corner of an alleyway intersection, with a few tables outside occupied by boys in tight t-shirts and girls in long black hair and giant sunglasses. Inside there is a small bar, a dog, an old gay couple, some students plus a very happy DJ. From the good looking scenesters outside it seemed like a place to be seen but the motley crew of randomers that keep filling up the place inside make it equally interesting as it is weird. The music and the crowd rarely dance to the same beat although a very laid back and friendly atmosphere adds to the experience. In the dungeon-like cellar the floor is made of glass, and a couple of meters underneath we only see black water. We are still a couple of blocks from the harbour, I don’t really understand what’s going on. The bottle of wine is empty again. We think it’s time to go home.
EATING Genoa was the birthplace of pesto, and the locals vociferously claim that real pesto must contain ingredients from the sloping hills overlooking the Genovese coastline. Fish, served fresh, is an another important staple of the Genoves cuisine. One traditional dish served most everywhere along the Ligurian coast is Grigliata Mista Di Pesce – a blend of different newly captured fish fresh from the grill. After a few days the menus will have a familiar look, plenty of seafood variations – the mixed seafood risotto available everywhere – and while you wait for your order to arrive you will always be in company of Focaccia alla Genovese and locally made olive oil.
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Antica Osteria di Vico Palla An Osteria is an Italian style eating establishment where the emphasis is generally placed on maintaining a steady clientele rather than on haute cuisine. The word literally means that the owner is hosting people. The food is all regional recipes and prepared with local ingredients. Antica Osteria di Vico Palla is an old, homely and atmospheric eatery, widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in Genoa among the locals. Thankfully pricing is way out of tune with the quality and I thought they had given us the wrong cheque before closer inspection. Making a reservation beforehand is a clever move even though the restaurant is actually bigger than it seems from the outside. It is off the beaten track and quite hard to find, in the sense that if you didn’t know where to look you wouldn’t just stroll past and decide to come in for a meal. Very close to the heart of the old “Porto Antico” lies a tiny old mole with a couple of narrow streets of houses cramped within the remains of the old city wall. Once there, half the battle is won as there isn’t that many streets to choose from. On a sidenote, perhaps you should shape up on your Italian before going though, because only one of the staff has any basic knowledge of English. He’ll be coming round to your table with the blackboard menu enthusiastically as ever, although he might have a hard time describing the marvellousness on offer. Ancioe Belle Donne I doubt the name even makes sense in Italian. “Anchovies, beautiful women”. One can only assume it’s the two things
that makes restaurateur Fausto Cavanna get out of bed each morning. Fausto’s best discipline is otherwise inventive Italian cooking, more often than not based on seafood. Ancioe Belle Donne is the favourite restaurant of Natascia Clemente who demanded we should try finding it – quite a struggle it would prove. Located between Genoa’s different levels, halfway up the stairs to the Belvedere Luigi Montaldo vantage point. It’s a little quaint restaurant of great ambience offering the romantic setting of a dimly lit back garden, overlooking the next level of the city below. While my dining companion tucked into the generous portion of mussels I got a bit concerned with my starter - I’m pretty sure it was not what I ordered. But wise from the experience, they can surprise me all they want, it was one of the better starters I’ve had (and I still don’t know what it was). It was brilliantly followed up by a delightful black spaghetti dish with calamari and small bits of a local sausage. Genoa is famous for its collective sweet tooth and their way of curing the craving with outrageously good dolce desserts. Ancioe Belle Donne is no exception. Note of caution; Fausto is so true to his Italian ideals he wouldn’t serve you a cappucino after dinner if you held him at gunpoint, trust me, it’s wiser to order an espresso. Cavo Catering for that sweet tooth again. Cavo, located at the Piazza Fossatello on the edge of the old town, has a long history of serving coffee, croissants, wine, spirits and sundry confectionary, pastry and sweets for the Genovese. They opened in 1906 but had to close in 1979 due to the death of the owner Irma Marescotti. For 30 years the shutters were down before the people were finally admitted back on the coloured marble floors again. It’s restored to its former glory and stepping in over the threshold is like going into the 1920s. But with Wi-Fi on the upper floor.
SLEEPING Grand Hotel Savoia Genoa has two main train stations, one is Porto Principe located at the little Piazza Aquaverde and overlooking that same square is the Grand Hotel Savoia. We were the last in a long line of royal guests and celebrities having stayed there since 1897. Although a tad uncomfortable that I could have shared the bed with Mussolini, the hotel is in a great location, enjoys superb service and an excellent breakfast buffet. Our spacious room on the sixth floor – with a great view over the square and the port – was furnished and decorated in an old style, completely clashing with their hot tub terrace on the roof. When I’m rich, old and retired, you’ll find me here, reading in front of the fireplace.
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