Wednesday, August 3, 2011

GENOA

BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
Bar Berto – 6r Piazza delle Erbe; 011-39-010-27-58-157; brews own beer.
La Lepre – 5r Piazza Lepre; 011-39-010-25-43-906; cozy bar that’s difficult to find, being on tiny square often not on maps.



HOTELS
Bentley Hotel – 4 Via Corsica; 011-39-010-53-15-111; Bentley.thi.it; 99 sleek rooms with dark, hardwood floors, white bed linens, and marble appointments.
Hotel Bristol Palace – 35 Via XX Settembre; 011-39-010-59-2541; hotelbristolpalace.it; city’s grand dame, with Persian rugs, floral-print bedspreads, and antiques; main spiral staircase looks like optical illusion.



RESTAURANTS
Gran Ristoro – 27r Via Sottorino; 011-39-010-24-73-127; tiny closet of sandwich shop just off harbor.
Maxela – 9 Vico Inferiore del Ferro; 011-39-010-24-74-209; maxela.it; steakhouse; try as appetizer gnocchi with pesto and entrée, beef tagliata with balsamic, caramelized pear, and rosemary garlic sauce.
Mua – 13 Via San Sebastiano; 011-39-010-53-2191; where Genoa’s beautiful people hang; chic Italian design; Ligurian specialities, like scallops brushed with bread crumbs and olive oil; try testaroli (local pasta more chewy than usual) in cheese sauce.
Profumo di Rosa – 13a/r Via Cairoli; gelateria.
Taggiou – 8 Vico Superiore del Ferro; 011-39-010-27-59-225; taggiou.it; wine bar with excellent cheeses and cured meats.
Tagliafico – 31r Via Galata; 011-39-010-56-5714; 1 of city’s best pasticcerias; perfect for breakfast.



SHOPPING
Compagnia Unica – 102-104r Via San Vincenzo; 011-39-010-54-3459; compagniaunica.com; design (clothing and housewares).
Via Garibaldi 12 – 12 Via Garibaldi; 011-39-010-25-30-365; viagaribaldi12.com; housed in loft-like space in old palace; household items both impractical and practical.



SIGHTS & SITES
Cathedral of San Lorenzo – Piazza San Lorenzo; 011-39-010-265-786; visitgenoa.it/en/cattedrale-di-s-lorenzo; preserves ashes of St. John Baptist.
Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato – Piazza della Nunziata; 011-39-010-246-5525; annunziatadelvastato.it; Catholic cathedral; decoration employed major baroque artists & studios in 17th Century; named Vastato because built outside city walls in area where houses demolished (devastated) for defensive reasons (in Latin, vastinium referred to safety belt within protective bastions; church begun by Franciscans in 1520 on site previously occupied by small church of Santa Maria del Prato, belonging to Humiliati; in early 17th Century rich Baroque decoration executed; current Neoclassicist façade dates to 1830-1840s; damaged by Allied bombings during WWII; cupola dome has Assumption fresco.
Church of San Mateo – Piazza San Matteo (Staglieno); ornate marble crypt containing explorer Andrea Doria.
Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno – Piazzale Resasco; 011-39-010-870-184; staglieno.comune.genova.it/en; located on hillside; famous for monumental sculpture; covers more than square kilometer; among Europe’s largest cemeteries; design dates back to Napoleon’s Edict of Saint-Cloud (1804), when he forbade burials in churches & towns; original project approved in 1835 by City’s architect Carlo Barabino (1768-1835); work began in 1844 & opened in 1851; includes sections for English cemetery, as well as Jewish & Protestant; in center is tall statue of “Faith” (Santo Varni); facing statue, up grand staircase, is domed Pantheon (copy of Roman version) with Doric portico flanked by 2 marble statues (prophets Jeremiah & Job); contains graves of Oscar Wilde’s wife Constance Lloyd, Ferruccio Parri, Fabrizio De André, Nino Bixio & Giuseppe Mazzini; significant sculptors with work here include Leonardo Bistolfi, Augusto Rivalta, Giulio Monteverde & Edoardo Alfieri; includes graves of British & Commonwealth servicemen from both WWI & WWII.
Galata Museo del Mare – 1 Calata de Mari; 011-39-010-23-45-655; galatamuseodelmare.it; maritime museum with strategic views; with rooftop from which can overlook city.
Palazzo Rosso – 18 Via Garibaldi; 011-39-010-55-74-972; museopalazzorosso.it; note, see Caravaggio’s Ecce Homo (1605).
Piazza delle Erbe – small square hidden in labyrinthine alleys that snake through city’s medieval quarter; home to half-dozen bars, 2 restaurants, pizzeria, and gelateria.
San Lorenzo Cathedral – Piazza San Lorenzo; 011-39-010-246-8869; dates back to 9th Century; distinctive zebra-striped façade is 1 of city’s most recognizable landmarks.
Via Garibaldi – lined with old palaces.

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