Shopping
The main shopping corridors of Genoa are the streets that radiate out from Piazza De Ferrasi. The best boutiques and fashionable shops are found on via XX Settembre, via Roma, and in the elegant Galleria Mazzini.
The system of alleyways offers a huge selection of starting points for every kind of shopping: the porticos of Sottoripa, in Porto Vecchio, have maintained the atmosphere of an old bazaar in the days when ships loaded with every kind of merchandise used to dock here: quaint shops selling spices, dried fruits, and the famous fried fish shops.
Via San Luca and via Orefici feature shops with clothing and shoes available at attractive prices. Making your way to the city center by way of via Orefici and via Luccoli brings you across little shops exemplifying the spirit of old Genoa, with its artisan studios and antique shops. Don't miss the old pastry shop Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano. This area originates from the beginning of the 19th century and has remained intact up until the present day. Here you can find Queen Elena of Savoy's famous confectionary treat, Pistachio Torrone.
For the gourmet, we advise a stroll between Via San Vincenzo and Via Colombo, near Brignole Station, where you can explore a variety of bakeries, pastry shops, and food specialty shops. Not far from here is the Mercato Orientale (Oriental Market) -- enter from via Galata and via XX Settembre. This covered market is a noisy explosion of people, colors, and smells, a fabulous place to stock up on olives, herbs, fruits, and other Ligurian products (open Monday through Saturday, closed Wednesday afternoon).
Curiosities: the English word "jeans" is a mangling of the word "Gênes", which is the French word for "Genoa". In times past, denim, a very strong and economical cloth, was used to make the aprons worn by port laborers.
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