One day is not enough: two and a half are GENOA
FRIDAY
7pm – Genoa it is a lively city, especially on weekends when many young Genoese who study in Milan or live there for work return to their hometown. A meeting point for friends where there is always a lot of atmosphere, especially in the warmer months, is the central Piazza delle Erbe . There are several terraces and bars where you can have a drink, watch Genoese life go by and relax before dinner. Bar Berto or Gradisca Cafè are two good options.
9pm – The best way to break the ice with traditional Genoese gastronomy is to have dinner at the ** Trattoria da Ugo **. Located less than five minutes walk from the Piazza delle Erbe , this restaurant is very popular with the locals and they do not lack reasons for it. In the hands of the same family since 1969, the place's simple and welcoming style blends perfectly with the informal atmosphere and friendly service. Instead of having a menu, the options of the day are recited table by table since they change daily according to the availability of the product. You can look forward to dishes like fried stuffed anchovies, octopus or squid in a spicy tomato sauce, or delicious homemade pesto.
Just as in Spain they normally serve you bread without asking, in Genoa they do the same with the focaccia ( leaks in the local dialect). The Focaccia It is a kind of flat and oily bread that is usually served cut into small rectangular pieces and that you can find in practically all the bakeries in the city.
Don't leave Genoa without trying their focaccias
11pm – Next to the imposing Doge's Palace and two minutes walk from Trattoria da Ugo is the elegant enoteca Cantine Matteotti . A spiral staircase separates the two floors of this small wine cellar that has Italian and European wines, from the great classics to some natural and biodynamic wine options. It is worth allowing yourself to be recommended, especially with the regional Italian wines.
SATURDAY
9am – We start the day in Mangini , a historic café that is still a favorite of the city elites. Founded in 1876, this café continues to transport us back in time with its stylish mirrors. Art nouveau and its stucco decorating the ceiling. Among the clientele are still the Genoese plutocrats, renowned politicians - Sandro Pertini, seventh president of the Italian Republic was a regular - and people of culture. The ideal breakfast here is the cappuccino with its brioches filled with orange marmalade.
Art Nouveau elevator
10am – We leave in the direction of Via Garibaldi, which for many is the most beautiful street in the city. On the way there it is worth taking a detour to the Piazza del Portello and take the public elevator -you have to buy a ticket- to go up to the Spianata Castelletto . The view of the city from the esplanade is magnificent and the Art Nouveau elevator a gem.
Views from the elevator towards Spianata Castelletto
When we finally go down we enter the Strade Nuov e (New streets), where majestic the Renaissance and Baroque palaces included in the complex of Palazzi dei Rolli and built at the time of greatest economic splendor of the Republic of Genoa. Both were declared a World Heritage Site in 2006 by UNESCO. Urbanistically it is one of the most exceptional streets in the world. Opened in the mid-sixteenth century, this was the first European example of urban planning carried out by public authorities together. And it is that the richest families of Genoa built their residences in the Strade Nine, away from the margins of the historic city and in a unitary environment. A decree of the Senate determined in 1576 that the official guests of the State would stay in the best private estates in the city, the palazzi, and for this it created the Rolli, a register in which the best residences were listed. In the absence of a royal palace, the owners had the legal obligation to host the illustrious visitors in shifts, when required according to the Rolli.
Currently many of those 42 palaces protected by UNESCO have become museums, as is the case with some of the most beautiful, the Palazzo Rosso , from the 17th century, the White Palace either Doria Tursi , both from the 16th century. The latter houses the meeting room of the City Council. In these palaces that are now museums, as well as being able to visit their marvelous loggias and gardens, you can also enjoy works by art of Caravaggio or Van Dick among others.
Palazzo Doria-Tursi
1 pm- At noon we eat at Sa Pesta, a restaurant of those with white tiles in which you feel that you are right, among other things because you hear more Italian than any other language. There you have to try farinata , one of the three dishes that make up the holy trinity of Genoese gastronomy – the other two are pesto and focaccia -. The farinata It is a kind of round and flat salty cake, made with chickpea flour, water, salt and olive oil. Suitable for coeliacs, it can be taken alone or accompanied by vegetables, fish and even meat.
