Keren

Thank you, Diana, that's very interesting to read. Would you say Genoa is a safe place for a female solo traveler to spend several days? I love getting to know a city by taking time to explore it without rushing. I'll be doing exactly that in Bologna next October.

Sampaguita

Wow so much information on this thread! some comments:

The tourist link for Turin is www.turismotorino.org its very good, much information if you have patience as its a big site.

A good tourist info site for Genoa is www.doit.it/Tourism/en/

Likewise a good site for Piedmont tourism info is: www.piemonte-emozioni.it/index_eng.shtml

Alba is a nice little city, but I think Asti is much more interesting historically and things to see and you will be here in the big festival week.

and lastly, I think its much better to rent a car and drive in Piedmont. You could get by in Liguria by train, although its nice to be able to go into the hills, but you will miss all the off the beaten track villages and small towns in Piedmont.

nessundorma

Ditto to what Diana said, although I will also say that my first visit to Genoa I simply got off the train at Brignole Station and strolled up the long Via San Vincenzo, which is a very old part of Genova that is filled with food stalls and it is a great place to sample a LOT of incredible Genovese specialties for pennies. I'm also very fond of the wonderfully expressive lions of San Lorenzo.

Genova is a curious mix of the very laid back and the very urban. It unsurprisingly rather reminds me of San Francisco, not simply because of its steeply hilly setting over the sea, but because so many Genovese emigrated to San Francisco, to be fishermen and stone masons, and the style of the cafes and such reminds of the oldest parts of SF.

Diana pointed out that port cities often sprawl, but the striking thing about Genova is that it sprawls UP. It is like a Cinque Terre on steroids, crawling up the hillsides.

As a once powerfully great and wealthy maritime port it makes a sharp counterpart to Venice. "La Superba" is more flamboyant than "La Serenissima" and was more eager to flaunt its commercial wealth and power. This is the birthplace of Cristoforo Columbo, and Genova has the feel of an outward-looking global city, rather than a place that drew everything toward like a magnet.

Today Genova is unpretentious and reviving itself as an authentic, livable Italian city. It still has a very open and loose feel to it, and enjoys being a crossroads for visitors.

Whenever I go to the area, I stay in Camgoli (just 30 minutes away), so I don't know which neighborhoods inside Genova are best for overnights. But there are several smart and stylish ones.

Keren

Thank you, nessundorma, for very interesting information, again. I just love reading your posts on so many places in Italy. A real pleasure!
Thanks, too, Sampaguita, for your comments on the Piedmont, i will take them into account.
This has been such a good thread, full of information on the Piedmont and Liguria. Wonderful.

liljuicy03

hi everyone! we are planning a trip to Piedmonte at the beginning of July. Planning on just staying at a B&B near asti and just traveling around the region from there most of the time. is that easy to do (with a car?). Also, I have been reading about the lakes and am wondering whether they are close by--could we do day trips there or is it better to perhaps go and spend a night or two? any advice would be appreciated!

alison

Nessundorma, would those food stalls in Genoa be open on a sunday? that is the likely day we will visit Genoa. And what are the lions to which you refer?
thanks.

nessundorma

Alison,

Hi. The lions are at the church of San Lorenzo, which is perhaps the most important church in Genova. Most guidebooks will list it.

I honestly do not know if most of the food stalls along the Via San Vicenzo would be open on a Sunday. There are two ways to come closer to finding out: One is to put up a post on the Slow Travel website -- because there are a couple of Ligurian experts over there, including one who lives in Liguria.

The other way to find out is to consult Fred Plotkin's book, Italy for the Gourmet Traveler -- which is where I learned about via San Vicenzo. He is usually very scrupulously about including the opening hours of stores.

For anyone planning travel in Italy, Fred Plotkin's book is a great resource. Despite the word "gourmet" in its title, it is really about how to find hidden gems wherever you go in Italy, almost always at moderate (even downright cheap) prices.

