Hello!

Welcome to Genoa, a melting pot on the North-Western coast of Italy. For those who have never heard of it, Genoa is the birthplace, among others, of Christopher Columbus. It is also the main city in the region of Liguria, which is also home to Portofino and the Cinque Terre.

I have decided to call this blog "String City" for a number of reasons. First of all because of the peculiar long and narrow shape of the city itself, owing to the shape of the space available for development. This region is so mountainous that the city developed along a long narrow strip squashed between the mountains and the sea. The streets and alleys, too, seem to have been built on the same model, as most of them are also long, narrow and winding. Many of the buildings also rise up, straight and narrow, especially in the oldest parts of the city.
Also, unless you happen to be blessed with unusual wealth, you soon learn to get by on a shoestring budget, as prices here are very high (as any true Genovese will tell you).

On this blog I intend to:

• Give you an insider's view of what life here is like. If you've ever considered moving to Italy, or even just visiting, I'm sure you'll find it very different from what you expected!
• Share with you some of the interesting things there are to see and do in and around the city. This city is really not well-known, yet it has such a wealth of historical, architectural and natural beauty to share, if only people knew what was there!
• Include a few hints concerning the history of the city, to clarify certain aspects of my stories.
• Throw in a few good pictures here and there, just to give you an idea of what I am talking about.

I hope you enjoy what you find here, and please feel free to leave a comment or ask any questions.