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One of Italy's most interesting but overlooked cities is Genoa, with its delightful waterfront promenades, a collection of classic old buildings, monumental statues, and my favorite attraction of the city, a vast pedestrian zone, one of Europe's largest, making a delightful place to go for a stroll.
00:00 intro
00:24 little alleys
00:48 not crowded
1:14 waterfront
2:07 via Garibaldi palaces
2:36 pedestrian zone
3:25 main lanes
3:40 restaurants
4:12 Italian Riviera
Genova has an amazing number of those little side alleys. They go around, and up and down. Some of them are very quiet, like this one. Others are lined with shops and filled with people walking around. It's got so much character you could easily spend days in the maze of alleys of Genoa.
You're about to see that Genoa is a wonderful place with many exciting attractions, and yet it's not in the top 20 most-visited places in Italy, even though it's the country's sixth-largest city with a population just over half a million, Genoa is not one of those cities that's overcrowded with tourists, which makes it a delightful place to visit.
There are many enjoyable things to see and do in Genoa, for example, along the waterfront, you've got the beautiful marina, there's a maritime museum reflecting Genoa's long history, and the largest aquarium in Italy, one of the city's most popular attractions. Among the favorite exhibits are the manatees and the penguins, along with 15,000 other animals representing 400 different species in a beautiful building designed by the famous local architect, Renzo Piano, who also designed this crane that can lift you up 40 meters for a spectacular aerial view of Genoa. Another great view is from Spianata Castelletto, with a commanding view over the whole city.
Pastel-colored buildings are typical of this region of Liguria, and one place you find a lot of them is along via Garibaldi, lined with historic palaces that are UNESCO World Heritage sites, ranking among the city's top visitor attractions.
Nearby is Palazzo Reale, the Royal Palace museum, constructed in the mid-17th century, complete with frescoes, stucco paintings, sculptures and furnishings that belonged to the noble families who lived there.
One of the great aspects of Genoa is the pedestrian zone. It's so enjoyable to walk around without any cars getting in the way, down lanes that are lined with shops, and cafes and restaurants, making a great place for people-watching.
And there are many quiet side lanes, without shops and fancy attractions, but an authentic down-to-earth feeling to them. This is where the local people do their business, talk with friends, and live upstairs in the many apartments that you find in this central core of the city.
Genoa is densely populated, with this downtown about two kilometers across, packed with commercial and residential buildings, with those little lanes running between them. About half-dozen of those pedestrian lanes, outlined in red, are the main streets that you would enjoy exploring. It's a safe place, but you might get a little lost, so it does help to have a map as you're wandering around.
It's also wonderful to explore at night, where you'll find many dozens of outdoor restaurants.
Towards the end of one of the main streets, you'll reach an indoor collection of restaurants called the Oriental Market, a popular gathering spot with many different choices of cuisine.
There is a lot more to see in this beautiful city, with its hundred pedestrian lanes, and we didn't even get to the church is yet, but this is only been a brief four-minute summary of the wonderful city of Genoa.
Genoa is at the center of the Italian Riviera, with towns stretching east and west.
When you've finished your visit, there are many other great towns to explore throughout northern Italy, all of them easily reached by train.
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