explore it yourself:
The journey and accommodations:
We arrived by train from La Spezia in the early afternoon of July 30th and stayed until the late morning of July 31st. We arrived into and departed from Genova Brignole station. The station was a ~15 minute walk from our accommodations so we chose to walk it which was a bit tough as it was a steady incline towards our building and the heat was in the high 90’s during the day.
My parents and siblings joined us for this leg of our trip so to accommodate the size of our group short term rentals were the most affordable option. We ended up selecting an Airbnb located near Piazza Corvetto, which was a relatively central spot between the station and the items on our itinerary below.
Note: * our additions to ai itinerary and exclusions are crossed out, also see our summary at the bottom.
Morning coffee & piazza
Coffee & sites Near train station
- Find a local café for fresh focaccia (very Genovese breakfast!)
- Our host recommended Love Genova Focaccia* to us, which was just a short walk from our place and had some of the best focaccia we’ve had so far!
- The workers here were super friendly on top of the fact the food and cappuccino’s were great!
- Our host recommended Love Genova Focaccia* to us, which was just a short walk from our place and had some of the best focaccia we’ve had so far!
Historic Center and Waterfront
Lunch and Historic Center
- Teatro Carlo Felice*, this had looked like a stunning theatre to visit during our research but unfortunately it was closed when we arrived.
- As you walk towards the theatre, be sure to pass through Galleria Giuseppe Mazzini*, a covered walkway filled with restaurants.
- This was a great way to get out of the sun for a portion of the walk!
- As you walk towards the theatre, be sure to pass through Galleria Giuseppe Mazzini*, a covered walkway filled with restaurants.
- Piazza Raffaele de Ferrari, filled with stunning architecture on all sides
- Without a doubt, the architecture here was absolutely some of our favorite. There were so many intricately designed building facades to gaze upon!
- Doge’s Palace*, just a short walk from Piazza Raffaele de Ferrari
- This palace was truly right around the corner from the Piazza. It was interesting to see but definitely not worth going out of your way to visit if you don’t have other stops in the area.
- Piazza San Matteo, a hidden medieval gem with dramatic striped architecture
- Again, just a short walk from the previous Piazza, this was another square surrounded by beautiful buildings.
- Genoa Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Lorenzo), step inside to see the stunning interior and the unexploded WWII bomb (find the hidden dog in the wall for good luck)
- This was such a unique church with its black and white exterior (photo below). Seeing the bomb inside and reading the history of it was fascinating!
Bigo Panoramic Lift, extraordinary view of Genoa for $6 – We skipped this because it seemed to be closed.- Porto Antico where you will find a relaxed waterfront walk, boats, open space, and sea air
- Relaxed Ligurian lunch at
Trattoria Ugo(order trofie al pesto or fresh seafood and ease into Genoa mode)- Given we were walking through the port area at this time already, we stopped for lunch at La Ville Superbe* which was situated along the water in a covered area to get out of the sun.
- We did take the suggestion of AI and ordered both trofie al pesto, and fresh calamari, both of which were very delicious!
- Given we were walking through the port area at this time already, we stopped for lunch at La Ville Superbe* which was situated along the water in a covered area to get out of the sun.
- Centro Storico di Genova, the historic old-town of Genova. Wander the caruggi (narrow alleyways).
- As we strolled through the area, we looked around many of the caruggi which felt very authentic Italian.
- This is a very peaceful and pretty area for an evening walk.
- As we strolled through the area, we looked around many of the caruggi which felt very authentic Italian.
Spianata di Castelletto, catch the Art Nouveau public elevator from Piazza Portello up to this cliffside terrace. It offers the best panoramic view of the city’s red rooftops and the port.- Unfortunately, this was a decent walk from where we were and with the heat beating down on us we decided it would be best to skip this.
- Via Garibaldi, elegant Renaissance palaces and grand façades
- Definitely one of our favorite areas to walk in the city. The many colors on the building fronts along with the beautiful architecture made for a lovely stroll!
- Gelato at Profumo di Rosa*
Evening views and harbor walk
Porto Antico & Harbor Walk
Unfortunately, we did not end up having enough time to accomplish the below sections in Genoa, but felt they were all still worth noting in the itinerary for others to browse!
- Taxi or bus to Boccadasse to see pastel houses, a rocky beach, and a relaxed seaside atmosphere that is perfect for an evening
- Dinner at Trattoria Osvaldo
- Gelato at Antica Gelateria Amedeo
- Church of St. Anthony of Boccadasse*
final thoughts:
How did ai do?
Overall Rating: 5/10
Would I go again? No, we feel like there are many other places in Italy worth visiting before we would come here again.
Favorite moment:
Bailey’s favorite: Seeing the cathedral was really cool, I have never seen anything like it.
Parker’s favorite: Wandering around the historic old-town of Genova, admiring all of the alleyways and beautiful architecture
Favorite meal:
Bailey’s favorite: The lemon gelato from Profumo di Rosa was great.
Parker’s favorite: I really enjoyed pizza foccacia from Love Foccacia!
Any surprises? Given that Genoa has one of the largest ports in Italy we expected that area to be more lively.
Anything we missed? We would have liked to see Boccadasse.
Food spots AI recommended, but we didn’t have a chance to go: Trattoria Ugo, Trattoria Osvaldo and Antica Gelateria Amedeo.
Average step count per day: 11,860 steps
Nailed it: AI did a decent job at giving us an efficient walking route that looped us through several areas of Genoa and ultimately led us back to our accommodations. We were glad that AI had us walk through the old town and to visit the Genoa Cathedral as these were some of our favorite spots.
Needs work: We were pretty underwhelmed with the port area in Genoa and it felt like our AI itinerary focused on having us spend a decent amount of time in that area. We wish it would have suggested a few other options rather than walking the port.
