After Milan, we spent 4 nights in Genoa on the Ligurian coast. Genoa is a historic port city and the capital of the Ligurian region in Italy. We initially planned to stay here 3 nights but added a 4th night so that we could do a day trip down to Cinque Terre from here. We got a VRBO right in the city center (which ended up being pretty noisy on our first night there – a Saturday night – but thankfully settled down after that) (https://vrbo.onelink.me/ItNz/wecw2jlw)
Once we got settled, we went out for a walk to explore the Old Town. Around Genoa you can see remains of old city walls. The Porta Soprana is the most famous – it was restored in the 19th and 20th centuries to its original 12th century appearance.
Christopher Colombus was from Genoa and you can visit his childhood home – Casa di Cristoforo Colombo – where he lived from the ages of 4 to 9 years old (https://www.museidigenova.it/en/casa-di-colombo-0).
Right next to Casa di Cristoforo Colombo is what remains of the Chiostro di Sant’Andrea, dating back to the early 11th century. The majority of the monastery and church (which sat up on a hill) were demolished between 1900 and 1906 for urban development. The medieval cloister was preserved though – but it was dismantled and reassembled at its current location about 20 years later.
We passed by the Palazzo Ducale (Doge Palace, or Duke’s Palace) several times during our stay as our apartment was right near it – it’s now a museum.
It was fun to wander around and see all of the neat buildings and architecture.
We walked up to a terrace called Spianata Castelletto for good views of the city and the port (there’s also an elevator you can take up here!).
Then we took the Zecca-Righi funicular up ever further (https://www.visitgenoa.it/en/node/4151).
This allowed some views of the city and port from higher up but it also provided a view on the other side of the hill (away from the coast).
Genoa is right on the water and is a historic port city. It was great to walk around and see all of the boats and also to get the view back toward the city as it extends up the hillside.
Chiesa del Gesu dei Santi Ambrogio e Andrea (the Church of Jesus and Saints Ambrose and Andrea) is a Jesuit church built between the late 16th and early 17th centuries in Genoese Baroque style. We saw the familiar theme of marble stripes – similar to what we saw in the cathedrals in Siena and Orvieto. (https://www.visitgenoa.it/en/node/21954)
The Piazza de Ferrari is a large square with a big fountain in the middle. We passed through it several times – it was a short walk from the apartment and it’s where our closest bus and metro stops were.
Our VRBO host, Nicola, suggested several places for us to check out – one was a village within the metropolitan area of Genoa called Boccadesse. It was about a 20 minute bus ride to get there and wasn’t busy at all when we went. Given its seaside setup, I’m sure it’s packed when the weather is nicer.
We wandered around the village to take in the architecture and the views.
Then we popped into a small bar called La Strambata di Boccadesse that Nicola had recommended. It was just starting to rain pretty good so it was a nice indoor break – but they have a bunch of outdoor seating for nice weather. It was just us and a few employees in there so it was cozy. They had a house Negroni (Negroni della casa) made with their house-made Campari (the description on the menu says “left to infuse with oranges, cinnamon flavoured with star anise, then left to mature in barrels”). It was tasty!
Genoa is known for pesto and for focaccia. This combo was so good! We went back for more the next day.
Another place our VRBO host recommended was called Beer and Bagel. It was close to the apartment, had good beer and great burgers! (https://evendo.com/locations/italy/genoa/bar/scurreria-beer-bagel)
Along with some great suggestions for places to eat, our VRBO host left us an aperitif to try – a local amaro from Genoa. I liked it – Chris wasn’t a big fan. But it was cool to try!
Chris was long overdue for a haircut but was worried about the language barrier. While we were in Genoa, he decided to take a chance and we popped into a place near the apartment in Old Town (with some help from Google Translate). This guy was so quick and did a great job! It was fun to do some everyday local-type tasks – like getting a haircut. The locals were very nice too – at the grocery store near the apartment, Chris had asked the cashier how to say the cost of our bill in Italian. When we stopped in again a couple days later, she remembered us and helped us say the number that day too without us even asking!
After spending a few great days in Genoa, we headed further along the Ligurian coast to Ventimiglia. Stayed tuned for a separate post about our day trip to Cinque Terre too!
