Genoa

Why Visit Genoa? # The sharp scent of frying socca and sea salt drifts through narrow alleys so tight that neighbors can shake hands from opposite windows. Genoa often plays second fiddle to Florence or Rome in the American imagination, yet this Ligurian port delivers a much rawer, salt-of-the-earth Italian experience. It lacks the manicured gloss of Venice, trading those romanticized canals for a maritime grit that feels genuinely lived-in. For decades, travelers simply used the city as a transit hub to reach the pastel-colored fishing villages of the nearby coast, missing out on one of Europe ’s most underrated historic centers.