Destination: Genoa

Nervi is a haven of tranquillity. It is the furthest district in Levante from Genoa and overlooks the Riviera that leads to Portofino and the Cinque Terre, reminding us of how it was a century ago. It is a highly prestigious luxury seaside resort. Along Viale delle Palme, near the station, you can soak up the calm atmosphere provided by the villas dating back to the late 19th century, or you can ride a motorbike along the road that leads from Via Oberdan to Via Casotti at the beginning of May, and you will be bowled over by the brightly coloured bougainvillea and fragrant mimosa.

Nervi is a small, concealed spot. It is far from the city, both in terms of physical location and attitude. This luxury haven will host the new edition of Euroflora from 21 April to 6 May in its Park. Nervi Park is a botanical complex that was formed by joining many old private gardens and it has been part of the municipality of Genoa since the early 20th century. With a surface area of nearly 100,000 m², it is the most iconic green space in the city.

The new edition of Euroflora, the historic flower show that has welcomed hundreds and thousands of visitors over the course of the last ten editions, will take place amongst the remaining villas that are now home to foundations and art museums. For the first time in its history, Euroflora will be held outdoors instead of in its usual location in Genoa Trade Fair and Exhibition Centre.

A maximum of 20,000 visitors will be allowed to enter each day to ensure that everyone enjoys a pleasant visit and that transport to Nervi Park can be sustained by the town. Holding Euroflora in this area of Genoa is a challenge for the already complex transport network in the Italian town, so access will only be available through public transport, via train and dedicate shuttles.

The new edition will involve the creation of floral works of art by more than 250 floriculturists, landscapers and decorators, who have been tasked with transforming the vast green fields of the park into artistic gems, musical routes and botanical treasures. Over eight hectares have been remodelled, and millions of plants and flowers from all over the world have been planted. Visitors will embark on a floral journey through colour, local history and fragrance.

A poetic way to discover Genoa at the best time of year there, spring, and a way to explore the city in the warm sunshine and discover a new edition of Euroflora which will immerse you in the history of Genoa.

Football, as everyone knows, is Italy’s true religion. So it comes as no surprise that the “Luigi Ferraris” stadium in Genoa is nicknamed “The Temple”. The two teams in the city, Genoa and Sampdoria, perfectly represent the divisive nature of football, both boasting a long history.

Genoa was the first football club on the Italian scene, dating as far back as 1893. Sampdoria, however, is the result of football club mergers, and was founded in 1946. The two teams together boast ten “scudetti” (championship victories), but this legendary derby crosses all city limits. In fact, unlike the Turin, Milan or Rome derbies, Genoa vs. Sampdoria is a very special match. First and foremost, it is known throughout Italy for its passion, but also because it is unusual that a second-tier city, such as Genoa, should be able to garner such astounding interest for a single event.

Just like any other European city, it is not difficult to find family members divided by the teams they support. But it is certainly difficult to find fans with such a constant presence at the stadium, and the sort of “third half” before the game. If you love football, then you should definitely book a plane ticket for the Genoa Derby.  Here you will see how the everyday jeers between fans – whatever their age – translates into extreme animosity inside the stadium with very little risk of boiling over.

The choreography of Genoa and Sampdoria is a match within a match, and when the two teams take to the field during this relatively unimportant championship, passions run sky-high. For fans, the derby (known as “della Lanterna”, in honour of the city’s symbol) is the only thing that matters. Of course, qualifying for the European Championships has a great appeal, but in Genoa the most important thing is to win against “them over there!”, the enemy. Even the stadium is one of the most fascinating football facilities in Italy, with the stands almost on top of the pitch. The building is scheduled to be renovated in the next few months, and was last revamped in 1990, for the World Cup. The pitch, on the other hand, has a long history behind it, having been built in 1910.

The magic of this match lies in the creative timing of its choreography, the clash of the two chants, and the mystical ritual that grabs you once you enter the stadium, where the songs of the two teams (loudly whistled by both opponents) alternate with popular, traditional songs, or with songs by great artists like Fabrizio De Andrè, a well-known Genoa fan.

