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Genoa (Italian: Genova, Ligurian: Zena) is a historical port city in northern Italy, the capital of the Region of Liguria. Genoa today, as a tourist attraction, is often overshadowed by cities such as Rome or Venice, even though it has a long history as a rich and powerful trade center. However, with its multitude of hidden gems behind cozy alleyways, excellent cuisine (notably fish and seafood), renovated old port, beautiful sights (including one of Europe's biggest aquariums), and its position as the European Capital of Culture in 2004 have made the birthplace of explorer Christopher Columbus an enticing place which is gradually becoming more included in the touristic market. With unusual typical slate-roofed houses, artistic churches, lovely seaside villas, and also several luxurious boutiques, Genoa is a must see if you want to experience the "quintessential" Italy.
Venice, Rome, Milan,... Read more
Genoa (Italian: Genova, Ligurian: Zena) is a historical port city in northern Italy, the capital of the Region of Liguria. Genoa today, as a tourist attraction, is often overshadowed by cities such as Rome or Venice, even though it has a long history as a rich and powerful trade center. However, with its multitude of hidden gems behind cozy alleyways, excellent cuisine (notably fish and seafood), renovated old port, beautiful sights (including one of Europe's biggest aquariums), and its position as the European Capital of Culture in 2004 have made the birthplace of explorer Christopher Columbus an enticing place which is gradually becoming more included in the touristic market. With unusual typical slate-roofed houses, artistic churches, lovely seaside villas, and also several luxurious boutiques, Genoa is a must see if you want to experience the "quintessential" Italy.
Venice, Rome, Milan, and Florence are of course the most known and admired towns in Italy. When moving to north-western Italy (Milan, Turin) it is nevertheless absolutely worth visiting Genoa. The city is a good base to explore the Italian Riviera and world famous places like Portofino and the Cinque Terre.
Paolo Coelho wrote: "Among the marvels of Italy, it will take some digging to find the beauties of Genova, but it is worth visiting it. I remember walking there with a friend when she suddenly said: “Let’s stop for a bit. I can’t stand this orange color!”." The fact is the more you stay the more you will enjoy and appreciate the town. A place where you discover daily new surprises, even if you stay for years.
The city may be less known by major tourist operators, but its splendor is often hidden inside the narrow streets of the historical center, called "vicoli."
Genoa is a sort of decayed glorious port town, whose decay, however, is what makes it so interesting and pretty. The façades of grand palaces are hidden in scruffy, yet enticing alleyways, and there are really curious treats for anyone in virtually every alley. The city is your "typical" Italian one - quite sunny (during summer), with Mediterranean-looking houses topped by slate roofs, filled to the brim with outdoor cafes and bars, with lots of tiny and quirky alleyways, elegant designer shops, and restaurants. Today, also, the old port has been renovated, and currently contains some funky avant-garde modern architecture, a delightful marina, and several seaside bars and shops.
Locals will say driving around the city is somewhat faster than public transportation (traffic jams at rush hours notwithstanding), but once you have reached your destination you are faced with the nightmare and frustration of looking for a non-existent parking spot. It is not just chance that most locals switched from cars to scooters - to the extent that even finding a spot for a scooter has become difficult too. All attractions within the center are in walking distance or well served by public transportation, therefore a car is of no use at all. If you still decide to drive into the city, don't bet on available street parking (there are street parking fees anyway) go directly to a parking garage and hope not all of them are full. If you think of driving to the beach on a sunny weekend day within Genoa or in another town along the coast, forget it. Finding a parking spot in walking distance to your beach is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Use public transit instead.
Public transportation will probably be your best bet within the city. The bus network is operated by AMT and services the whole city until 1 AM at night. Be sure to check routes and timetables you need because the system can be somewhat confusing, e.g. some routes only travel at certain times and are replaced by other similar ones with different numbers at those times. There is also an underground line connecting the main square,There are also a number of public elevators and cable railways connecting the center with the neighborhoods on the surrounding hills. The upper stations of the Ascensore di Castelletto elevator and of the Funicolare del righi railway offer an astonishing view of the city.
