Genoa

Italy – Genoa.

Being huge fans of all things Italian, the country, the food, the wine !!! It made perfect sense to choose Italy as a venue for our ‘half-term’ long weekend away, well, that and picking up cheap BA flights too !!!

Karen is an internet trawler and seeker of great holiday destinations and once a venue has been chosen she somehow manages to find great value and well situated accommodation too. With all that in mind, we finally opted for a B&B near the main railway station, Il Borgo Di Genova, which came well rated pretty much everywhere. Before our arrival however, the owner Giovanni, contacted us warning that recent floods had destroyed parts of the neighbourhood and gave us ample opportunity to cancel. Not travellers to be easily deterred we kept our booking.

Catching the frequent Volabus from right outside the airport, where for a miserly 6 Euros each we arrived swiftly outside Brignole Station where, armed with excellent instructions, we found the Il Borgo Di Genova in minutes to be greeted by our host Giovanni who was chatting outside who promptly made us very welcome. We had read i various reviews that Giovanni was a font of local knowledge and we soon discovered how true this was at first hand as we were told of countless places of interest and places to eat that seemed simply endless.

Our room at the B&B was simply delightful. Clean. Spacious. Well decorated and simply furnished. Peaceful too despite the nearby railway.

After breakfast we hoofed it around Genova, and as cautioned by Giovanni, it is a tad hilly in places. Traversing a city on foot you very soon get your bearings and navigating the city of Genova was pretty easy. The city, dating way back before the arrival of Christ, is a labyrinth of colourful narrow streets, tall buildings and piazzas which were simply charming. As the sun began to set we made our way to Spianata Castelletto taking a delightful ride on one of the cities ancient, but well kept, public lifts. The view from the terrace was simply amazing giving us a panorama of the whole city, from the airport, along the docks and beyond. With a perfect cloudless sky the warm setting sun gave us an unparalleled view of this charming city. During our walk we discovered, purely by accident, the BEST ice cream, or Gelato, that we’d ever, EVER tasted at U Gelato du Caruggiu. Simply divine flavours !!!

Day two we headed on foot to Brignole Station and for just a few Euros we caught the train to Santa Margherita Ligure. Purchasing a bus ticket from the coffee shop and NOT the driver, we hopped on the local bus, number 8, for the scenic ride along the coast to Portofino. I use the term ‘scenic’ loosely, as yes, the road weaves in and around the tiny picturesque villages en-route, but after a couple of near misses, wall scrapes and lorry grazing, you soon stop looking at the scenery !!! The bus drops you at the top of the road that winds down to the gloriously beautiful harbour. Clear blue sky. Clear blue water. Stunning vertiginous housing. It all combines to produce a stunning scene.

We walked around the edge of the harbour taking in the beautiful vista and then took the path up to Castello Brown, not going all the way up as there is a charge to access the Castello, but the path winds along the steep hill giving you some amazing views back over Portofino harbour. Not the friendliest of places, service in cafes etc was chilly to say the least, but it was beautiful to look around.

Taking the number 8 back to the station we wound our way back along the coast to Camogli, another stunning Ligurian harbour, but this visit was on our list because Gino D’Acampo recommended trying the local delicacy of Farinata, a type of Focaccia, that’s made by a local family Ravello. Our B&B host Giovanni recommended it too !!!! The opening hours caught us out, 08:00 to 13:00, then 15:30 to 19:30, where all the highly recommended Farinata gets sold out very early, but the Focaccia is amazing too. The BEST we’d ever tasted! Sitting on the shore in the sunshine eating fresh Focaccia and ice cream was a wonderful treat.

Our evening, which was Halloween, was spent sat in Piazza Giacomo Matteotti sampling the local pizza, limoncello and beer watching the locals dressed as ghouls enjoying the evening festivities. Groups of kids, all accompanied by adults, visited the shops, bars and restaurants getting gifts and bags of sweets. These visits were all good natured and some hosts were touting for visits !!!

Our last day in Genova, Saturday, we were up early, deciding to walk along the wide promenade to Boccadesse, another picturesque fishing port. Pausing briefly at a local Bar/Gelataria, for fresh focaccia and coffee the walk was delightful, passing the locals out roller-blading, running, taking the air and even walking a pig! The promenade was scattered with grand old hotels and private members only beach clubs, and sports club s that all harked back to a heyday long gone. Boccadese was another delightfully beautiful fishing port and very busy with people sat out enjoying the sun.

Once again our evening was spent taking in the delights of Genova, joining the locals looking for somewhere good to eat and enjoy the evening. We were handed a card offering a discount at a local restaurant, Locanda Tortuga, where we enjoyed great fresh focaccia and beer and also got to sample the great Farinata !!!! Great food and good service too.

Genova, in our opinion, is pretty much perfect. Nice, easy going atmosphere. Friendly locals. Great local food. A great hub for visiting nearby tourist sights using cheap and frequent public transport. I’m guessing these days that the majority of visitors to Genova, I’m assuming mostly cruise ship passengers, never pause long enough to actually see any of it. If only they knew what they were missing by boarding a coach to pick up their cruise !!!