I had driven through Genoa many times but never actually stopped and so it was clearly fate intervening when, during my trip a couple of years ago, I received an invitation from the city’s press office. I stayed in the Bristol Palace, an elegant, refurbished, Art Nouveau icon with the most captivating and beautiful staircase I have ever seen. The next day, my guide took me to the wonderful and authentically historic mariners’ neighbourhood of Boccadasse and we also visited Nervi, a former fishing village but now a seaside resort with a chic and rich history. Genoa is a big port city and, as you would expect, it has a very multi-cultural population and you experience the huge contrasts which make it particularly interesting. Actually, it’s a photographer’s dream with stately avenues, ancient palazzos, the Via Garibaldi, etc. which symbolise its rich history but you also see poorer neighbourhoods and beautiful buildings in need of maintenance. During my stay I enjoyed great dinners, one at Il Genovese, which has won a prize for the best pesto dishes in Liguria, and another at I Tre Merli in Porto Antico. The next morning, I left Genoa by car, taking time to admire the new Ponte San Giorgio Genova bridge designed by Genoa-born architect Renzo Piano and built in less than two years following the tragic collapse of the Ponte Morandi in 2018. They have made the impossible, possible. A beautiful symbol of hope. I can’t wait to spend time again in this fascinating city.