Somewhere in Europe #6: Genoa, Italy

Many years ago someone asked me if I was interested in visiting Genoa in Italy. I didn't know much about it, did a quick Google and told him that Genoa probably wasn't for me. This was because Google gave me the impression that this city in Italy was mostly a rough city, leaning on the fishing industry struggling with high crime rates.

A few years later, I had to go from A to B and the only (interesting) way to do that was to go via Genoa. And so I ended up booking a hotel in Genoa.

^Ceiling

I didn't know what to think about my ceiling in my hotel room. It was old and different, but wasn't it about to fall apart while I was sleeping? Was it safe to stay here? And considering that I am now able to write this blog, I think it was safe enough...

^{Royal Palace}

The next morning I started walking around without a plan. And pretty close to my hotel I bumped into a nice looking building that I used to warm up my camera. Little did I know that I was walking around the Royal Palace of Genoa.

I just loved the many lines of the windows and the bright colours of the walls. My geeky side just loves symmetry and as a result, I stayed there for way too long :)

^Streetart

I slowly started getting excited about this city. The weather was amazing (which helped)! The people were super friendly (they are probably not fed up with tourists yet)! The buildings & streets in the old centre were gorgeous and there was a lot going on!

The old centre of Genoa is close to the harbour and somehow, wherever you go, you will end up near the water. The port of Genoa is just a massive magnet. And for good reason! It was vibrant, modern, fun, cosy and gorgeous when I was there.

It helped that there was a big "try out different sports"-event going on for little children. Everywhere you looked, people were having fun. Kids being in a small sailboat for the first time, parents having fun while watching their kids playing baseball. There was even a swimming pool set up for kids so they could get a scuba diving experience. The port was filled with the sounds of laughing kids and that was just the cherry on top of an already fun place to hang out for the views and good food.

^{Kids trying the mini sailboats}

In the middle of the buzzing port, you will see a weird looking white structure (in the background of the previous photo). It is almost like the second the mikado came is about to start: "The falling of the sticks". It is called Bigo and it is some sort of panoramic lift. Once up in the air, you will have an amazing view of Genoa and see that it is actually built against the hills that seem to force the city into the water.

^{Genoa with the Palace of St. George on the right}

^{It just looks so peaceful!}

The port of Genoa is just perfect. It is fun and modern but fits the old town too somehow. There is a replica of an old pirate ship the Neptune and like many other cities there is the Aquarium, that is the largest in Italy (and not worth the money in my opinion...)

From the view of the Bigo you might notice something about Genoa. There are a lot of old black and white striped buildings. I had many Deja Vu's while walking around when I ran into a striped building again. Often this was the same building (did I mention I walked around without a plan?). The marble and slate facade of the buildings often were also continued in the interior. The most famous of these striped buildings is the Genoa Cathedral, Cathedral of Saint Lawrence. But I was most impressed by the interior of the San Matteo that doesn't look interesting from the outside, but wait till you see the interior!

I have to thank an older Italian lady for pointing me at the San Matteo Church. I didn't know it existed and while she didn't speak any English at all, she managed to "sort of" explain to me the importance of me visiting it. Many tourists skip it, I understood from her. However, like many other people from Genoa, she wasn't able to read a map and couldn't pinpoint where I had to exactly go. So I followed my gut feeling and found it anyway!

I started talking to this lady because of another weird thing that is happening in Genoa. The numbering of the buildings in the streets of Genoa will drive you crazy! There are red and black numbers and they have their own range. Red numbers are reserved for shops, for instance. And the blacks for apartments. You can imagine how hard it was finding my hotel not knowing this and noticing seemingly random numbers on the buildings.

^{Kitty doesn't like the heat}

When walking around Genoa, you won't be able to miss Piazza De Ferrari, in the heart of the centre. It is the main square and has a massive fountain in the middle of it.

^{Piazza De Ferrari}

A lot of offices are located in this area and to make sure the scooters won't ruin the main square, they reserved one of the side streets just for that. It is now a massive parking space for scooters.

Two blocks away from the square you will find the ruins of St. Andrews Cloister and the house of Columbus. While the ruins of the cloister look pretty nice in the photo, this is mostly an area where the local homeless and junks hang out. The place was a bit of a dump when I was there. I only hope that that has changed in the meantime.

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At some point, you can't avoid it anymore. You will have to leave the flat bit of the city and walk up the hills that surround the city. There is some sort of elevator there, but I was lucky enough to find it out of order when I was there. So you walk up narrow streets and stairs and you turn around a few times to enjoy the view. It's becoming more and more clear that the old part of Genoa is just a labyrinth of narrow streets and alleys.

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It is al worth it when you reach the terrace on top. I first got myself the largest milkshake that I could buy before I was able to enjoy the views. But it is something different. I have seen many cities from a higher point, but Genoa is chaos. The rooftops are 50 shades of grey and the streets are so narrow that you can't tell where buildings start or end.

^{View from the hills}

The high buildings prevent sunlight to hit the alleys. I learned later that some of these streets are no-go since they are the red light district of Genoa and not in a good & fun way... But what I love about the way that Genoa is built against the hills is the creativity of the people that clearly shows.

For instance, people on the top floor of this apartment building don't feel like going all the way down to go back up again and decided to build their own private bridge from their apartment to the terrace on the hill. Pretty cool, right?

My muscles were aching badly after exploring Genoa and I was happy that the next few days I would be somewhere on a beach in Sardinia, doing nothing! The next day, I got on a ferry that sails overnight from Genoa to Sardinia, on my way to my next adventure.

^{Saying goodbye to Genoa}

Also in this series:

• Somewhere in Europe #1: San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain
• Somewhere in Europe #2: Bilbao, Spain
• Somewhere in Europe #3: Algarve, Portugal
• Somewhere in Europe #4: Alghero, Sardinia, Italy
• Somewhere in Europe #5: Dresden, Germany

My Ireland series:

• Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #1: Aran Islands
• Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #2: Cliffs of Moher
• Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #3: Gap of Dunloe & Lakes of Killarney
• Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #4: County Donegal
• Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #5: Dingle Peninsula
• Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #6: Howth Cliff Walk
• Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #7: Connemara
• Ireland & the back arse of nowhere #8: Hill of Tara

My California series:

• Exploring the Golden State #1: Northern Highway One, Avenue of the Giants, The Lost Coast, Eureka!
• Exploring the Golden State #2: Marin County