Genoa's bustling and colourful harbour (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Eating the "world's greatest chocolate" that's handmade using 150-year-old techniques isn't a bad way to pass the time. That's exactly what is in store for visitors to the 19th-century Romeo Viganotti Chocolate Factory in the port city of Genoa in the northwest of Italy. Hidden away in the city's old town, and located in what once was a madame's house, the chocolate factory is now run by Alessandro Boccardo. The pastry chef with a passion for chocolate took ownership in 1999 after gaining the trust of the Pastorino family in carrying on the tradition of the Viganotti brand.
Son Eugenio, who has followed in his father's footsteps, says the exact same techniques that were used in 1866 are still applied today.
Hand-picked cocoa beans are ground and blended in ancient machinery, a laborious process that's much slower than conventional methods and means it takes up to three days to produce just 20kgs of chocolate. But it's worth it.
"Because we take more care and more time to make the chocolate, it tastes so much better," says Eugenio, adding, "It's not just a shop, it's an experience."
With a history stretching back to the Roman times and right through to the foundation of the Italian state in 1861, Liguria's capital has a wealth of other experiences to offer, as I learned from tour guide Cristina Gelvi.
As she showed us around the old town she explained its rich history has only been revealed in recent decades. Until the arrival of tourists in the mid-90s, much of the Roman architecture in the old quarter's winding streets was covered in plaster, which was daubed on buildings over the centuries.
But after a recession in 1992 damaged Genoa's economy, the city turned away from the commercial port to embrace tourism. Since then, with the port extended and the narrow streets, which form Europe's largest medieval city centre, stripped back to reveal their former glory, Genoa has been welcoming a steady stream of visitors.
The narrow streets of the city's old town (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Jars of the "world's greatest chocolate" (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Tourism authorities confirm that visitor numbers were not badly affected following the collapse of the Morandi motorway Bridge last August, sadly resulting in 43 deaths. A new bridge, designed by one of Genoa's most celebrated sons, architect Renzo Piano, is expected to open next spring.
The city's magnificent Cathedral of St Lawrence claims to hold the ashes of Genoa's patron saint John the Baptist, and every year on June 24, the city's holiest day, an ark containing the
