Genoa: living history
In Genoa, the past unfolds itself before your very eyes as you visit the many shops run by families whoโve been perfecting their crafts for generations, or marvel at the palazzi, once home to Europeโs richest families.
Originally published in: Holland Herald, April 2019 (see pdf below)
โA beautiful confusion.โ Thatโs how British author Charles Dickens described the city centre of Genoa in 1845. Positioned between the Ligurian Sea and the Apennine Mountains, itโs a gateway to the Italian Riviera and the picturesque towns of Cinque Terre. Dickens, like many famous writers, portrayed the port city as contradictory: full of bright lights and deep shades. That description is still true, I think to myself as I wander through the maze of dark, medieval caruggi (small alleys), and continue my way along the impressive, wide Via Garibaldi, which is filled with 16th-century palazzi (palaces).
Genoaโs Centro Storico is said to be Europeโs best-preserved medieval city centre, although itโs a lot smaller than the historical heart of cities like Rome and Naples. Walking from its main train station, Piazza Principe, in the west to Carignano hill in the east would take you about half an hour. That makes Genoa the ideal short-city-trip destination, as youโll be able to discover most of its beauty by foot. That is, if you know how to read a map. More than once, I find myself lost, passing the same tiny piazzas multiple times. Strolling through the dark web of streets, I imagine how different scents, flavours, languages and cultures must have come together here throughout the centuries. Now a city of about 600,000 people, Genoaโs population used to consist mainly of fishermen, sailors, craftsmen and merchants trying to make a business. Luckily, that heritage can still be experienced today โ which is exactly what Iโll be doing this weekend.
Layers of history
After arriving at Piazza Principe, I start my discovery of Italyโs biggest port city with a walk through its centre. Strolling down Via Balbi, I manoeuvre through a group of students on their way to class: the University of Genoa has its main seat here. Itโs lunchtime, so I stop at the first bakery I come across to buy a focaccia, a type of flat oven-baked bread typical for this region. When I enter, the girls behind the counter are chatting cheerfully with two elderly women who are buying some pastries. Where in more touristy cities like Rome, most shop owners speak a few words of English, youโll have to brush up on your Italian or simply use hand gestures when you come to Genoa, as its inhabitants are not really used to foreign visitors.
Focaccia in hand, I continue my walk and arrive at the old Pasticceria Mangini about 20 minutes later, where I meet Enrica Monzani. Sheโs a food and history enthusiast who knows her cityโs streets inside out. Being brought up with a love for the Ligurian cuisine, she offers cooking classes and food tours. We drink an espresso at the bar between a group of businessmen in tailored suits before we start our city walk of today. โWhat I love about Genoa is its diversity. You can literally see its layers of history: from the early Middle Ages, when the Republic of Genoa was established, to the Renaissance and Baroque, when the Palazzi dei Rolli were built,โ Monzani tells me as we make our way through the streets under the portici (arcades). Genoa was a powerful maritime republic for eight centuries, boasting lots of historical highlights: from founding the worldโs first bank (Casa San Giorgio in 1407) to being the birthplace of the worldโs most famous explorer (Christopher Columbus, who discovered the โNew Worldโ in 1492), whose house you can still visit. And Asia explorer Marco Polo, who hailed from former rival city state Venice, was held as a prisoner of war here in 1298-1299. The part of history weโre focusing on today is a bit more recent: weโll be going back about 100 years in time.
Historical shopping route
With its history based on trade and commerce, Genoa houses many traditional shops, opened in the 19th and 20th centuries: from spice dealers and apothecaries to artists and craftsmen. In some cases, theyโre still managed by the same families. In 2011, Genoa decided to create a register in which they listed all of these historical shops โ to preserve their heritage, but also to introduce tourists and Genoese alike to the old crafts. Thereโs a commission that decides which places are worth the name bottega storica (historical shop). The business has to be at least 70 years old and is assessed on architecture, furniture, equipment, historical documents and environment.
We start our tour in Piazza di Soziglia, at Italyโs oldest confectionery store, Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano. โYou have to try the gocce di rosolio,โ exclaims Monzani while the girl behind the counter hands us a glass jar filled with brightly coloured, bean-shaped sweets. I take a blue one. It melts on my tongue before it bursts and reveals a liquid tasting of anise. I marvel at the beautifully decorated boxes filled with frutta candita (candied fruit), a luxurious gift for the 19th-century rich, as sugar was expensive and thus a symbol of wealth. In the same street, we make a coffee stop at Fratelli Klainguti, whose story I particularly like: two Swiss brothers came to Genoa in 1828, hoping to travel to the US from there to start a new life. However, they arrived with too little money and decided to open their own patisserie to save up for the journey. They ended up staying there due to the success of their bar โ even famous composer Giuseppe Verdi was a fan of their creations. Entering Klaingutiโs doors, I feel like Iโm transported back in time. I can almost see Verdi sitting down at one of the white wooden tables to have an aperitif with Genoaโs high society.
