Genoa

Genoa is one of Italy’s most under-rated cities. As the original Republic of Genoa, it ran one of medieval Europe’s great trading empires. The historic center is a maze of narrow alleys (caruggi) packed with palaces, churches, and small shops that has barely changed in 400 years.

The Cathedral of San Lorenzo, built in 1098, has a striped marble facade that’s striking even by Italian cathedral standards. Strada Nuova is lined with Renaissance palaces (the Palazzi dei Rolli) that are now UNESCO-listed museums. The harbor district has been transformed in recent decades with an aquarium, the Bigo crane, and the Galata Maritime Museum.

And then there’s pesto — Genoa is the city that invented it, and locals will argue passionately about which trattoria still makes it best.