The first thing you notice is the England flags. Not so fast — the flag of St George belonged to the Republic of Genoa until the maritime giants loaned it to the English to provide protection on the medieval high seas. The second: how few tourists there are, here where mountains meet the Med. It’s a year this week since the Morandi Bridge collapsed, and though this may have dented numbers, visitors usually dismiss this as a port and skip to the Riviera, leaving you free rein of the largest medieval city centre in Europe, the grand Renaissance town sitting above it, and the art-nouveau buildings raking up the cliffside behind.

FRIDAY

Afternoon

Renaissance Genoa is at its most splendid on weekdays, when its Palazzi