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!