The Port
by draguza
The Port of Genoa is the natural outlet to the sea for northern Italy's most industrialised area and the ideal location to serve the industrial sector and European consumer markets.
The port infrastructures extend continuously for almost 20 kilometres starting from the old city centre to the far western end. They can be reached quite easily by road thanks to the numerous port connections to the city road and motorway system, providing direct access to the various terminals and storage areas from the rear-lying urban network.
the wine!!!
by pollon
another habit, but this I DO appreciate very much :-)..., was to have a dinner here in Genova before the flight back and no doubt this time: I had to try the cooking of Vico Palla which I had missed last time...
I wished I had taken a pic at the opening of the first bottle of wine but I didn't dare in front of the so worried face of the lady which is laughing her head off in this pic: she explained to us that when she opens a bottle of wine and this tastes of cork, all bottles she opens that evening are the same so when we called her for another bottle, we did it with wariness and ended for roaring with laugthers ;-)...
Go on a superb Cruise!
by draguza
Sometimes, cities are lucky enough to reinvent themselves. Genoa, given short shrift in travel guides 20 years ago, has undergone a striking renaissance since 1992, when it hosted an international expo to commemorate the 500-year anniversary of the discovery of the New World.
Nowhere is that benefit more evident than at Porto Antico, the old port close to the marine terminal, where many of today's cruise ships now dock. What once was a seedy waterfront on Northern Italy's Mediterranean is now a charming blend of old and new structures, featuring cafes, shops, a movie complex, a maritime museum, a spectacular play and cultural center for kids and, most importantly, the largest aquarium in Europe.
Great beer in the old town!
by Carletto76 about I quattro canti
I Quattro Canti is really a nice, English-style, pub locaded in the heart of the old town, few metres down from Via Garibaldi, in the Maddalena district.
You can find there Scottish and Irish beers as long as any kind of sandwiches. The place is quite small and very picturesque, with very good music in the background! What you want! ;-)
A scâ
by alza about Al Lupo
This restaurant was great. First, I found it by chance, as I was strolling along via Balbi, near Stazione Principe. It's a small osteria on an alley off via Balbi and it looks very inviting.
I didn't have much time and didn't want to eat too much either. But the menu was tempting and the waiter recommended polpi for starters, then some trenette alla genoese. He said that wasn't much to eat. Don't know where he got that idea. It was a LOT!
The place filled up with people on their lunch hour, all regulars obviously, judging by the way the owner talked and laughed with them all. She acknowledged me too, very nicely, asked if everything was ok.
One senior customer, who looked like an academic, saw that I couldn't finish my trenette and started a pleasant conversation with me. He said my two dishes would be too much for a Genoese too, at lunch. Two friends were looking at travel photos and we all ended up talking about travel. It was fun.
The waiter was very young, and very efficient-looking. Brisk movements, nodding of the head, clicking of the heels and off to the kitchen before you had time to finish your sentence. I had told him I only had 50 minutes, would that be enough? He assured me that it was but then he sped around the place and I could hardly get his attention. An Italian friend of mine told me later that Italian waiters don't like serving people who eat in a rush... they see it as lack of respect for food. Ha! what a joke! I wasn't in a rush for one dish, he's the one who pushed two main courses on me. And he was the same with everyone. That was a bit of a downer.
There was a poster with the Genoese singer-composer Fabrizio de André on it, with a big "Thank you, Fabrizio". I love him too so that made me feel good. The ambience is very quiet, old Genoa and I loved the place. The polpi were delicious! Cooked au naturel, served with plenty fresh lemon, on a bed of tasty potatoes boiled to melting perfection. I guess the English word for polpi is 'octopus'. I don't think I'd ever had octopus before. Hope I can get the recipe! I want to make them just like Al Lupo's does.
The pic is just one of the many "A scâ" found in Genoa. I don't have a pic of the Vico Monachette, where the restaurant is. Vico is another word for alley.
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me in the mirror
The stadium seen from the outside.
The new Polena
going back from Righi to the city of Genua
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