Monthly Archives: March 2008

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Lunchtime in Genova

For me, going out to lunch is a rare pleasure. In Genova the pleasure becomes a daily one, as coworkers convince me to partake in the fresh pasta and roasted meat prepared at every trattoria and cafe in the area.

The area around my office is close to Quarto dei Mille, a residential area of Genova named after The Expedition of the Thousand, a military campaign led by Giuseppe Garibaldi, hero of the Genoese, in 1860.  There are few offices and even fewer stores in the area, just enough for the residents with little extra, so we frequent the same three lunch spots. Two cafes face Corso Europa on the north side and serve wonderful eggplant parmesan, stewed beef with potatos and delicious pastas. If you favor something more casual, Cafe Ghibili serves foccacia, a type of  thick buttery bread normally made into a cheese or ham sandwich then grilled until warm.  Agri-Cultura Dell’Equo, a restaurant slightly up a Via Dante Alighieri from Corso Europa serves reasonable portions of fresh pasta, pork chops and desserts that are to die for.  A local favorite is macedonia, a cup of fruits in sugar syrup including apples, pears and pineapples. More commonly known desserts include tiramisu, not the goopy cake that you might find at Olive Garden, but a light creamy dessert that is just sweet enough, ice cream and fresh apple struedel. No, there is really no reason to go hungry in Genova. Unless it’s Sunday that is!

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Finding a sandwich in Genova

If you expect to find a place to eat on Easter Monday in northern Italy, you might be going hungry.

Our search for lunch and entertainment this past Easter Monday in Genova led us to the same place as the rest of the city – the walkway near the ocean. Literally thousands of people, Genoese and foreign, walked along the narrow path, stopping at bathhouses to sunbathe in their sweaters and sit on the rocks overlooking the ocean. After thirty minutes we found a tiny pasticceria (bakery that sells sweets) that had tramezzini (sandwiches on white bread) advertised on their chalkboard. With our limited Italian we were able to figure out that the shop was out of panini and ordered a tuna sandwich with mayonaisse and lettuce for 1.50 euro. It was quite possibly the most delicious sandwich of my life. A short walk further down the street a gelateria was open. The crowd was gathering in the sunny late afternoon, and we fought for our spot in line and ordered as quickly as our broken Italian would allow. I fumbled too long with my cash and the man behind the counter took two more orders before I handed him the 3 euro for our gelati: one chocolate, one lemon. The lemon was complete with a lemon seed – that’s how you know it’s fresh!

No, there isn’t much to do on a holiday. All the shops close, even the big grocery stores. If you are lucky, like us, you will know the touristy areas and be able to find something to eat and a place ‘fare una passaggiata’ – take a walk. Perhaps that is part of the novelty and wonder of a new place. At home I would never simply take a walk all afternoon, but here in Genova, there isn’t much else to do, even for the natives. I constantly wonder how different summer will be here, as it is a resort town. Summer is fast approaching, and Genova is dusting itself off slowly, gearing up for droves of Italian, Swiss and German vacationers. The bath houses are starting to get cleaned up, more and more restaurants are open and the sun is shining more brightly every day. I can’t wait for summer!