Trenitalia suburban and regional trains travel in an east-west direction along the coast connecting all the coastal neighborhoods/suburbs with the city center. This is the most convenient means of transportation if you plan to see some peripheral districts or towns along the coastline. AMT tickets and passes are valid on Trenitalia trains within the city limits (Voltri and Nervi); single tickets only allow one train ride, and you will need to validate them again at the yellow punching machines at the stations - check for the correct validating space with the name "Trenitalia" on the back side of the ticket. If you are traveling outside the city limits to visit some outer towns, you will have to buy a ticket at a Trenitalia counter or machine. It is advisable to buy return tickets right away because there are usually no ticket counters at minor stations and chances are good that the ticket machines there won't work, turning to buy a ticket (or discussing with the conductor on the return train) into a hassle.
The historic center of Genoa is serviced by bus only around some important squares and streets (Piazza Acquaverde for Stazione di Piazza Principe, Piazza della Nunziata, Largo Zecca, Piazza Corvetto, Piazza Caricamento). Its caruggi alleys are so narrow that no vehicular traffic is physically possible, and they have to be visited on foot - distances are definitely not huge anyway.
AMT also operates a public boat service called Navebus connecting the Porto Antico to Pegli. It is a great and cheap way to have a look at the city from the sea; once in Pegli, you can pay a visit to the Villa Pallavicini public park.
Private boat services start from the Porto Antico and travel along the coast to Camogli, San Fruttuoso,There is so much to see in Genoa.
Museums:
Genoa is known to have Europe’s biggest historical center. This is the heart of the old city. It’s made up of an incredible amount of tiny streets and alleys called Caruggi. Walking through it will plump you right back in ancient times when Genoa was the most important harbor of the Mediterranean sea. The city is generally safe, but caution is to be applied, especially at night time and in the more quiet zones toward Piazza Principe and the old harbor, due to the presence of small criminality.
There are plenty of things to do in Genoa, although it is VERY advisable to visit in spring and summer. A lot of young kids spend their time playing with their friends in Parks found within certain antique Villas, some of them are also museums (i.e. Villa di Negro- Oriental Arts museum Edoardo Chiossone). Go for Ice Cream along the beaches and beach promenades. There are a lot of paintings in the town and on the brick floors which a lot of people admire. Fishing for catfish is also a hobby you might enjoy.
Genoa's main street Via XX settembre, is filled with cafes and high street fashion shops. Start from Brignole station and head towards Piazza De Ferrari. Via San Vincenzo, another popular shopping destination, runs parallel to Via Venti (as the Genoese call it) from Brignole.
De Ferrari square lies in the heart of the city, surrounded by the Carlo Felice theatre, and Palazzo Ducale. Head towards Via San Lorenzo and get lost inside the Centro Storico. A bustling net of alleyways that gains its character from being close to the port and as such is a melting pot of cultures. You can breathe the Sea air and the port of a once strong maritime republic. It is full of bars, shops, antique barbers (va canneto il lungo), butchers and restaurants. Get Lost! (though you might want to take a map because you could get lost)
On Friday and Saturday nights, these alleyways fill up with people, excellent for bar crawling and living the night. Find its many chupiterias, to get specialty shots or find smaller more rustic birrerias. Occasionally you can find live bands on the streets or in many of the bars, especially by Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza Luzzati.
Take a walk along Corso Italia on a sunny day, this promenade along the sea is a must for the outdoor season. Suited for runners, roller blades, it also has a skate park, Giardini Govi, along its way. Just head south from Brignole Bus Station, along Viale Bisagno Brigate and then turn left, there the promenade begins. At the end of Corso Italia, there is a church and going down towards the sea you reach Bocadasse, a small beach surrounded by ice cream shops, little boutiques, and restaurants, with terraces over the sea. Adventure yourself along the "creuzäs", (small alley) ways to discover its villas and hidden coves.