Original recipes
As we resume our journey, we make a small detour to see one of Genoaโs most impressive structures: the Cathedral of San Lorenzo. The majestic striped black-and-white facฬงade reminds me of the Duomo in Florence โ minus the huge tourist queue, which surprises me because the churchโs interior with its beautiful frescoes is truly impressive. Continuing down Via San Lorenzo for about five minutes, we reach the old chocolate factory of Romeo Viganotti. Its entrance is hidden in the tiny Vico dei Castagna alley, without a clear sign or window. Those who come here obviously know where to go. โItโs a good illustration of how the Genoese are,โ explains Monzani. โThey donโt like to brag or show off.โ However, the discreet entrance hides a true chocolate paradise: old machinery, hardwood shelves filled with sweets in all sizes, shapes and flavours, and a strong smell of dark chocolate. Eugenio Boccardo, the current ownerโs son, tells us how his grandfather learned the art of pastry making at Klainguti in the 1940s and passed his passion on to his son Alessandro. โWe still use many of the original machines, and work according to the recipes of our original founder,โ Boccardo explains. Apart from their bean-to-bar chocolate, they sell cakes, sweets, pastries and ice cream.
After trying all these sweets, itโs time for some shopping. Monzani introduces me to the great-grandson of Luigi Stagno, a shoemaker who operates from under the arcades of Teatro Carlo Felice, right around the corner from Piazza De Ferrari, Genoaโs main square with a striking fountain. The shop stands out because of its original Liberty-style decorations from the beginning of the 20th century. Then, we pass through Galleria Mazzini, a beautiful, glass-covered arcade โ contrasting with the tiny alleys of the cityโs medieval part โ and reach the prestigious Via Roma, where the Finollo family started their tie emporium at the end of the 19th century. โFor the Genoese, itโs important to look elegant and stylish,โ says Monzani. Finolloโs handmade ties became so popular, they even drew the notorious English Duke of Windsor (Prince Edward, who had been King of the UK for only 326 days, before he abdicated in 1937 to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson) to the city. With the addition of the tiny Antica Barberia Giacalone barbershop and authentic marine-style Lucarda boutique, Genoa offers the perfect shopping itinerary for the modern gentleman.
Getting lost
Discovering the city by foot in the following days, I actually start to enjoy getting lost in the small streets. Genoaโs medieval city centre is built vertically, with the houses stacked above of each other, and when I look up, their leaning roofs almost seem to touch each other. The web of small alleys is so dense that it sometimes even blocks phone signals. This also means you wonโt find the typical Italian hustle and bustle of taxis and scooters in the caruggi, but locals on foot, going out for groceries or chatting in front of their doorsteps. On a quiet morning, I come across the small Piazza Banchi by accident. As I look a bit closer, Iโm amazed by the beautiful frescoes on the outside of the small church. In the 12th century, money changers used the square for their activities; the church was even built thanks to their revenues. I start to notice a lot of Genoaโs beauty is hidden in lush courtyards and tiny squares, waiting to be discovered by casual passers-by like myself.
I remember Monzaniโs words from the day before: Genoese prefer to be modest and private. Maybe thatโs why the palaces in Via Garibaldi all have private gardens, closed off by walls or fences, and even have internal doors and walkways to connect the houses to each other. The interior of these royal residences, however, is not exactly modest. Genoaโs upper class, a mix of noble-borns and rich merchants, started constructing these splendid Palazzi dei Rolli in the 16th century as a way to underpin their wealth and prestige, but also to host notable guests of the Republic of Genoa during state visits.
Probably the most famous ones are Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Doria Tursi in Via Garibaldi, which are now museums that exhibit impressive art collections, but also give you a glimpse of how life must have been inside these palaces. I find Palazzo Rosso particularly impressive. Built in 1670 for the brothers Rodolfo and Giovanni Francesco Brignole Sale โ the grandsons of a wool and silk merchant who worked his way up the social ladder โ it stands out because of its red, three-dimensional exterior. The house has two floors โ one for each brother โ although Giovanni became the sole owner after his brother died. He established his residence on the second floor, where their family portraits by famous 17th-century Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck are still on display. The palaceโs interior is a work of art in itself: every room has a different marble inlay flooring with colourful, geometrical shapes. Both the walls and ceilings are decorated with lush, golden details and frescoes. As I ascend the broad stairs โ my footsteps muted by the soft red runner carpet โ I wonder if the two brothers felt as small as I do now, setting foot in here for the first time.
Classic dish
On my last day, following up on local advice, I have lunch at Sร Pesta, a historical trattoria, also part of the botteghe storiche itinerary. Opened in 1889, it has been managed by the Benvenuto family since the 1950s. โCome early and be prepared to stand in line,โ Monzani had advised me. She was right: inside, itโs crammed with Genoese whoโve come here for a filling meal, but also to catch up with each other. Over the past days, Iโve noticed that everyone in the small city centre seems to know each other: shop holders are on first-name terms with their customers, and neighbours chat with each other on the streets. After being brought to my table โ and having had a talk with a local father and daughter who are curious about the motivation of a Dutch journalist to come to their city โ I order Genoaโs classic dish, trofie al pesto, a twisted spiral-shaped pasta from Liguria with a sauce of basil, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, sea salt, cheese and garlic.
After lunch, I head to Boccadasse, an old marinersโ neighbourhood on the eastern side of the city, a one-hour stroll along Corso Italia or a 30-minute bus ride away from Piazza De Ferrari. This is where the locals come to soak up the last sunbeams of the day, enjoying a drink on the small terraces or on the cobblestone beach. As I join them, I think to myself: Genoa has it all, from luxurious Baroque palaces and one of Europeโs best-preserved medieval city centres, to a modern boulevard and seaside terraces. And yet, itโs in no way a tourist hotspot. But, maybe, thatโs part of its charm.
Holland Herald, April 2019
Text by Liza Karsemeijer; photos by Linda Pugliese