Sampaguita

To Liljuicy,

Lakes Maggiore and Orta are each 90 minutes from Asti and its quite easy for a day trip, better to leave early to take it all in, however I would not reccomend trying to visit both on the same day (it's possible but I think you will lose a lot). Lake Como is about 2 hours, its also possible for a day trip, but it will be a longer day and given the difficulties of parking, maybe better to spend a night or 2 if you want to visit this lake.

Benvenuti a Piemonte!

goingtoitalia

Well since my thread has been revived with questions about the lakes, we'll be spending the last part of our vacation on lago maggiore. We'll be there for 2 days, any recommendations? We plan on visiting the gardens, but what else can we do?

Thanks!

Sampaguita

You don’t say where you will be staying, presumably Stresa?

There are of course the Borromeo islands, the most famous being the Isola Bella, with its grand palazzo and amazing terraced gardens and which take up almost all the island, to visit it you need to enter and go through the palazzo, which is well worth a visit. Since you arte there for 2 days, you could spend the whole day exploring the islands, the Isola Madre is a botanical garden and the Isola Pescatori has a cute fishing village. To get there take the regular Lake Maggiore ferry service from Stresa, very cheap and you can even cruise up to Switzerland, but avoid the touts in their smart nautical uniforms who will try and sell you a private boat service (unless you want one) at their “official” kiosk next to the ferry terminal, where the regular ticket office is next to the information centre.

If it’s a nice you should take the Funivia cable car up to Mottarone, fantastic views of the lakes and mountains, you can see all the Italian lakes from here if its really clear, beware that they do close for lunch, but there is a restaurant at the top if you get stuck.

The Villa Pallavicino, one of the old luxury homes on the lake is open to the public, beautiful gardens (take a picnic lunch) and small zoo.

And if you like, it’s a short drive to Lake Orta, a smaller but equally as charming lake, with it own island, you will need to park at the top of Orta San Giulio and walk down. Its small enough to drive around.

On the way to Maggiore if you have time stop at Vercelli, in the centre of Europe’s biggest rice growing area to visit the Basilica of San Andrea, one of Italy’s best gothic churches.

goingtoitalia

Actually, based on comments from this board, we've decided to stay in Baveno, it sounds like a nice little town.

Thanks so much for the trip suggestions! I like the idea of the cable car, even though I do have a fear of heights that I'm workingon conquering!!!

Challicewell

Hello everyone, looking at this long thread I should like to heartily endorse everything that has been said about visiting Piedmont and Liguria. I just stayed a second time in Piedmont at the fabulous Villa Sampaguita near Asti, I can’t say which visit was better, autumn with the truffles or early summer with all the festivals,warm weather and fresh picked strawberries, both were equally wonderful stays, and hosts Tim and Rena were so fantastic, from Rena’s sumptuous breakfasts and incredible dinners to Tim’s detailed knowledge of where to go and visit, wineries galore and so many divine local restaurants (which they got me into at a moment’s notice, they all know Rena, she is the queen of bookings!). We had such a good time and also the Israeli guests who were staying and sang folk songs every night.

I did go to Genoa for a day, I can’t add anything to what has been said, except to say that it’s definitely worth a visit, and I spend another day at Noli, just west of Savona, very nice little fishing town with a reasonable beach and some nice restaurants, all within an easy days trip from Piedmont.

Love to everyone from London

alison

Chalicewell, can you share what you did on your day trip to Genoa? did you drive there? we are planning to stop there on way from CT to Piedmont, since it's right on the way. The medieval quarter sounds fascinating. would appreciate suggestions. I know parking will be tough.

Challicewell

Alison my dear, we did drive to Genoa, it wasn't too bad getting in and out our hosts gave the most wonderful directions including their secret parking places and a restaurant in a hole in the wall that was divine. However you might want to take the train, it is airconditioned you know. I loved the little lanes that run down from the central plaza to the old port, a real sense of history, and even though you don't get AC blasting out of the doorways like in Hong Kong, the narrow streets like canyons are quite cool, although it could get sticky in August if there was no wind. But I think you will manage.