I spent this Easter down in Genoa, where my Italian in-laws live. Genoa is a fascinating city in many respects. It is very Italian, but has a different character and feel to Milan which is where I live in Italy.
While Milan sits well in land in the midst of a huge plain, Genoa is right by the sea and much of the city is built on the hills which surround this ancient city. That Genoa was once strategically significant is evidenced by forts which perch on many of the hills. Then there are the city walls, which I learnt this weekend, are the longest in Europe and the second most extensive after the Great Wall of China.
Stop reading, start speaking
Stop translating in your head and start speaking Italian for real with the only audio course that prompt you to speak.
Living relics of the wealth Genoa’s citizens amassed when the city was a major sea power are everywhere. Central Genoa is elegant and may buildings boast facades with beautiful frescos or decorative sculptures, often both.
Villas with their very own little towers are to be found throughout the the city. As one might expect, some of the more impressive buildings of all boast prime locations with sea views. For the rich and powerful of Genoa, having a property with sea view is as prestigious today as it always has been. Indeed, if you want a clear view of the sea in Genoa, you will pay a premium for this, and the closer the house or apartment is to the sea, the higher its price will be. To be honest, though, many of Genoa’s apartments have windows which look out over the sea.
