Genoa

Genoa needs 2 days: the historic center, the largest medieval old town in Europe, with the Palazzi dei Rolli -16th-century aristocratic mansions, a UNESCO World Heritage Site- along Via Garibaldi, on one, and the Genoa Aquarium, Italy's largest, by the old port redesigned by Renzo Piano, on the other. April-June and September-October bring the mildest weather. It's inexpensive for northern Italy. Nicknamed «La Superba» for its former naval and trading power as a maritime republic, it was the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, and its port remains Italy's busiest by cargo volume.