What do you think of Genoa as a base?
 

We're planning on touring through the Piemonte area around Alba and also want to return to one of our favorites, Portovenere as well as the other Ligurian coast towns. It turns out that Genoa is about 1.5 hours from Alba and Portovenere. We've only spent a brief time in Genoa and were wondering what folks think of it as a base for say 10 days.

Don't think that I would do it. Maybe Santa Margherita or San Remo? Its a big dock city. But i'm sure that there are great parts of it.

I have never stayed in Genoa - and would only visit based on how large it seems. Reports I have read talk about nice areas in the old town and on the water, but that isn't enough to make me want to stay there.

I would split my visit between Alba and Portovenere or another town on the coast. We had a wonderful time on our first visit to Alba and are planning a longer visit for our next trip.

With ten days I would definitely do two different bases, one in the Piemonte region and one on the Ligurian coast. In Piemonte we stayed at Baur B&B (www.baurbb.com) in Acqui Terme. It was absolutely fantastic with great rooms and exceptional hosts. It was an easy drive to Alba, Turin and many other small villages. In Liguria we stayed in Lerici which we really loved, but also enjoyed our quick time in Portovenere, and would definitely consider staying there on a return trip.

I would go to Camogli or Nervi. You'll need a car to get to Portovenere, and you don't want a car in Genova, but getting in and out of these other towns and on to the autostrada is easy.

If you like the feeling of having a base for the whole 10 days, then both these towns are very charming -- although it ain't easy to find rentals in Liguria, including Genova. If you want a 10-day rental, you'll get the widest number of choices in Cinque Terre, and that's a drag to get in and out of.

Otherwise, split your time in some fashion. I prefer Liguria to Piemonte (cuisine alone steers me to Liguria, since I like the lighter food), so I'd see Piemonte then park myself in Liguria for the bulk of the trip.

Thanks for the advice.