Genoa is surrounded by hills, which have fortresses built under Napoleonic rule, to defend the city. You can reach this summit of the hill Righi by taking the funicular at Largo Zecca. From then on you may walk along the woods and access a birds-eye view of the city and its port. Its quite a walk, but well worth it.
Nervi is the last neighborhood heading towards levante (east), get here quickly by taking bus number 15 or one of the frequent trains. Here lies an immense park that lies just above cliffs on the sea. It has a sea level promenade and another part of the park which extend towards the hills. There are a few small lakes hidden within the park.
The vast majority of places charges service for a fixed amount per person (called coperto), as is a custom in Italy. A trattoria, cafe or bar will not charge this fee for lunch, and this is often a good place to get pasta or a sandwich in the afternoon. Restaurants are open from approximately 12:30 - 3 PM for lunch and 7:30 - 10 PM for dinner.
Area of Porto Antico. Down of piazza Caricamento and close to the Bigo there is a float restaurant with the nose of it being a night bar, with sometimes offering live music. Wide wood chairs to relax and see the sea in the summer.
Genoa is great for shopping. You have the designer boutiques, department stores, food shops, and antique dealers.
Downtown, for those who want luxury boutique browsing, you can find some world class fashion-related shopping along Via XX Settembre, starting from Piazza Ferrari.
There are a lot of small, picturesque and tourism-related shops in the center. These are mainly in the central squares and the small alleyways. You can find souvenir stalls, kiosks selling books and snacks, sailor-themed stalls, traditional flea markets, modern and antique furniture dealers, little bookstores and tiny art galleries.
There is a large shopping center called Fiumara located near Genova Sampierdarena train station. To reach Fiumara, take a local train to Genova Sampierdarena station and exit the station. Turn left and go under a bridge, near which there is a sign to the left for Fiumara. The shopping center is visible from the other side of the bridge and is about 10 minutes walk. The mall can also be reached by car or bus routes 1, 2, 4 and 22. The mall is open from 9 AM-9 PM Monday - Sunday. Nearby there is a theater and activity center which includes a pool hall, bowling alley, and restaurants.
Streets in Genoa are usually quite safe, especially in the main tourist areas and residential areas. Downtown, Quarto dei Mille, Quinto del Mare and Nervi are all safe districts during the day as well as the evening.
However, some limited areas in the historical center off the main alleys might be subject to petty crime or just be uncomfortable for the general tourist (e.g. prostitutes waiting for clients in the middle of the day in dark side alleys just a couple of blocks away from a touristic attraction). Especially north of Piazza Caricamento/via Banchi/via Luccoli, around the Via Pré and in the Stazione Principe area, it is advisable to exercise extra caution and follow your common sense, e.g. avoid walking into narrower, darker, deserted alleys off the main paths unless you know where you are going. Pay special attention to your surroundings, avoid displaying flashy items and do not carry large amounts of cash or valuables.
Muggings or violence towards tourists are practically unheard of, however deft pickpockets are not seldom. Be particularly careful in the via San Lorenzo/via San Bernardo/via San Donato area (which is a popular and very crowded nightlife zone for students and young people) and also on city buses.
When walking, you should not expect motorists (especially scooters and bikers) to be particularly disciplined. At unsignalized crosswalks, you might need to insist on your right of way by just starting to cross the road (with caution!), as Italian pedestrians normally do, rather than waiting for motorists to stop. If a car, van or truck has stopped to let you cross, be very careful and always assume there might be a scooter passing that vehicle at high speed without seeing you.
Virtually all beaches in Genoa and surroundings are made of cobbles, rocks, and cliffs. The sea floor is normally very steep and you won't be able to touch the ground just some meters away from the shore, hence beware if your swimming skills are not good. When bathing, be extremely cautious as stones under water are mostly covered with vegetation and very slippery. Avoid bathing at all if the sea is not calm: waves that may seem innocent from the shore might be strong enough to turn getting out of the sea into a quite dangerous and scary undertaking, running the risk of being smashed into the shore or into a rock (that you perhaps don't see because it's under water). There is normally no lifeguard service on free public beaches.
LOCAL TIME
3:42 pm
January 28, 2021
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