Into Italy in the Fall of 2022. First Stop, Pavia, Lombardy.

The last 12 months were very busy. We fell behind with the blog. So this post is the first in a series of posts about our travels in Italy in November and December of 2022. On November 1, 2022 we took a Flixbus from Annecy, France to Milan, Italy via a night transfer in Geneva. The long distance bus station in Geneva is just a few meters from Lake Geneva (or Lac Léman), and as the bus was over an hour late we had time to walk over to the waterfront to eat our packed dinner.





Passing through numerous tunnels, we arrived in Milan after midnight and took the local night bus to a stop near our hostel. After a 500 meter walk, a friendly prostitute dressed as in a movie, pointed us to the lights of the not-so-visible hostel. The next morning we rode the Metro and Trenord through Milan and then 40 kms south to Pavia.

We visited the striking brick churches of Pavia, starting with the Cathedral (Duomo).

Then, Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine.

Leaving the rest of Pavia for the next day, we boogied out to Certosa di Pavia, a 15th-century church and monastery complex. Wow! The church with its fabulous marble facade (1st and 2nd below - no photos inside), cloister (3rd) , and the 22 sumptuous monks quarters (4 and 5 below).









The famous brick Covered Bridge of Pavia.



And the also famous three medieval brick Towers of Pavia.



Pavia City Center at night.



Inside the Cathedral there are unusual carved pillars supporting the pulpit (2nd below).







Finally, the amazing 16th-century fresco Map of Pavia in the Church of Saint Teodoro. Check out the brick tower and the covered bridge.

Azerbaijan: Finally Baku

We are finally in Baku, the setting of Ali and Nino, which inspired our whole Caucasus itinerary of an already epic journey. We were fairly worn out. Weather was getting pretty warm. Cutting out all day trips, we stayed in town the whole time, enjoying the beautiful city.

Baku is the largest city in the Caucasus, on the Caspian Sea. The city has changed much since Ali and Nino's time. The cultural crossroads has emerged into the monoculture of "Modernity," much helped by Caspian Sea crude oil.

Historically Azerbaijan belonged to the Persian sphere, home of Zoroastrianism, undoubtedly fueled by all the oil they were immersed in. Today the most emblematic landmark of the city are the Flame Towers. It seems Batumi aspires to be Baku of the Black Sea, especially since the two are linked by the Baku-Supra pipeline, since the Caspian Sea (100 feet below sea level) has no outlet.

In Baku, a string of shiny new modern buildings lines the Bulvar (Boulevarde) along the Caspian Sea, from the Cresent Hotel (1st and 2nd below) to the flower-shaped Deniz Mall (3rd and 4th below), with the three Flame Towers towering above.








The school that Ali and Nino attended.


Recent graduates (not sure which schools) taking photos in the Philarmonia Garden




Lunch at Samik,a local restaurant (1st two below), and lunch at a falafel fast food place (3rd).






We were always walking by the eye-catching, circa 1926, Baku Railway Station.




One evening we walked up past the Carpet Museum (1st below), and Swans Fountain, to the "Panoramic View".






















The Soviet-built Government House and the nearby Permanent Baku F1 Grand Prix grandstand and pits.




There are quite a few Art Nouveau buildings in central Baku. First below is the former Tiflis Trade Bank, now a Rolls Royce showroom! And second the Zeynal bey Selimkhanov Apartments.




Azerbaijan is over 95% Muslim. Below is the Friday Mosque.


The very modern Heydar Aliyev Center is extremely photogenic from every angle. And so is the 12th-century Maiden Tower in the Old City (5th below).