The Insider's Guide to Budget Travel

In our next budget weekend away, Lauren Smith takes us on a whirlwind tour of Genoa, an ancient maritime capital with all the splendour of Venice, and none of the high prices!

‘Genoa the proud’ is the Capital of Liguria – home to pesto and Christopher Columbus – but is often overlooked by tourists. Maybe it’s the earthy, port like atmosphere that puts people off, but with its tangle of medieval streets, gothic churches, ancient port, and grand 18th century Palazzos, Genoa has bags more character than Florence, Venice or Rome combined. Since its ‘Capital of Culture’ status in 2004, the port has had a major facelift, so discover Genoa before it gets swallowed up by the tourist trail…

Day One

Get Your Bearings: The best way to discover Genoa is to start at Il Centro Storico, the old heart of the city, and the largest medieval city center in Europe. This bewildering web of narrow and steep alleyways is so tightly packed in you can barely see the sky, but each lane careers off to reveal countless medieval churches, hidden squares and a jumble of shops and cafés.

Despite the tight squeeze, tiny cars and mopeds still insist on snaking through each passage, pushing past crowds of locals going about their daily lives.

Get your bearings by starting off in the slightly less claustrophobic Piazza de Ferrari, an open pedestrian square, home to the famous Teatro Carlo Felice and with a huge fountain at the center. This square was a 19th century project to connect the old port city with the new, industrial Genoa that sprawls out onto the hills. From here you can begin to explore the ‘Caruggi’ – the narrow medieval streets.

Verdi’s Favourite Pastry: If you’re hungry, there are plenty of places for food tucked away in the historic center. Genoans don’t really do much for breakfast –their first meal of the day is typically a slice of focaccia or something from a ‘Pasticceria’ (pastry shop) with the all-important espresso. Head to Café Klainguti (Piazza Soziglia 9), the opera master Verdi’s favourite coffee shop in the 1840s, for one of their famous pastries. Klainguti’s specialities are the ‘Zena’ a pastry filled with Zabaglione, and ‘Falstaff’ a wicked hazelnut croissant.

Hidden Gems: There are dozens of ancient churches and historic buildings crammed in every street, but a couple will really catch your eye. The medieval Piazza San Marco is full of fine examples of the Genoan gothic style, with its black and white striped buildings and Romanesque bell towers.

Check out San Matteo church, and then wander along to San Lorenzo, an even grander ninth century Cathedral. Make sure you go inside to gawk at the richly decorated interior and flamboyant sculptures. Next up is Palazzo Ducale, the seat of the doge of Genoa. The Palazzo dates from the Middle Ages, but most of the large courtyards and valuable works of art inside are from the 16th and 18th centuries, during Genoa’s ‘Golden Age’.

At Home with Colombus: Make your way through the Caruggi to the 12th century Porta Soprana, two striking turrets that mark the boundary between the old and new city. A couple of other landmarks lie next door. The tiny ‘Casa di Colombo’ was supposedly the birthplace of the world famous explorer Christopher Colombus in 1451, and the neighbouring Chiostro di Sant’Andrea is a ruined Benedectine monastry, built in the 12th century.

Find some Foccacia: All the streets around the Centro Storico are packed with tiny cafés and food stalls. Foccacia, made with local Ligurian olive oil is a regional speciality, and the Genovese version puts all others to shame. Locals eat it with nearly every meal, and Foccaceries, fast food stalls serving, hot, fresh bread with a variety of fillings, can be found all over the city. Grab some Focaccia to go, stuffed with meat and vegetables, (or smothered in Nutella for a sweet treat ) and sit in a one of the many Piazzas.

Discover the Historic Port: Genoa is still a thriving port, but the Porto Antico (Ancient Port) had fallen into disrepair. In the nineties a local architect took on the massive project of reconnecting the old port with the rest of the city, and now the district is an attraction in its own right.

Many of the old cotton warehouses were restored into a cinema and exhibition enter, and a string of modern sculptures and cool museums have sprung up in recent years. Wander along the waterfront and stop at ‘Il Bigo’, a modern sculpture inspired by the mast of ships, the Biosphere, a glasshouse of plants that seems to float on the water, and the 15th century ship.

Pick up some Pesto: Pesto is a Ligurian delicacy – made with fresh basil, pine nuts, local oil and pecorino cheese, it’s the best pesto I have ever tasted, and makes a cheap souvenir to take home. For a bargain meal out, you can’t go wrong with a simple dish of trenette (long and flat pasta) or trofie (fresh, squiggly little bits of pasta that look like maggots but taste amazing) with pesto. Try Sa Pesta, (Via Giustiniani) tucked away on a winding alleyway in the Centro Storico.

Aperitivo Time: Genoa has a lively nightlife, thanks to a big student population, who packs out the hundreds of tiny bars and wine bars in the city. Bars stay open until about 2am and some have DJs on the weekend, so choose a couple for a bar crawl. Try Caffe degli Specchi in the Centro Storico, a haunt for artists and intellectuals in the 1920s.

Bed down in a BnB: If you want to stay in the city center, then choose a B and B over a hostel – for a couple of euros extra you’ll get a free breakfast, towels and internet, and wont have to get the metro. The Blue B and B is right by the main station, and the friendly female owner and cute, homely décor make this the perfect place to collapse after a day of sightseeing.

Day Two

Stroll along the Le Strade Nuove: After your free breakfast, follow in the footsteps of Genovese aristocracy. The ‘new streets’ were built during Genoa’s golden age (1528-1630), when some the city’s most powerful families ruled Europe in the field of finance. They decided to leave the Centro Storico and build a new Genoa on the hilly terrain behind, pouring their wealth into some magnificent buildings.

Pick out a Palazzo: There are countless Palazzi with grand gardens to be found, but the most famous street is the pedestrianised Via Garibaldi. The Palazzo Doria Tursi, Palazzo Bianco, and Palazzo Rosso are open to the public – the former is now the town hall, and the latter are now art galleries that are well worth the entry fee, with works by Van Dyck and famous Genoese artists. Grab some lunch from another Focaccerie, or try Farinata, a sort of chickpea pancake baked in an oven, delicious when garnished with artichokes or anchovies.

Lift Off! Genoa is one hilly city, and walking around the steep streets can get pretty tiring. So why not take the lift for breathtaking views over the whole city? Head to the Piazza Portello, and head through the tunnel to two lifts. They may look unremarkable, but will take you on a two minute ride to Castelletto, a district perched over the rooftops of the old city.

Under the Sea: If you’ve got any energy left, head back to the Port for the Aquarium. It’s one of the largest in Europe, and designed by the same people as the Pompidou center in Paris. Built within a ship anchored at port, there’s an amazing coral reef from Madagascar inside and even a Hummingbird forest.

A Fish Supper: Keep the fishy theme alive with a delicious fish dinner. Genoa’s proximity to the sea means that seafood is plentiful and used in a lot of cooking. Look out for an ‘osteria’ or ‘trattoria’ for cheap food – try salt cod, fish soup, anchovies and sardines or baked sea bass. Trattoria da Maria on Vico Testadoro does an amazing fish soup for a couple of euros and baked fish in white wine, and attracts a diverse crowd ranging from hungry students, to businessmen and neighborhood regulars.