Leisure: focaccia, the sea in town, the heights and the Forts
Focaccia, farinata and pesto; urban beaches from Boccadasse to Nervi; trails on the heights among the Forts and the historic aqueduct; the Luigi Ferraris stadium for Genoa and Sampdoria. Evenings between piazza delle Erbe, the caruggi and the Porto Antico.
Sections: Cuisine · Eating out · Sport · Nightlife · Free activities
Food
Genoese cooking is humble and full of flavour: focaccia (even at breakfast, dipped in cappuccino), chickpea farinata, pesto with trofie or mandilli, pansoti with walnut sauce, cima, torta pasqualina, frisceu fritters. The Mercato Orientale in via XX Settembre also has a food-hall floor (MOG); the sciamadde and fry shops in the caruggi sell farinata and fried food to take away. The local wine is Vermentino from the Riviera.
Sea and heights
The sea is reached by bus or train: Boccadasse, Sturla, Vernazzola, Quarto, Quinto and Nervi have pebble and rock beaches, free or with bathing establishments; Corso Italia is the promenade for running and skating. The heights offer the network of Forts (Sperone, Begato, Diamante) reached by the Zecca-Righi funicular, Monte Fasce, the historic aqueduct trail in the Bisagno valley and the Nervi parks. The Villa Durazzo Pallavicini park in Pegli is a paid romantic garden; the Nervi parks and the Spianata Castelletto are free.
- Sport: Genoa and Sampdoria at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in Marassi; sailing, rowing and swimming in the Levante clubs; climbing gyms in the Bisagno valley.
- Evenings: piazza delle Erbe and the alleys around San Donato for aperitivi and bars; Porto Antico and Darsena for cinema and summer concerts; Sampierdarena and the Foce for clubs; Teatro Carlo Felice for opera and symphonic music, Teatro Nazionale for drama.
- Free: the Nervi promenade, the Spianata Castelletto at sunset, Rolli Days, civic libraries (Berio, De Amicis), first Sunday of the month in state museums and many civic ones.
- Out of town for the day: Camogli and the Portofino promontory, the Alta Via dei Monti Liguri.
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Reviewed: 10/23/2026 · by piero.avolio · rev. 1 · Period: → 2027-10-31
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