What to see in Genoa in three days, beyond the alleys, the Aquarium, pasta with pesto and the legendary Genoese focaccia. Everything you need to know about the Ligurian city can be found in this guide for three days of travel to Genoa.
Genoa it is the Superb, it is the pesto cake, the farinata, is the Aquarium, the Caruggi, the Ducal Palace. Genoa is certainly this. But it is also much more. IS' a city in the North that seems almost South. As a lover of Naples, walking along the streets of La Superba I felt at home.
It is a treasure, a forgotten chest. Little appreciated but with a lot to offer. There is something for all tastes, whether you are a lover of art or cuisine, patriotic, music addicts, scholars of marine biology, or simple discoverers of reality and cultures, landed in Genoa and you will not regret it. If the guide of what to see in Genoa in one day not enough, for sure you will be intrigued by the guide on what to see in Genoa in three days: let's get started!
Accomodation
Piazza Principe, the nerve center of the railway, is an excellent position from which to move towards the various corners of the city. Whether you want to get around by car, taxi, metro, train or bus, here is the terminus for everything. And what better base than a 4-star superior hotel, right there, in the middle of the center of the world? Get off the train, exit the station and cross the square, theContinetal Hotel 4 star superior is there waiting for you. Friendliness, beautiful rooms, efficiency, cleanliness. You will spend a stay in total comfort and relaxation.
Are you among those who are not satisfied with a 4 star superior?
No problem, next to the Continental stands the Grand Hotel Savoia, 5 stars. A spectacular hall will welcome you in a warm embrace which, given the superb harsh climate, will be a welcome pampering. We want to talk about the rooms? Spacious, welcoming, equipped with minibar, slippers for the shower with bathrobe, radiators to heat towels, tea and various herbal teas with water kettle, bottle of water with compliments, parquet, 40 LED TV and much more. Yes, I know, you are thinking "but how much will we spend?" Very little, if you book in advance by taking advantage of the online offers. An example? Double room without breakfast a 70 € per night Prices that are equivalent to those of a good B&B and the most common 2 and 3 star hotels.
Here, now that you have settled in your room, go down along via Arsenale di Terra, then onto via Balbi and start looking around. So you will see the Cafè Hb, where you can have breakfast with hot croissants accompanied by an espresso, sitting comfortably at a table, perhaps reading the newspaper.
To start your visit to the city of Genoa in the best possible way and especially if you have children, go up to Via Gramsci from where you can see the great building of theGenova's aquarium. From here continue to the entrance, enter and treat yourself to a day of diving among the strangest and most colorful fish in the world. The ticket costs 13 euros per person, but it's worth it all, guaranteed.
Where to Eat
Released from the aquarium, maybe a slight peckish will have peeped out. Will it be dinner time, perhaps? I bet you would gladly stop in a clean, comfortable, typical and above all high quality products. Well, out of the Aquarium, continue along the road that runs along it, until you meet the statue of a large dinosaur. This is your reference point to find what I have no doubt will become your favorite Genoese tavern.
Behind the dinosaur there is a small road, take it and follow it for a few meters. Not the first but the second street on the left of this little street is called Vico Palla, turn into the alley and after less than ten meters enter the historic one Osteria of Vico Palla, order everything you want, certain to find fresh fish, artfully cooked, which melts in the mouth and intoxicates the senses. An example? The fish appetizers, the panisette (which look like fried potatoes, in reality they are made with chickpeas, but they are not farinata!), The octopus salad with potatoes, the imperial fry, or, perhaps, the first ones that have nothing to do envy the main courses and, for the greedy, sweets for the most demanding palates.
Alternatively you can eat at He knows' Pesta, shared tables, more than low cost prices and an exceptional tradition of hospitality and Ligurian products. Not yet clear what foods you can expect from this trip? I recommend the place sui 10 typical dishes of Genoa to get you a culture on all that is good in town.
For the second or third day, to satisfy your appetite after walking up and down the alleys of Genoa, go along the Calata Catteneo, straight straight to the I tre merli restaurant, elegant and rustic at the same time, with a quiet and refined atmosphere. Here I recommend you try the trofie al pesto with green beans and potatoes and pansotti in walnut sauce. Two first courses, the most typical of the Genoese culinary tradition, which are worth what they cost. If you can make it, if you are not full yet, give it to us with the seconds, they too will give you a lot of satisfaction.
What to eat: focaccia
Su Via San Vincenzo you will find everything you need to know about focaccia in Genoa. From the scent you will immediately understand what to do once there. And the via dei forni, focaccia, the best in the city, the tall, oily and soft ones to eat at the counter or to enjoy walking along this small street which is also rich in religious, historical and architectural references. The locals have tried a little of all the focaccerie along via San Vincenzo and guarantee that they all deserve a stop, but the majority agree that a must for the tourist who does not have time to experiment is the Mario Bakery, historian, holds the registered trademark of the real Genoese focaccia and with its numerous varieties of focaccia and over sixty types of bread it will satisfy every palate, even the most demanding.
Eat it on the street, immersed in the atmosphere of this charming street in the heart of one of the richest in history, look around, go and discover Piazza Colombo, via Galata, the monumental bridge, the sixteenth-century walls and the New Walls, the Porta degli Archi and Porta Pila, visit the Church of San Vincenzo and that of the Consolation.
What to see in Genoa: the Caruggi
Da via Del Campo you are right at the entrance of the Caruggi, in the street that De Andrè made it perhaps the most famous in Genoa, in an evocative setting of houses piled one on top of the other, with low balconies that if you look inside you seem to see Boccadirosa at work with clients and colleagues. For those who know Naples, the similarity is with the Spanish Quarters, the least safe area of ​​the city and at the same time the richest in history and popular traditions.
In via del Campo you can enter, for free, the De Andrè house-museum, where, paradoxically, the thing that struck me most was the guitar that belonged to Luigi Tenco, a great friend of De Andrè who dedicated one of his best songs to him, “January Prayer”. Turn, turn and lose yourself among those narrow streets, melting pot of the most varied stories of life lived, then, however, do not forget to go up along via Lomellini, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, overlooked by other important Rolli residences: the house that gave birth to Giuseppe Mazzini, the one in which Santa Caterina lived during her first years of marriage, and the one in which Santa Virginia, in '600, took a husband.
Getting around
Genoa must be seen walking, be prepared to walk miles and miles, to never stop. After all, the caruggi and the roads that run along the sea must be experienced, seen and heard, they must be savored with a slow or fast pace according to your mood, desires and needs.
Alternatively, because there is always an alternative, you can take the subway. The one in Genoa is quite light, you can use approximately three stops, Principe, Darsena and San Giorgio and is open from 6 to 21 every day. A few more curiosities about the Genoa area or what to see beyond Genoa? Try to take a look at the 10 things to do and see in Genoa where there are excursions to Camogli and Boccadasse.
