We humans like borders. Territories. Yours and mine. Ours and theirs. It started with “my fireplace and your fireplace”, expanded into “my yard and your yard”, and finally into “my country and your country”.

Many European kingdoms of times gone by were small. Just as far as one’s eye could see – and no further, because who knows what looms behind those mountains? Genoa used to be a city republic. A little like Athens in ancient times. The borders ran just as far as one’s eye could see: up along the ridges of the hills. So did the walls around Genoa, too. Like a miniature version of the Great Wall of China. The walls are walkable today – if you have good balance.

The trails up along the hills are many, and they are tiny. Please take a photo of the map at the trailhead, and ensure your Google Maps is loaded to show the map of the area even if you go offline. You may get lost – and the distances are surprisingly large.

Fortunately, because this is Italy, one can find little restaurants and osterias in surprising locations. And oh, what delicious melanzane alla parmigiana did we find in a little village restaurant! Who cares if the serving was simple and the television was loud inside – the view was breathtaking and the food and a simple rosé wine took any remaining breath away. Where, you might ask? You will have to find out by yourself. Just follow the path up from the Righi funicular station, past the fortresses. You will be hungry by the time you find this little gem.
(Genoa, Italy; July 2018)

Genoa is not an ordinary city. The old town has a certain coherence, but it is cut off the port by an expressway and viaducts. The port in itself has been revamped to look modern to the extent of futuristic. But it is all part of the charm.

Genoa claims to be the birthplace of Christopher Columbus – although how much of his life he actually spent here is not well known. Green pesto Genovese was of course also born here. It is delicious and sampled everywhere – as long as you adhere to the strict meal hours of the restaurants; lunch 12 noon to 2 pm and dinner 7.30 pm onwards. Oh woe if you are hungry anywhere between 2 pm and 7.30 pm: your only choice is to order a drink (with alcohol of course, even if your stomach growls), in order to obtain the sizeable platter of antipasto that comes along (for free!).

And some less ordinary things just make sense here. For example, why not build a cathedral in black-and-white striped marble? It looks absolutely classy. And I am sure it was a shocker when it was unveiled.

Take  day – or preferably at least four or five. Explore the Centro Storico, the museums, the aquarium, the hills accessible by cable cars, and the grand palazzos. (Genoa, Italy; July 2018)

“An underrated treasure”. “A gem worth discovering”. So begin many descriptions about the old port city Genoa, smack in the middle of the Italian Riviera. It was on a whim that we ended up here: having dinner and drinks one Sunday at my place, and on the phone with Finnair the next moment. The idea was to explore the Italian western Riviera, all the way to the French border. But how to get there, and cheaply?

It turned out that the best option was to book a return ticket to Milan (of all places!), with airmiles. The grand total ended up at 15 EUR per ticket. Because Genoa and the Ligurian coast is reachable by train from Milan, just a few hours away. And what a gem it was! So much history, so many layers, and so much to see. Palazzos and churches and shops; an aquarium, an old port area, and the old city walls up on the hills.

We encountered very few non-Italian speaking fellow travelers on the streets. We ended up having to dust off our elementary Italian quite quickly. But there were streets lined with gorgeous marble palazzos. And other streets lined with colorful umbrellas. And back in July, there still was a tall bridge elevated up above the city, and the fatal collapse was an unforeseeable future.
(Genoa, Italy; July 2018)