Genoa magnificent but aloof. Three days to discover this most reserved of Italian cities? Mission possible; as long as you allow yourself to be taken by the hand so as not to miss anything.  From the old town center to the Aquarium, from the city’s museums to Nervi’s elegant promenade overlooking the sea, from its historic shops to the Old Port, from the panorama of Spianata Castelletto to its green parks ... Here is a suggested itinerary to capture the very best of  “La Superba”: 

DAY ONE
To start the day in a truly Genoese style, breakfast of focaccia “dunked” in cappuccino, preferably in one of the many bar’s in the historic centre, said to be the largest in Europe but undoubtedly the most fascinating and authentic. A dense urban fabric where dazzling light blends with cool shade and the city’s secluded corners tempt the visitor to a indulge in a little enraptured meandering. Or astounds with the splendour of the collections of the Strada Nuova Museums, housed in the aristocratic palaces of what some have called “the most beautiful street in the world”. 
At lunchtime, we head for the nearby Porto Antico and its many restaurants, a stone's throw from the waters of the ancient trading port which is now restored and transformed to its new vocation as a sparkling “drawing room” overlooking the sea. Afterwards, especially for families, a visit to the Aquarium and the “Citta dei Bambini” is a must. Nearby, other points of interest giving a strong sense of the City's identity iclude the Galata Sea and Navigation Museum, with its interactive visit to the Nazario Sauro submarine moored beside it, and the new MEI, the Museum of Italian Emigration, which tells the story of Italian emigration and of emigrants experience, in a city that was one of the country’s major departure points.
In the afternoon we move east strolling down Corso Italia, the sea promenade which takes us, without even so much as a pedestrian crossing, to the small fishing village of Boccadasse with its colourful houses clinging to the rocks. And how better to end our first day than by indulging in a delicious typical meal, tasting the freshest mediteranean seafood while discussing the days highlights lulled by the gentle lapping of the sea 

DAY TWO
Breakfast on the second day sees a slight variation on the classic theme of cappuccino and focaccia , here in Voltri (a suburb of the city slightly to the west)  the foccaccia comes “stirata” (stretched). A look at the hill that dominates the western Genoese district meets the profile of Villa Duchessa di Galliera, a patrician residence immersed in the greenery of an Italian garden and a romantic English wood where, through the Valletta del Leone, an itinerary unfolds with spiritual nuances of Dantesque inspiration. 
Afterwards, we move to Villa Durazzo Pallavicini in the Pegli, a suburb, just a step towards the city center. The Villa, with its Archaeological Museum, offers the opportunity, perhaps unique of its kind, to stroll through a delightful historical park with suggestive grottoes and water features, designed to suggest a kind of initiatory path where every corner presents an allegory of life as a spiritual journey. 
The afternoon sees us return to the city centre, with a guided tour of the many Genoese Botteghe Storiche: not monuments but historic businesses which are still in operation, here you can breathe the atmosphere of another time.  Or, on a Saturday, tour in the splendours of the Palazzi dei Rolli, aristocratic residences which served as venues for the diplomacy of the “Superba” in its golden age. Today they are some of the many jewels in the crown of the city’s cultural tourism.
Aftewards the afternoon offers a “vertical” transition, as we rise to Spianata Castelletto using the lift that the poet Giorgio Caproni called 'the lift to Paradise'. It has never been so easy (or so cheap) to go up to Paradise!.  In this case “Paradise” takes the form of a splendid balcony overlooking the city which at sunset, as the sun descends over the old city its rays glinting of the slate roofs burnish the city with a golden glow. The evening finds us once again in the old city, where after dinner our day can extend late into the evening in the many bars of Genoa's “Movida”, or with a visit to the theatre, choosing from the city's rich playbill. 
 

DAY THREE
The start of the third day is dedicated to the parks of Nervi, these extensive and luxuriant green spaces host the famous Rose Garden and the Euroflora exhibitions. Immersed in the shady green of the parks are also many Museums: Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Raccolte Frugone and Wolfsoniana offering extraordinary collections of modern and early 20th-century art. 
The cultural tone of the day continues with a visit to one of the many national or international exhibitions held at Palazzo Ducale. Once the seat of the Doge's temporal power, it has now been returned to the city under its new guise as Genoa’s principal cultural venue. 
And now it is time to return home at the end of a three day visit, a visit that takes on hints of nostalgia even before it has had time to become a memory.  Could this be everything? Of course not, so much remains to be seen, to be savoured and discovered.  These three days, after all, were just a taste of Genoa and inspiration to return for another visit.