Among sailors and pilgrims in the heart of Genoa - Part II.

When Christopher Columbus set off on his voyage that would redraw the map of the world, the map of the city of Genoa was also about to be notably redrawn. The Genoese aristocracy decided to create from nothing a great showcase district, designating a rundown and peripheral area to host the residences of some of the city's leading families; within a few years two parallel sequences of grand palaces thus arose, mostly equipped with colonnaded courtyards, hanging gardens and stunning frescoed halls. Along today's via Garibaldi one can admire, among others, Palazzo Tursi, Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Bianco, which make up the prestigious route of the Musei di Strada Nuova. We stay in the footsteps of the great travelers by also visiting, near the Principe railway station, the very ancient Ospitale di San Giovanni di Pre, built in 1180.

Run by the Hospitaller friars, the building was created to offer assistance and support to the pilgrims and crusaders heading to the Holy Land. Our "pilgrimage" through Genoese history continues at the table in the adjoining Salita di San Paolo, an alley of evocative charm where we settle at the tables of Trattoria da Mario. We are in a historic building, inside a centuries-old establishment. "This used to be one of the old cellars, which we turned into a trattoria in 1982," recalls the owner Aldo Russo, who has run the business for thirty-five years now. The family atmosphere, the style that seasons the Genoese tradition with cinematic emotions linked to the great Toto thanks to black-and-white images on the walls, immediately put us at ease.

We are a few meters from the sea and the myth of the great navigators accompanies us during the dinner too, based mainly on fish, which nonetheless does not neglect some specialties of the typical Ligurian cuisine of the land. Passion and quality are among the most important ingredients of the trattoria's dishes, which are always abundant. "We use only high-quality ingredients. The dish is like a wallet: you find in it what you put in," Mr Aldo confides to us. We start with a parade of seafood appetizers, including boiled octopus, mussels marinara, and marinated anchovies and salmon. Everything is prepared in-house, including the marinating of the fish, as a guarantee of authentic and genuine cooking. Our carnivorous friends, on the other hand, choose an appetizer of exquisite hams, cured meats and cheeses.

We continue with the first courses, where the maritime tradition enjoys a tasty triumph among the linguine with lobster, the seafood risotto, the penne with salmon and the linguine allo scoglio (with mixed seafood). Those who prefer land cuisine enjoy the trofie with pesto, unmissable in Genoa, or ravioli alla bolognese. But no limits are placed on the imagination: on request the chef also makes customized dishes. We wash down these treats with excellent wines, ranging among Campanian, Piedmontese, Trentino and Ligurian labels. Among the main courses there is only the embarrassment of choice between the very good mixed fried fish, grilled or fried king prawns, mixed grilled fish, swordfish or mussels. Lastly, we certainly cannot resist the vast selection of Bindi desserts, a temptation always a pleasure to give in to.

After this lovely trip to Genoa we are certain that our ideal sailing ship will soon bring us back to this city, where there is always so much more to discover, as its tourism slogan "Genova more than this" suggests.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Trattoria Da Mario Salita di San Paolo, 28r Genoa Tel.: 010/256469