Few cities deserve their nickname more than Genoa — La Superba (“the Proud One”). Here, Europe’s largest intact medieval centre squirrels into the cliffside, wreathed by Unesco-protected palaces with a belle époque “new town” balanced on top. There are world-class galleries and world-famous food (pesto and focaccia for starters). Yet this Renaissance titan — rivalling Venice as a hub of trade, wealth and power — wears its history lightly. Bars and shops sit in frescoed palaces; the medieval caruggi (alleys) are packed with greengrocer stalls; the port grows ever larger. From top to bottom, the cliffside thrums with life.
What to do
▶ Rumble around the caruggi in the ancient heart of the city. Essential stops include the jewel-box church of San Pietro in Banchi, Campetto Square, where even clothes shops sit in Renaissance palazzos, and San Matteo church, revamped by Michelangelo’s student Montorsoli to house the tombs of Andrea Doria (see below) and his clan.
▶ On the hillside reaching above the city, the Strada Nuova is home to mansions built by 16th-century Genoese oligarchs. Three palazzos — Rosso, Bianco and Tursi — form a “scattered” museum. Palazzo Rosso, which reopened in 2022 after a three-year renovation, is a stunner. Don’t miss the digs of 17th-century libertine Anton Giulio II Brignole Sale, who entertained lovers in an alcove complete with mirrored walls and cloud-like bedstead held aloft by gilded angels — now open for the first time (£8; museidigenova.it).
▶ Andrea Doria, the sailor-merchant extraordinaire under whose rule the fortunes of Genoa soared, once lived in Villa del Principe. From bombastic frescoes of the Doria clan to tapestries depicting one of his most famous battles, it’s an extraordinary testament — and poignant for its air of decay today (£9.50; doriapamphilj.it/genova).
▶ Stroll through the Porto Antico — Christopher Columbus’s original port, modernised with a panoramic lift and the Biosphere glass bubble on the water by Renzo Piano — to the Galata Museo del Mare, the vast maritime museum (£15; galatamuseodelmare.it). One of the best exhibits looks at the millions of Italians who emigrated in the 19th century; there’s a more thorough look at them at the Museo Nazionale dell’Emigrazione Italiana, the museum of emigration that opened last year in a medieval hostel for pilgrims and travellers (£6; museomei.it).
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▶ A 15-minute train ride (£1.20) from town is Nervi, a coastal resort beloved by Europe’s 19th-century aristocracy. Mooch around the seafront park, rollercoaster around the coastline on the cliff-etched footpath, and fuel up on a creamy, fruity Sicilian granita at Bar Pisacane III, overlooking the Med.
The coolest neighbourhood
Unspooling south of the cathedral is Sestiere del Molo, one of the oldest parts of town but with 21st-century energy and designer flair. Check out contemporary art in the atmospheric cellar at Studio Rossetti (galleriastudiorossetti.it), rummage for vintage interiors at Design 35 (design35.it), and see Johanna Wahl’s extraordinary lamps, vases and artworks — all made from textiles — at JoLab (johannawahl.com). Nearby are hipster goldsmith Luca Caracciolo of My Golden Age (mygoldenagelab.com) and Vinaria del Molo, which sells local wines and spirits. They sit by the 12th-century church of San Donato, below the Giardini Luzzati — a modern, olive-dotted square with the remains of a Roman theatre visible below the Circolo bar.
Where to eat and drink
Rosmarino
City dining doesn’t get more farm-to-table than Rosmarino, which focuses on slow-food products from Liguria and small producers — eggs, mushrooms and wild greens (try them in the borage raviolini) are delivered by a former-chef friend from his smallholding outside town (mains from £10; trattoriarosmarino.it).
Sa’ Pesta
A medieval fast-food joint still going strong. The Benvenuto family bake street food such as farinata (chickpea pancakes), vegetable torte (quiches) and torta di riso (savoury rice flan) in their giant wood-fired oven. Take away or eat on the communal tables (mains from £8; sapesta.it).
Zupp
Chef Paolo Ferralasco believes soup is underrated, so he has made it the star turn at his trendy restaurant overlooking Piazza San Matteo. His soups — think cauliflower with octopus, or leeks, pine nuts and raisins — will convert you too. There’s a small list of “normal” pastas and meat dishes, if you insist (mains from £8; zupp.it).
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I Tre Merli
Down on the Porto Antico, this used to be a medieval salt warehouse. Today its wares are rather more palatable: Liguria’s top traditional dishes, from cappon magro (a surprisingly delicious “salad” of vegetables and seafood, drenched in green sauce and piled on a kind of biscuit) to trofie with pesto and potatoes (mains from £10; itremerli.it).
Carega
Perhaps Genoa’s most famous portside friggitoria, or “frying shop”, Carega has been frying fish and doling it out in paper cones since 1942. You can mix and match your fish — try calamari with tiny pignolini, sent down with a slice of farinata (cones from £6; Via di Sottoripa 113r).
Les Rouges
It’s all about the setting at this cocktail bar: on the frescoed and stuccoed first floor of a gently crumbling Renaissance palazzo, soft jazz playing in the background. Try the Spritz Genovese, with bubbles, basil soda and corochinato, a Genoese vermouth (cocktails from £7; lesrouges.it).
Where to stay
Le Nuvole
The third floor of a patrician’s former palace has been turned into this gorgeous little hotel, where rooms often sport original stucco details, and vast windows open onto a pretty square. Breakfast and the reception is next door at swankier sister hotel Palazzo Grillo (room-only doubles from £78; hotellenuvole.it).
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Grand Hotel Savoia
The train station isn’t exactly a happening place, but this hotel hits the spot — a belle époque grande dame that has refused to fade. You’re also right by the Villa del Principe, and an easy metro ride into the city centre. Don’t miss the subterranean spa (room-only doubles from £111; grandhotelsavoiagenova.it).
Melia Genova
High-rollers prefer this swish, five-star chain hotel in Carignano — perched atop a hill above the “new” town, with a handy public lift to get you there. The 1926 rationalist building has been thoroughly brought into the 21st century, with a rooftop hot tub and an indoor pool (B&B doubles from £120; melia.com).
If you only do one thing
The art nouveau public lift at Piazza Portello whisks you up the cliff to the 19th-century Castelletto district. From here the city unrolls in front of you, from the “new” town of the Renaissance to the slate roofs of the medieval centre and to the Med beyond.
Julia Buckley was a guest of Visit Genoa (visitgenoa.it)
