Genoa, Italy 28-29 April 2014

After meeting our hosts Stephania and Pino, at B&BLercari, and settling into the two B&B rooms of their apartment, we were very quickly put at ease.  Communicating via broken forms of each others’ languages, along with Google translate, we quickly established a rapport.  After three nights in Venice sleeping above a nightclub, with windows that only partially obscured morning light, we had some great sleeps in Genoa with comfortable beds and solid shutters.  In addition, each morning we had a great start to the day with a breakfast table laden with cereal and fresh fruit, and local specialities and products including walnuts, focaccia, and home-made biscuits and chocolate cake!

Genoa is a city nestled into the steep mountain-sides on the edge of a port. (Elle noticed that there are not a lot of high-heel shod feet to be seen, and for good reason; she wore sneakers rather than boots on day 2.) 

On our first day, under grey clouds and drizzle , we headed towards the port area, taking in the Palazzo Ducale and San Lorenzo Cathedral (with great lions out front) on the way. 

Once at the waterfront we opted for an indoor activity, and went for the well-regarded Acquario di Genoa.  While we think Melbourne Aquarium is better, the Genoa one is good too, with different features (including dolphin shows and manatees). 

Will found namesake waffles being served at the aquarium, but the children chose to order margarita pizza and chips... again.

Back outside the Acquario, in a typical parents’ moment, we were bemused by how the kids largely ignored an impressive replica Spanish galleon nearby (which was built for a movie), but were fascinated by a school of small fish.  The thought did cross the mind of at least one parent that we could have saved $100 and just let the children hang out in the light rain, leaning over the rail looking down into the water. 

In the afternoon we walked uphill to Via Garibaldi, probably the most famous street in Genoa, which is lined with many palaces built by rich and noble families in the 1500-1600s.  Xavier fell asleep on Andrew’s shoulders, and was then transferred to Elle’s arms, which allowed her to indulge in a (surprisingly rare) coffee break (good cafe latte, great value at 1.50 Euros, although the next day it was 2.50 Euros – they must have thought we were going to take it at the bar the first day) for about an hour. 

Meanwhile, Andrew, Grace and William had plenty of time to take in the street. Grace and William burned off a lot of steam chasing each other around, standing out from the otherwise purposeful Genovian business people, tourists or dog walkers, but thankfully drawing only smiles from the guard at the entrance of the government building a few metres away.

After a long day out and about in cool, wet weather, climbing up and down cobblestoned streets, we were ready for dinner by 6.30pm.  This was one of many occasions where local culture for eating quite late was challenging for a family with quite little children.  We had a target dinner venue, La Barcaccia, a restaurant recommended by Stephania, quite high above the city at a location called Spianata di Castelletto, with great views over the city, and an easy downhill walk back to the B&B.  She had told us it didn’t open until 7pm, but we were still disconcerted when we arrived there at 6.45pm to find no signs of life.  At about five to seven, a man pulled up on a Vespa out the front, and then disappeared inside, firmly shutting the door behind him.  Shortly, after 7, weary, cold and damp – not to mention hungry – Elle tentatively opened the door and stepped inside seeking a table for five.  We were welcomed in, but warned they didn’t start serving until 7.30.  Ultimately this turned out to be perfect for us: we were comfortably seated, ready to order at 7.30, served delicious food quickly, and out of the door again just as the second group of diners were ready to order, before anyone in our party had a chance to embarrass anyone else in our party.  Grace and William preferred Elle’s Minestrone Genovese and Andrew’s pasta with cheese sauce to their own gnocchetti, but ultimately everyone was very happy with the food.

The next morning we started the day by slowly walking down to the port area, via a different series of streets and laneways.  After taking in a few sights near the waterfront we boarded the Trenino Pippo (a small tourist train) for a 45-minute drive around town.  The kids enjoyed the train, and we got to see some new areas of town, but the train engine was very noisy so the audio history tour was significantly compromised.  With too many Peppa Pig episodes behind her, Elle kept thinking of Grandpa Pig’s Gertrude, who “is not a toy train; she is a miniature locomotive”.  Andrew was particularly interested in the preventative maintenance prior to the journey, where a socket set, not unlike his own set at home, was brought out to solve a problem with the wheels of the loco! 

After lunch, we took the kids to what Andrew referred to as “Scienceworks Genoa”, aka La città dei bambini.   The kids enjoyed this, especially the bubble-making equipment and the climbing wall.

Xavier again fell asleep on Andrew’s shoulders, and we revisited Via Garibaldi for a nap/coffee break, before a wander through a small botanical garden, and a funicular railway trip up high over the city.  Unfortunately, views were difficult to get due to buildings and trees, but Andrew jogged to a lookout for a better vantage point, before we took the funicular back down for dinner.  After the success of the previous evening, we returned to La Barcaccia, and had another great experience, with excellent pasta and wine, and welcoming, bilingual service.

The next morning we packed up, said goodbye to Stephania and B&B Lercari, packed the car (including three jars of Stephania’s home-made basil pesto), and started our journey to Uzès.  Before leaving Genoa, however, Andrew wanted to see La Lanterna di Genova (the old lighthouse).  This turned into a GPS-challenging, wife-challenging, task, but eventually Andrew and Grace were able to do so (leaving the less interested in the car), with the assistance of a nearby hotel who allowed us to use their carpark as a starting point.  The lighthouse is very nice but, buried in the new port area with poor access, Andrew now understands why it isn’t promoted much as a key tourist attraction (Elle having guessed earlier).

We enjoyed our time in Genoa, a great city with incredible heritage, which appears to have been somewhat lost against the superstar cities of Italian tourism.