Whether you love football or not, it does not matter. The Genoa Derby perfectly represents the spirit of the people of Genoa, reserved and somewhat guarded, but with an explosive passion for defending their “beliefs”, and their neighbourhood. What’s more, every game between Genoa and Sampdoria is also a huge party for the city, where families walk together towards the stadium, wearing both teams’ colours. You will see it again at the end of the match, when it is likely that someone will start to “menarlo” [make fun of] the others.

Now you are ready. The next Genoa Derby will take place at the beginning of April. Which side will you cheer for, “Grifone” or “Baciccia”? Book your flight, and an evening of pure entertainment awaits you.

On the occasion of the Genoa derby, which will witness the faceoff between the Genoa team and the Sampdoria team on the 7^th of April, Volotea is organizing a large competition for a chance to win free flights!

All of the supporters of the Luigi Ferraris stadium will have the opportunity to win a Genova – Madrid trip or a Genova – Lamezia trip by participating in an online raffle ending on April 5^th. In total, 10 trips are put into play and the winners will be announced during the match by two Volotea flight attendants.

Good luck to all the fans!

If you’re looking for big, spacious venues, you’re in the wrong place. Genoa at night can be a really interesting experience, if you’re used to wide avenues full of big bars heaving with people. In the city of the Lanterna, on the other hand, you’re more likely to find people in the street, because of the small spaces in which nightspots in the historic centre have grown up. Some of these have really pleasant surprises in store.

Let’s start from Piazza De Ferrari. The most central of Genoa’s squares is like the ‘gateway’ to the historic centre which is one of the largest in all of Europe. Piazza delle Erbe is the first crowded square that you’ll come across, particularly at the weekend. Here, terraces completely fill the open space, and you can sit at the tables and sip a cocktail. But if you’re looking for something more authentic, you have to walk a little further on to Via Canneto in Lungo. Behind the bar at ‘Bar degli Asinelli‘, its two legendary owners  – Adriano and La Marchesa – will welcome you to an ambiance of bygone days, among the sixties mirrors and the bottles of Asinello, the local liqueur, flavoured with wormwood, cinchona, cinchona bark, rhubarb and gentian.

After your first taste of Asinello, you can head down the maze of alleyways towards the sea, and then turn left. Going beyond the local specialities, you’ll find a good selection of vodka at the ‘Kowalski‘, in Via dei Giustiniani. The restaurant offers excellent Polish dishes and a wide selection of Eastern European spirits, but it’s also be easy to find musical evenings and special events. Finished your vodka? Well, let’s head north now, stopping off at ‘Taverna Zaccaria‘, in Vico di San Cosimo.

A small, slate-coloured square in front of the church of Santi Cosma e Damiano, built between the 10th and 11th centuries. You’ll find a warmer ambiance at the Taverna, and glasses of excellent wine. However, in spring, you’ll find the square absolutely packed with young university students and tourists from the many bed and breakfasts in the area.

Heading back to where you started, you’ll find music and shows. In fact, within just a few metres, you’ll find many bars and clubs, often very different from one another. In Via di San Donato, on the first floor, you’ll find a wide variety of concerts at the ‘Kitchen Mon Amour‘, which is spread over two floors. You can eat and drink here in an ambiance more like a Parisian bistro or a Berlin club.

Heading up to the Carignano hills, however, the open space of the ‘Giardini Luzzati‘ offers you the chance to experience electronic music, concerts, shows and swing evenings. You can listen to live music and visit the archaeological area dating back to the first century, at the same time. A mixture of history and modernity that you won’t find everywhere, but that you can enjoy here in total harmony.

