Arriving in Genoa, we were greeted not by the historic heart of the city but by a marina near the airport, thanks to fully booked berths closer to the old town. No complaints, though: wide Med mooring spots, super helpful marineros who ferried the slime lines to the bow by tender, and a very nice marina with a cluster of good restaurants and other facilities right on the dock.
Still, Genoa is a big city in Italy with around half a million people, and we wanted to experience more than just the view from the marina restaurants. So off we headed with a plan to start by visiting La Lanterna, Genoa’s iconic lighthouse – the oldest continuously working lighthouse in the world, standing since 1543 – and then head to Porto Antico (the old town). But Genoa had other ideas. The stations were far from where we needed to be; time was slipping away, and we realized the lighthouse would close before we could ever climb it. Pic below was taken from the web – so you could see the icon we missed out on!
Hot, hungry, and undeterred, we turned toward the city, where we were greeted by a lively spirit festival full of music and cheer by the fountain in Piazza de Ferrari and the scent of fresh Ligurian focaccia in adjacent streets.
17th century replica of a pirate ship
The focaccia is a local treasure, and rightly so. And the Ligurian pasta, pesto and slow roasted meats were also oooo – so delicious!!!
As evening set in, we strolled Via Garibaldi, lined with the grand Palazzi dei Rolli – UNESCO-listed mansions from Genoa’s golden age (16th to 18th centuries).
By night’s end, we gratefully hailed a cab and returned to Kora, bathed in a warm yellow glow from the lights of the nearby restaurants, the party winding down just outside our cockpit – a much quieter encore than the night before.
