Genoa

Palazzo Ducale, the Castelletto lift and a walk to Nervi

Two days in Genoa covers the Palazzo Ducale, the palaces of Via Garibaldi and the Castelletto lift on day one, and the seafront walk to Boccadasse, a train to the Nervi cliff-top promenade and the Righi funicular on day two. Finish both evenings in the old town around Piazza delle Erbe.

Start the first morning at Piazza De Ferrari and the Palazzo Ducale, then lose an hour in the caruggi on the way to Via Garibaldi. Spend the late morning in Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Bianco, stop for a slab of focaccia, and take the lift up to Spianata Castelletto for the view over the port. In the afternoon walk down to Porto Antico for the aquarium or a harbour stroll, then finish with drinks on Piazza delle Erbe, busy with young locals on Friday and Saturday nights.

On day two, follow the seafront east to Boccadasse for coffee by the water, then ride a train to Nervi and walk its cliff-top promenade. Back in town, ride the Righi funicular for the view from the hills and a look at the old forts. Have dinner in the old town: trofie al pesto, then a plate of farinata if there is room.

Pesto on trofie, breakfast focaccia and farinata from the oven

Genoa is the home of pesto, eaten on trofie or trenette, often cooked with potato and green beans. Focaccia is the everyday snack, sold warm in the morning, and farinata is a thin chickpea pancake baked in a wood oven. Restaurants serve lunch from about 12:30 and dinner from 19:30.

This is the home of pesto, made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese and olive oil. Locals eat it on trofie, short twisted pasta, or trenette, often cooked with potato and green beans. Focaccia is the everyday snack, sold warm from focaccerie across the city in the morning and usually cheaper than pizza. Try the plain oily version first, then the onion-topped one.

Farinata, a thin chickpea pancake baked in a wood oven, is the other classic, best straight out of the pan. Restaurants serve lunch from about 12:30 to 15:00 and dinner from 19:30 to 22:00, and most add a per-person cover charge. Trattorias and bars that do pasta or sandwiches at lunch often skip it. For an evening drink, the bars around Piazza delle Erbe stay open until about one in the morning.

Camogli, Portofino and the Cinque Terre by regional train

Regional trains from Genoa run east along the Riviera to Camogli and Santa Margherita Ligure, where buses and boats continue to Portofino, and on to the five villages of the Cinque Terre. Go on weekdays, because summer weekends crowd the trains and beaches, and leave the car behind, since beach parking is close to impossible.

Genoa is the natural base for the Italian Riviera. Regional trains run east along the coast to Camogli, a fishing town of tall painted houses, and on to Santa Margherita Ligure, from where buses and boats continue to Portofino. Further down the line you reach the five villages of the Cinque Terre, close enough for a long day out.

Go on weekdays if you can, because summer weekends bring crowds onto the trains and beaches. Driving makes little sense, since parking near the beaches is close to impossible. Buy focaccia in town before you leave for a picnic lunch on the rocks.

Inside the city limits, Nervi has a cliff-top promenade and seaside parks, and Boccadasse makes a short walk along the seafront. In spring and summer the coast is at its best; winter is mild but wetter, and better suited to the palaces and museums of the old town.

The Rolli palaces and the Strade Nuove

Genoa's UNESCO listing covers the Strade Nuove and 42 of the Rolli palaces, inscribed in July 2006. Via Garibaldi, Via Balbi and Via Cairoli hold most of them, and Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Doria-Tursi on Via Garibaldi open as the Strada Nuova museums. Private palaces open on Rolli Days.

The name comes from the rolli, official lists the Republic of Genoa drew up from 1576 of the noble houses fit to lodge visiting popes, kings and ambassadors. A family whose palace appeared on the list was obliged to host the guest the state assigned to it, so owners competed on staircases, courtyards and painted ceilings. That rivalry produced the run of late Renaissance and Baroque palaces on Via Garibaldi, laid out in the 1550s as the Strada Nuova, and the later Via Balbi.

The three palaces on Via Garibaldi that make up the Strada Nuova museums are open all year on a single ticket and hold the city's best paintings, with works by Van Dyck, Rubens and Genoese masters. Palazzo Tursi also houses the town hall. On Via Balbi, the Palazzo Reale has a hall of mirrors and a terrace garden over the port.

Most Rolli palaces are still offices, banks or private homes, and their courtyards are usually all you see. Rolli Days, which the city started in 2009, open dozens of them for free guided visits over a weekend, and a first winter edition ran in January 2024. Dates change every year, so check the official Rolli e Strade Nuove site before you plan around one, and book the popular palaces early.

Via Garibaldi is short and straight, so an hour covers the highlights of the three museums. Save Palazzo Rosso for the end: its terraces look out over the whole historic centre.