Genoa – north or south?

Sunday, 6 August 2023

My architect neighbour Barry Munday had recently gone on an architectural tour of the city and I decided to make it a stepping stone from my Tarn River Canoeing trip – Cassis – Monaco – Genoa – to meeting Maureen for an operatic excursion in Milan. Things didn’t start so well, having suffered terrible French railway delays between Cassis and Nice, en route to Monte Carlo, I decided to leave Monte Carlo extra early. Half an hour early turned out to be not early enough. The trains were running more than half an hour late and my train came in from Nice as crowded as a rush hour London tube.

We finally arrived at Ventimiglia just across the border into Italy, where I get the long distance train to Genoa, at 1101 and my departing train was 1059! Fortunately it’s just one platform over and doubly fortunately it leaves a few minutes, but only a few minutes, late. It’s also surprisingly crowded, or soon gets that way, with people unable to find their seats (or coaches) and many of them towing around huge bags. From there, however, it’s an easy cruise along the coast to Genoa, passing lots of little towns and ports along the way

▲ Hotel Palazza Grillo – my Genoa visit follows my friend’s footsteps starting with the same delightful hotel, an old building with an effective modern makeover. After my Genoa arrival I soon work out how the metro works and ride a couple of stops to San Giorgo from where it’s not far, although a rather convoluted route (I overshoot) to the hotel with its wonderful frescoed ceiling to the lobby. Genoa is a curious blend of Italy north and south, in some ways it reminds me of Naples, the iconic city of southern Italy, while in other ways it’s more akin to modern Turin or Milan in the north.

◄ Porta Soprana – so off I go sightseeing, walking through the Porta Soprana, the ancient gateway to the city. It’s part of the 12th century city walls, but restored in the 19th and 20th century. Beside the old city gate there’s also the supposed home of Christopher Colombus (Christoforo Colombia) and the adjacent Chiostro di Sant’Andrea monastery remains.

▲ Cattedrale di San Lorenzo – the interior is definitely in the ‘wow’ over the top category and there’s an extra charge to climb up towards the tower, currently getting some renovation work with the workmen hanging off the top on ropes.

▲ Cattedrale di San Lorenzo – an impressive stained glass window in the cathedral. Nearby is the Chiesa del Gesù e dei Santi Ambrogio e Andrea, the name is a mouthful and once again it’s over the top in art, gold and colour.

▲ Fountain, Piazza Raffaele de Ferrari – a few more steps takes me to Genoa’s prime piazza and fountain, watched over by Garibaldi on his horse fronting the Teatro Carlo Felice.

◄ Nicolo Paganini – nearby I spot a statue of the violinist and composer, according to Wikipedia ‘the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time who left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique.’ The statue shows him with his famous violin ‘Il Cannone,’ but later in the day my time runs short and I fail to track down the violin itself at its home on Via Garibaldi. Part way down the magnificent street with its lineup of Renaissance era palaces I stop in to Café Cambi, rarely has a Sanpellegrino natural limonata hit the spot like that drink does! Palazzo Brignole Sale or the Rosso (Red) Palace is probably the classic example of Via Garibaldi’s architectural hit parade.

▲ Saint George Palace – it’s the end of the day before I get to the old port area and the beautifully painted Saint George Palace. The Porta Antico has recently been redone by star architect Renzo Piano. His Italian head office is in Genoa and he’s best known for the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and more recently for the Shard in London,

 ▲Il Galeone Neptune, Porta Antico – the area features the extraordinarily hokey ‘galleon’ Neptune, created in Tunisia in 1984-85 for the Roman Polanski movie Pirates. I pay to go on board purely to prove it really is as bad as it looks. It is. I finish the day with a draught beer – a birra alla spina – at Banano Tsunami out on the deck at the old port. After breakfast the next morning I do another waterfront walk before I leave Genoa. Cruise ships, superyachts and port history, what a great city

▲ Biosfera waterfront sphere

◄ Fiat 500 Quinquecento – a wonderful example of the classic car of Italy – it was parked just across from the La Chiesa di San Siro, another example of over-the-top church design and decoration and just off Via Garibaldi. It was originally the Genoa cathedral and but standing outside the city walls threats of pirate attacks led to the cathedral status getting shifted to San Lorenzo.

I even follow my architectural guide to Locanda Spinola for dinner, which again is a perfect choice. Gazpacho with pink shrimps, sea bass with crisp bread and avocado, a glass of Primitivo red and a pistachio dessert for €55. I’m sitting outside and it’s really the best solo meal this trip although during the evening an accordion player appears (oh God, the instrument from hell particularly when it’s forced on you at a restaurant) and a woman with a baby stroller (and a baby?) charges by shouting hysterically on her mobile phone.