Picking a European holiday can be tougher than internet adverts will let on if you want to avoid what seems like the typical Greek getaway, Ibiza stop or Croatian festival.

So the question is: Where can you stay in a Unesco world heritage building, see Christopher Columbus’ birthplace, ride funicular railways, pretend you’re living in a Wes Anderson film and spend your nights drinking at a Twin Peaks themed bar?  Genoa is your answer.

A coastal city set around a large harbour, Genoa is built in an amphitheatre shape in the foothills of the Apennine mountains.  Inhabited as early as 6th century BC by the Greeks, it is the birthplace of the explorer Christopher Columbus and composer Niccolò Paganini.  Brimming with culture from it’s perfectly placed cafes from which you can grab a refreshing Aperol Spritz, seemingly at any time of day, to the medieval architecture which has made it a permanent tourist destination. The city is also responsible for the invention of Pesto.  It's pretty fucking rad.

Staying in the heart of a new city is an awesome thing but it’s hard to really feel involved when you’re staying in a hotel.  Sure, it can be relaxing and nice but at some point you’re going to be sat either on a bed or the uncomfortable chair beside the bed watching the only English channel on the TV which undoubtedly will be CNN News.  Having grown sick of this, last summer we turned to the genius of airbnb.  If you’re unfamiliar with the service, the basic premise is homeowners around the world offer their houses/apartments/airstreams (!!) for rent for short or longterm stays.  These can range from the incredibly ordinary to flat out amazing and there’s definitely something for every budget making expensive city breaks a thing of the past.

For 7 days last June we had the joy of staying in this large airy apartment in the heart of Genoa’s old town in the Piazza San Luca.  The building itself was built in 1610, and comes included with it's own Unesco World Heritage site sign beside the front door and a bakery right beneath your window.  Each morning the scent of freshly baked Farinata (a Genovan unleavened pancake made of chickpea flour) comes through the shuttered windows.  With a fully equipped kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and dining room it was a perfect and spacious choice as a base for the week.

Everything you'll want to see in the town can be reached on foot.  Leaving the apartment we easily made our way through the Old Town's winding alleyways to the Via Garibaldi, a quite literal 5 minute walk and, the heart of the historical part of the city.  It houses many of the palazzos which make up Genoa’s 42 ‘Palazzi dei Rolli’ (or museums to you and I).  These Palazzos are located across the city and you can see everything from the Royal Palace itself, to Paganini’s very own violin and a seemingly endless amount of 16th to 17th century mercantile artwork.  24 and 48 hour passes are easily purchasable and if you make it to all 42 then you are really impressive.
A must stop is the Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spinola which not only has an amazing collection of artwork but also houses a time capsule apartment on it’s top floor which used to be the property of Genoa’s Director of Museums.  It's perfectly furnished with eye-wateringly beautiful mid century Danish furniture and you'll probably want to move right in.  It's roof terrace, accessed by a private elevator, gives you a great view of the rest of the old town from inside the city itself.

Being set in steep foothills, Genoa is served by a series of ‘’ascensore’ funicular railways which cut through the hillsides taking you to a variety of view points and places of interest.  Notable amongst these is the Castello D’Albertis - a 19th century castle which houses the awesome archaeological findings of it’s former resident Enrico Alberto d’Albertis and his cousin Luigi.
On the other side of town the Castelletto lift rises 57m to the Ascensore Castalletto Leventi which has a beautiful station house complete with stunning stained glass and gleaming wrought iron railings - a perfect spot for the city's delicious gelatto if you're a dairy eater.

Even staying in a city for just a short time, everyone feels the need to get out of the hustle and bustle and breathe some fresh air.  A twenty minute train ride away from the city centre is an amazing 2 km coastal walk called the “Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi a Nervi”.

 With a faded blue railing the only thing between you and the perfect blue of the sea you’ll pass abandoned hotels, natural rock piers turned into lucrative sunbathing business opportunities and, really, not much else.  Once you come to the end there’s a great park to walk back through which will take you on a roundabout route to the train station.

If you’re looking to get even further out of town and see how the other half live (spoiler: they like Gucci stores, even in the most beautiful previously unspoilt locations) take a sunny boat ride to Portofino where you can spend a couple of hours walking around the picturesque sea side town and check out the fantastic church overlooking it.

Genoa is a great getaway and this is just a small snapshot of the things we enjoyed when we were in there.  It doesn't even begin to capture the fun of grocery shopping, getting lost in the hills and general holiday shenanigans that makes travelling so fun.  One thing I will say, is that if you really want to experience a place I can't recommend staying in an airbnb enough - check out their entire Genoa offering here.

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