A Postcard for you, from Genoa, Italy

I can't send postcards to all of you. Honestly, I've bought postcards from almost every city I've been in, but haven't sent any. Hopefully I'll get around to sending them all before I leave Europe. However, if I could send a postcard to each and every one of you, it would look like this:

The back of the postcard would read something along the lines of:

Disclaimer: If you happen to receive a postcard from me, the handwriting will not be as nice as the one above.

I spent the weekend with seven lovely ladies. Dana, Marin, Megan, Ashley, Annie, Justine, Jenny and I booked a trip three hours south of Lugano, in Genoa, Italy. Genoa is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. We stopped by his former residence on Friday evening.

The eight of us stayed in the penthouse of an apartment overlooking Porto Antico. This was my first time booking through AirBNB and I was pleasantly surprised with the results. We stayed in a very spacious apartment with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and exclusive access to the rooftop balcony. This was a major upgrade from the hostels we've been staying in, at almost half the cost.

We settled in and made our way out for an early dinner around 5:30. It wasn't until we arrived at the restaurant that had been recommended to us that we realized most restaurants do not open until seven each evening. We explored the city a bit, before finding the Hofbräuhaus Genova, a smaller version of the original we visited in Munich. We spent about an hour there, before heading to dinner.

Pesto was invented in Genoa. While pesto usually contains pine nuts, I was hoping to find a restaurant that served a nut-free pesto, and I did. Unlike most restaurants, Tratoria Ugo did not have a menu. They serve different dishes each night. The options were simply listed out by the waiter. Marin and I enjoyed a delicious, nut-free pesto ravioli while the others had the traditional pesto.

On Saturday we made our way to Portofino, about forty minutes from Genoa by train. We spent the day in the sun and enjoyed lunch on the water at a restaurant frequented by George Clooney and Andrea Bocelli called Jolly. It was there that I had life-changing gelato. The chocolate gelato was the most amazing frozen dessert I have ever had. I couldn't help but stop at almost every other gelateria in Portofino that day.

Following a relaxing lunch we made our way to the beach. Unlike in the United States, the beaches in Italy are primarily rocky. While the temperature was in the mid-sixties, all of the locals were wearing heavy jackets. The girls and I however, did not hesitate to sport bathing suits and enjoy the weather while we could. We certainly stood out, and I got a few strange looks for jumping in the frigid water of the Ligurian Sea, but it was well worth it.

We returned to Genoa for dinner, where we stumbled upon a lovely restaurant called Cibaria. Our dinner was the perfect end to a perfect day. The food was some of the best I have ever had. My meal started with a artichoke and pepper bruschetta, followed by a spinach ravioli, and a fruit fondue that challenged the gelato for best dessert of the weekend. Champagne and wine made a few appearances in my glass throughout the night as well. The owner, Luca, was very passionate about his restaurant. If you're ever in Genoa, you can't pass up a meal at Cibaria.

On Sunday, we made the most of our last day in Genoa by going to the beach, again. Just a few minutes from our apartment, we were able to relax completely. The weather could not have been better. In case this blog post hasn't made you hungry already, I'll let you know that the margarita pizza crêpe I had with strawberry, banana, and chocolate gelato went well with the gorgeous scenery.

The fun didn't stop in Genoa. On Monday night, a few of us decided to take advantage of the perfect weather that followed us back to Lugano. We made our way to Stadio Cornaredo to cheer on our home team FC Lugano. We've been playing soccer with the locals a few times a week, but it was nice to sit back and watch with the hardcore fans of Lugano. The crowd chanted LU-GA-NO after the home team scored, what would be the game winner, late in the second half. We're hoping to make it to a few more games this season.

I've had the song "Another Postcard" stuck in my head since I started writing this post, and since I rocked a Barenaked Ladies shirt in Genoa, I can't help but end this blog with a video:

Next weekend I'll be venturing to Brussels, Belgium for a waffle-filled adventure. Ciao!