Genoa for the day..

[Arteest]

We have a day in Genoa next year, haven't read many good things about Genoa - in fact, Rick Steves doesn't devote one page of it in the 2006 Italy book! Thinking of heading right out and to Cinque Terre for the day. Or other places on the way down. Help! Suggestions? We have from 8 am - 6 pm.:confused:

[wwinfl91]

We have never been there but did do some research as we were considering a Costa cruise that left from there. Here are a couple of links I gathered then.

 

http://genoait.ags.myareaguide.com/

 

http://goeurope.about.com/od/genoa/

 

http://www.ess.co.at/SUTRA/CITIES/genoa.html

 

http://www.travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-486026-genoa_vacations-i

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genoa,_Italy

 

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/G/Genoa.asp

 

http://www.travelpost.com/EU/Italy/Liguria/Genoa/6962098

 

It seemed like there was a lot of history and things to do and see but I don't remember specifically what we had decided to do.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[Valentino Rossi]

Cinque terre is a wonderful place and it's about a couple of hours from Genova (Genoa is the name of the football team) if you want to stay nearer, about half an hour you can go to Portofino.

 

Still in Genova you have places to see, the aquarium and many museums if you're interested, what you shouldn't miss is to eat the typical "focaccia" and near Portofino you should look for "Focaccia di Recco" with cheese... :eek: :p :D

[PhillyCruiser]

Hi,

 

I spent a wonderful summer in Genoa as a graduate student. I have been back many times since. One of the things I love about it is that it is not overrun by tourists!

 

Genoa is a marvelous example of a medieval city around the port, surrounded by magnificent mountains. The highest mountain is Righi. In the medieval section, you can check out Columbus' house (not the original, but a reconstruction) at Porta Soprana. The cathedral is beautiful. One of the most famous landmarks is the lighthouse, "La Lanterna." The medieval streets are very narrow and sinuous. They are called "caruggi." I like to enter the medieval section at Piazza Fontane Marose. Then I like to wander down Via Luccoli, full of shops, all the way to the harbor, where I like to stroll the porticoed street known as the "Portici sotto Ripa." This will bring you to the Aquarium. There are beautiful museums in Genoa, located in medieval castles. If you are interested in observing modern Italian (tourist-free) life, it's fun to stroll slowly down the main drag, Via 20 settembre (know as "Via Venti"; venti = 20) around 4:00 P.M. for some serious people watching.

 

If you want to go to see the Riviera, you should take the train from the Brignole Station (there are two main railway stations in the city) in the direction of La Spezia to Santa Margherita Ligure, a beautiful resort town. Santa Margherita Ligure has nice beaches. Be forewarned, the beaches are not sandy; they're pebbly. So bring sandals you can wear into the surf, and figure on renting a lounger from one of the concessions. From Santa Margherita Ligure, you can go to Portofino (chock full of tourists) either by bus or by boat. There is no train service to Portofino. In Portofino, it's nice to hike out to the Lighthouse (follow signs to the "Faro"), and then return to the main piazza on the waterfront for a snack in one of the caffe's. Be forwarned that prices are high in Portofino.

 

Another excursion would be to one or more of the 5 towns that comprise the Cinqueterre. This can be done by train from Brignole Station. There are hiking trails that connect the towns. One is paved, the others are more rigorous.

 

As for what to eat, the regional specialty is "pesto." You can smell fresh basil (its main ingredient) everywhere in the city around lunchtime. Yum! I love "gnocchi" (potato dumplings) with pesto. (I also love the foccaccia.) And they make a nice white wine in the Cinqueterre.

 

Joan

[Arteest]

It sounds as if we would have a full day just staying in Genoa/Genova. THe cruise is offering excursions to Portofino and CAstello Brown as well as Portofino/Rapallo. As they aren't cheap and we are "explorers", I wanted to find our way to interesting places on our own. Time-wise - which direction do you think we should head? And I assume that the public transit is not a problem?

 

Thanks!

[Hlitner]

I guess you can't expect Rick Steves to know everything about everyplace. We also enjoy his books, but do not always agree with the knowledgeable writer. Genoa is not our favorite place, but it has really done some nice things to the waterfront area near the cruise port. They have a world-class acquarium that is within walking distance of the cruise port. This is probably the 2nd best aquarium we have seen in the world (we would rate the one in Baltimore the best). Cinque Terre is a neat region, especially if you do spend the whole day and you like to hike. Walking between the villages is a real treat for hikers. You can also head over to Portofino and/or Santa Margherita Ligure. Once upon a time we happened to spend a pre-cruise night in Genoa (we were also there about 5 weeks ago) and walked into a small restaurant and were treated to one of the best meals we have ever had in Italy (and we have traveled all over Italy for months)..but alas, cannot remember the name of the place. Have a great cruise and tell Mr. Steves, "Bah Humbug."

 

Hank