Genoa: Italy's Underrated LGBTQ+ Port
Genoa is Italy's best-kept secret and most underrated city. The largest port in the country, with Europe's biggest medieval city centre and a culinary tradition that gave the world pesto, focaccia and farinata, it has been overshadowed by its more photogenic neighbours (Cinque Terre to the south, Milan to the north). The gay scene is proportionally modest — Giazz Bar on Via Macaggi is the main venue; Voodoo Club in the Caruggi provides the underground club option. Genova Pride in July routes through the Baroque Strada Nuova.
Genoa rewards exploration. The Caruggi at night — half dark, full of echoing footsteps and sudden churches — is one of the most atmospheric urban environments in Italy. The Strada Nuova museums contain Rubens, Van Dyck and Caravaggio. The port, relaunched by Renzo Piano's Porto Antico project, is a dramatic Ligurian waterfront. Come to Genoa for the city; stay for the pesto.
