The fishing village inside the city
At the eastern end of Corso Italia, the long seafront promenade of Genoa, a few kilometres from the centre, hides a surprise: Boccadasse, an old fishing village that seems to have remained outside time, although it is now part of the city. Its tall, narrow houses painted in bright colours, pink, yellow, orange and ochre, with green shutters, crowd around a tiny cove with a pebble beach, where the fishermen's boats are pulled up on the shore, and climb up the slope along stairways and narrow lanes. According to tradition, the village was founded by Spanish fishermen who took refuge here during a storm.
Boccadasse is one of the favourite places of the Genoese, especially at sunset, when people sit on the pebbles or on the rocks with an ice cream or an aperitif, watching the sun go down over the sea and the lights of the city coming on. From the beach, a short path leads to the promontory of Capo di Santa Chiara, with villas and gardens overlooking the sea and a view of the Riviera di Levante as far as Portofino. The village has small restaurants serving fish, bars and a famous ice cream parlour. The walk along Corso Italia, about two and a half kilometres, from the Fiera to Boccadasse, with the sea on one side and the Art Nouveau villas of Albaro on the other, is the classic Genoese promenade, especially on Sunday. Boccadasse has been sung by Genoese singer-songwriters and has appeared in films and TV series.
Tip: go at sunset with an ice cream; reach it on foot along Corso Italia or by bus from the centre.
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