Genoa is the kind of city you can visit year round. Winter is mild on the Mediterranean compared to the rest of Europe. On a clear day walk around the port or shuttle up one of the several cable cars around the hills to breathtaking views. Any dreary Winter days make for great ambience in the old Medieval town walled like a fortress. It boasts the largest medieval centre in Europe which is really saying something when you think about the competition. It is down narrow stoned alleys you can find all kinds of curiosities to pass the time.
No matter the weather, here is the ultimate food hit list in Genoa, Italy.
1. FOCACCIA BREAD
Every local worth their salt will eat focaccia bread for breakfast at a cafe or bakery on their way to work. Focaccia is also a popular snack before dinner. Essentially, there is no time of day that focaccia is not a welcome hunger-stopper. Soft, fat, dimpled dough is topped with olive oil and salty soft toppings such as sweet onion, olives, herbs, or anchovies. You can eat it standing in-house or have your treat wrapped in waxed paper to go.
2. LOCAL FRESH SEAFOOD
Fresh seafood is always a feature in this grand old city on the Mediterranean Sea. Fins and tails are included in each sale, or tentacles and eyes. It makes for a tastier dish. Fish mongers line the street of long reeds or Via di Canneto di lungo and also the large indoor Mercato Orientale. Italians are passionate seasonal eaters and Genoa’s fresh food markets are full of local produce.
If you’d rather eat seafood expertly-made rather than attempt to cook it yourself, try one of the casual and reasonably-priced lunch places popular with workers. and are two lively with locals. Italian lunches can be a lingering affair with up to three courses, so you can taste a lot, drink a lot and finish your feast with a coffee or digestive to get you and your stomach moving again.
3. NORMAL COFFEE
In Genoa if you really want to fit in, you must hoist a mini cup of espresso coffee into your grin. This is the most ordered, hence why it is the ‘normal coffee’ on any extensive coffee list. Much to English-speaking tourists dismay, coffee with milk is rarely drunk after the morning. Though with a large and thirsty tourist market, the local baristas make an exception and hide their disdain for any breach of etiquette.
4. GENOVESE PESTO WITH LIGURIAN PASTA
Another local food invention is green basil pesto sauce, and the world thanks them for it. Here it is made fresh in Genovese delicatessens, the green basil blend is almost fluorescent in its vitality compared to jarred pesto. You will be an immediate addict. The pasta type of choice is . Twists of pasta the size of your little finger, their thickness making for a good chew and the furrows to catch the tasty herby sauce. Adding boiled green beans, cut the same length as the pasta completes this Genovese vegetarian dish. Green never tasted so good. A dish I would happily eat every week of my life.
5. BLACK AND WHITE RAVIOLI PASTA
I have been all over most of Italy but it wasn’t until I was in Genoa that I laid eyes on seafood ravioli. Striking black and white pasta squares, stuffed with white fish and tossed with anchovy tomato sauce. It looks like a broken chessboard or a pile of piano keys. Delightfully playful. The black colouring must be squid ink and its taste of the sea adds to the flavour complexity of the other two fish varieties in the dish. As a rule, no grated cheese is allowed to top seafood pasta as it overpowers the flavours. I’m learning with gusto.
6. GELATO ICE CREAM
The cooler weather doesn’t stop locals from ordering fresh ice cream with gelatarias on every high street and the best are all natural ingredients. Grom is a gelataria that started in Northern Turin is now a well known brand using only the simplest fresh ingredients. A seasonal Winter example is marron or chestnut flavour. Delicious!
7. HISTORICAL SWEET SHOPS
Genoa’s historical sweet shops are another mandatory experience for a foodie to pass the afternoon. Although these historical boutiques close between 1pm and 3:15pm but stay open until 7:15pm. You can taste candied nuts, glaced fruits and nuts, fine chocolate, expertly piped pastries, or decadent cakes. I could go on and include delicate dark chocolate truffles, mini-tarts, and tiny biscuits joined with icing. My favourite was glaced chestnut and glaced brandied cherries dipped in dark chocolate. Let’s face it there isn’t anything in these fascinating treasure troves not to like. Enjoy with abandon.
8. APERITIF HOUR
One of the most delighful food traditions in Northern Italy is , pre-dinner drinks served with complimentary snacks. Genoa has its own well-known haunts all with unique and with some very generous snacks on offer and not on the bill. You could skip dinner after taking Aperitif at the right local. Cured meats, crusty breads, potato crisps, or small bowls of seasonal pasta and sauces were February’s assortments. But who would want to skip dinner? The bitter Italian aperitifs like Campari or Aperol will help your stomach get ready for more glorious local dishes. Beer or a local glass of wine are also perfectly acceptable.
9. LOCAL WINE
European wines are mind boggling in their choice thanks to thousands of years of winemaking. Local wines in the Ligurian region, placed in the most Northern Italian Riviera, number over 100 wine varieties from over ten grape varieties in red and white. Get excited, most of the local wine is made artisanally due to the coastal terrain. This also means you probably won’t find them outside of Liguria. What a special tasting opportunity. White Vermentino grapes from Cinque Terra are well known to visitors. Red Rossesse grapes also have a well-known local reputation.
Where to start? My advice: ask the locals to match your wine for you. You also can’t go wrong with the house wine as a starting point and sample higher-priced glasses as the night goes on. In Liguria, Just over 8% or all wine has the DOC or (Controlled Designation of Origin) which control the wine varieties and types that can be grown. They are a preservation of the best styles of the region, but don’t let that stop you from trying wines without the certification. They can be more innovative or experimental, and dare I say it, therefore more modern, where wine has been grown for over 2,000 years. The best of these wines receive the next level up DOCG with
10. FAMILY PIZZA
Once dinner time has come around wood-fired pizza also never goes out of season. Trattorias or osterias (the less formal option) are comfortable casual places to try bubbling, crunchy-crusted pizza. Moreover, you must have a whole pizza to yourself, it is how it is done. The menus are also full of other February comfort food of warming, hearty meals such as gnocchi with walnut cream, or slow-cooked wild boar stew. How distinct! Rustic bread is complimentary at every table. Chequered red and white table cloths and unpretentious décor let you relax into the meal. Most tables will order the house wine by the carafe. It is a relief to see 375ml wine bottles and half litres at a better price than by the glass. Wine is a staple to Italians like bread and coffee, and for that we can enjoy prices that allow for its indulgence every single day, every single meal. Salute to that.
That’s the ultimate food tour of Genoa, feel free to spread it over a couple of days because a good hunger makes for a more enjoyable tasting. Walking around in the fresh sea air will help you ready for the next delicious foodie feast.
On a last note, the most touching impression that Genoa left on me was the local vendors’ generosity, not once but several times over a week, I received a free lemon with my shopping purchase, a 30 cent discount at a deli, a free glace fruit piece, a taste of the left over cheese from the block I’d ordered from. Even rounding down of a weighed item. It really makes you feel special and you don’t know the feeling until it happens to you. Genoa and ‘special’ go hand in hand like basil and pine nuts, a city not to be overlooked in your European itinerary.
Photo: Kat McArthur