GENOA TO SPEZIA. 345 



mas holidays. Since tlic Padrone seemed to tliink the 

 weather still unpropitious, and time was precious, one of 

 the noblemen decided to walk to Genoa, following- roads 

 that were in some places no better than goat tracks. 

 And yet the V^ia Aurelia had once led over the moun- 

 tain of Porto-tino and further alonp- the coast to Genoa. 

 But it apparently existed no longer. It was Napoleon T 

 who undertook to make a road on the eastern Riviera 

 as he had already done on the western, generally follow- 

 ing the track of the old Roman Road. This was at the 

 time of the French occupation of Genoa, \\hich lasted 

 till 1M14. ^riie plans for the road ^\-ere not, however, 

 all carried out. For in a "Manuel du \'o\ ageur en Italic", 

 published in Milan l.SbS, we are told that between Genoa 

 and Lucca there was onh- a path which followed the shore, 

 or ran along the slopes of the mountain, and the various 

 portions of the path were not ccjnnected, so that it was 

 almost useless. It was not until the middle of last cen- 

 tury- that stage-coaches began to run on the road which 

 was then completed. These were soon taken advantage 

 of b\' strangers. 



Those who travelled along this stretch of coast on 

 these footpaths were enthusiastic about their beaut\-, the 

 luxuriance of the ^'egetation, the profusion of golden fruit 

 on the Orange trees and the spic^* perfume of the ever- 

 green shrubs. But the town of Nervi, it seems, created 

 a different imjiression on tra^'ellers. The stage coach 

 rattled for so long between the endless ro\\'S of houses 

 that an Italian Abbe explained to his friend. Otto Spev'er, 

 \^'ho published "Bilder Italienischer Landschaft" in 1859, 