You cannot leave Genoa without trying a good pesto
3pm- Dessert must be eaten at Profumo Gelateria. Their delicious gelatos are very creamy and have a perfect texture. Many of the flavors vary seasonally and you can tell that the raw material behind the gelato, from the fruits to the nuts, is of a high quality. When choosing size, keep in mind that the small is already very generous.
Profume ice cream
4pm - Time to get lost in the medieval alleys from the historic center. known as caruggi, some of these streets are so narrow that stretching out your arms you can touch the facades of two different buildings. It is worth looking up and looking at the details of the buildings, many have small altars on their facades. If you meet the Piazza Banchi it's your lucky day, there is the beautiful building of the old Stock Exchange dating from the 16th century. During the day caruggi are quite safe, but at night conventional wisdom says they are best avoided.
6pm – If shopping is your thing, in Genoa there are shops of all kinds, from the big luxury brands to independent artisans who work very well with leather. . Via XX Settembre, Via Roma and Via XXV Aprile are the best streets for shopping.
Piazza Banchi
7pm – Sometimes the twilight light is enjoyed more inside than outside. If the day is sunny, visit the basilica of Santa Maria delle Vigne in the middle of the sunset -you have to calculate the time according to the season in which you travel-, walk to the dome and look up: the soft light filtering through its golden dome illuminating the fresh is a joy. This basilica with a neoclassical facade and baroque interiors is a stone's throw from ** Romanengo Pietro Fu Stefano ,** possibly the most emblematic confectionery in the city. Founded in 1814, it is a good place to buy edible souvenirs, such as artisan chocolates or spectacular candied fruits. A few blocks from the confectionery we can admire the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, which dates back to the 11th century and whose facade with black and white horizontal stripes is unmistakable. It is said that they rest the ashes of Saint John the Baptist . We can finish the walk approaching the house where Christopher Columbus was supposedly born, Colombo for the Italians.
Romanengo Pietro Fu Stefano
8.30pm – We had dinner at The Clandestine Canteen , just two hundred meters from the Palazzo Ducale. This elegant restaurant with attentive service, in addition to fresh produce, offers vegetarian and vegan options and also has gluten-free and lactose-free alternatives. The menu is written on a blackboard that the waiter brings to the table and as he explains, it changes daily depending on what is on the market. The fresh pasta is delicious, as is the rabbit with seasonal vegetables.
10.30pm – The Lepre It is a good place to have a drink after dinner and get a little into the less bombastic and more alternative Genoa.
Dinner? In the Clandestine Canteen
SUNDAY
10am – A quick breakfast not to be missed is the Caffetteria Orefici e Latteria Buonafede . Open since 1910, this place has a place in the hearts of many Genoese since reminds them of the cream of their childhood . And tradition dictates that there you have to have an espresso with homemade whipped cream.
10.30am – From there we will depart for the Commenda di San Giovanni di Prè, a Romanesque-style architectural complex located on the Piazza della Commenda that was born as a hospital and convent. Built in 1180, the complex has been recently restored and the most striking feature is its two superimposed churches.
11.30am - Genoa is the hometown of the successful architect Renzo Piano and we have to thank him for the new life of the port and its promenade. It is worth pausing to reflect on the Biosphere -also known as La Bolla-, a sphere-shaped transparent glass structure designed by the Genoese architect who houses more than 150 animal and plant species and seeks to represent the beauty and fragility of tropical forests . In the same area is the city's aquarium, the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 specimens of 600 different species.
1 pm - We say goodbye to the city with lunch at Da Rina . Open since 1946, this trattoria has excellent fresh fish. For starters, ask for trofie al pesto, a typical Ligurian pasta that is elongated and curly in shape. Let yourself be recommended with the second, which has to be fish, it is the best, as well as with the Italian wine list.
In the footsteps of Renzo Piano in Genoa