes in on the bay like an embrace between lovers. From here, ascending towards the eastern hill, the fishermen's houses give way to villas and stately homes built in earlier times. Like the beautiful Türke Castle, designed in 1903 by Gino Coppedè.
Disney, Seppia and Gino Paoli
On the opposite side, towards the church of Sant’Antonio, you get to where the boats are dry and the cats are the real masters. Even Disney recalled the cats-Boccadasse pairing in its film “Luke”. While the “Seppia” cat, who lives on the little wall in Via Boccadasse, is one of the most photographed felines in the world. Cats inspired Gino Paoli, who lived in Boccadasse and who drew inspiration from this place to create one of his famous songs entitled: “The Cat”.
