I visited Genoa last April and stayed with an Italian friend in the center of the city. The city has a lot of history, the old labyrinth of streets leading to the port is fascinating. There is a museum, either Palasso Rossi or Blanco, I can't remember now, that has a tower with a 360 view of the city and the harbor. Beautiful! The city of Genoa seemed very real to me, not just a tourist destination like gorgeous Florence. Perhaps, because I was staying and hanging out with italians who live there... I would highly recommend it, but I would also recommend Cinque Terre for different reasons.

OK, just noticed that the original post is from 2007.

In one word, yes! Such an amazing city to walk through and discover on foot, there is so much to see in terms of history, architecture, Unesco sites and beautiful scenery.

I love Genoa, is such an amazing city to see the beautiful landmarks, scenic vistas and yes the wonderful food from the region. I would love to share a recent post of my favorite spots that I visited in the city. http://travelphotodiscovery.com/visiting-genoa/

We flew in and out of Genoa last October on our ways to and from Rapallo and Vernazza.We were actually surprised that Genoa was so pretty and charming. The rainy weather was a problem but we took the hop o-hop off and had a good time. By the way, Rapallo lived up to our expectations, and Vernazza was as delightful as we remembered.

Byrd

And currently the Galata Museo del Mare has an exhibition by the title Mare Monstrum, which to me seems absolutely fascinating. I'll be making an effort to come and see it on my last day in the riviera on my way back to Milan. Look at the pictures:
http://tinyurl.com/noazgj3
The museum is supposed to be wonderful regardless of this event.(at least that's what Rough Guides says)