Summer 1284. The fleets of Genoa and Pisa clash one sweltering day in August off the Tuscan coast between Pisa and Livorno, near the rocks of Meloria. The outcome of the battle is a decisive turning point in Italian maritime control, with Genoa seeing its flag prevail over its hated enemies. But victory alone is not enough for the Ligurian Maritime Republic, so thousands of Pisan prisoners are brought just outside the city of Genoa, alongside the city walls. And here they are left to die in their thousands, with no food or sustenance.

The “Campo Pisano”, the picturesque square just a few steps from the bars and restaurants of the historic centre, takes its name from this tragic story. The square, which was refurbished in the early nineties, is now at the heart of a tourist route halfway between history and great food, as a wealth of restaurants, bars and clubs has flourished around it, becoming a focal point for young Genoese to spend their free time. As soon as you set foot in Campo Pisano, surrounded by the hubbub of the city nightlife, you will be transported somewhere else altogether. Some people will find it easy to imagine themselves in a world long gone by, seeing in their mind’s eye the troops of the Republic of Genoa entering the city victoriously, leaving thousands of prisoners outside the walls. A few metres from the square, an arch of the Carignano bridge paints a completely different picture.

Here once stood an entire part of the old town centre, built around the via Madre di Dio. The area was heavily bombed during the Second World War and was razed to the ground in the post-war period, to make room for parks and the new administrative centre that houses offices, shops and local authorities. The incredible diversity between each side of the arch is quite striking and almost like a window through time. When the area was demolished, the birthplace of Niccolò Paganini, a famous violinist of the eighteenth and eighteenth centuries, was also destroyed. But the Genoese have not forgotten this piece of their history and a memorial has been installed there with the poignant inscription: “To the shame of the living and as a warning to those to come, like in the time of the glorious Republic of Genova, we dedicate this “shameful pillar” to the greed of the speculators and the culpable weaknesses of our city’s own leaders”.

Leave the legendary tales of the Campo Pisano behind you for a moment, and follow the crêuza (a brick built street going up a hill, typical of Liguria) that takes you to piazza Sarzano. Here you can find bars, bistros and a small market where you can sample local specialities. If history is your thing, look no further. In the centre of the square, you will find the Well of Giano Bifronte, legend has it that he was the founder of the city – and hence the name, Genoa. The Museum of Sant’Agostino holds some fascinating sculptures, and the tranquillity of its cloisters will provide you with the perfect backdrop for a photograph of your first trip to Genova!

Genoa does not exist. It does not exist in the eyes of those who walk its streets, because it is not a city, but a changeable entity. Try getting lost in some Genoese street. You will not succeed. Because Genoa is so many overlapping feelings, because focaccia and cappuccino is just one way that we, the Genoese, simplify a concept that is anything but simple. Because telling you that sunset in Boccadasse or Spianata Castelletto is unique, is not enough. We describe it to you so that you may say “I’ve been!”. But that’s not the case. Genoa is a life so different and so complex. With stories that end up pure legend, with entire streets that ooze glorious but forgotten stories. But only those who can roam silently around Piazza Sarzano and its meanders, on windy November days with the sky looking like glass, will know the Atlantic. And those who can descend the steps of Marassi, without looking for beauty, will be moved. From the station of Nervi to the first opening of the walk, don’t ask yourselves if it’s worth taking a picture. Ask yourselves instead where it is you’ve been before, in your heart, many years ago, when you fell in love that summer’s day. Ask yourselves in silence, maybe listening to distant music, because the answer is within you. Genoa does not exist, because it is not a city. You do not celebrate wonders here, you just are. Lose yourselves.”

Set in the Old Dockyards, Galata Museo del Mare is an underrated maritime museum, a great introduction to Genoa as a cosmopolitan seafaring nation where you can learn all about local boy Christopher Columbus and his voyages of discovery. Get to grips with Roman galleys and 17th century galleons, as well as the

wave of emigration to the United States. Moored alongside the main museum is the largest submarine on display in Italy, viewed from a glass platform. The maritime museum’s waterfront setting is also impressive, part of the city’s revival, which includes the exciting Porto Antico, revamped by local architect Renzo Piano.