Genoa has been slowly opening up since 1992, when it celebrated the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage to America by commissioning Renzo Piano, another famous native, to rebuild its fabled harbor (even though Columbus, unlike Piano, left town at around 17 and never looked back). But this ancient and famously provincial city will never be sprucer, or possibly more congenial, than it is this year, when it serves, with Lille, as a European Capital of Culture. The soot-blackened stones of the great palazzi have been sand-blasted, and the gloomy alleyways of the old city have been cleared. La Superba, as Petrarch called Genoa 700 years ago, was once the equal of Venice, and its antique glory survives almost unscathed, which you can scarcely say of La Serenissima.

The country and city code for Genoa is 39-010. Rates quoted are for the current month, which is high season. The nearest U.S. consulate is at 2/10 Via Principe Amedeo in Milan (39-02-290-351; www.usembassy.it/milan).

Lodging
You will search almost in vain for the beguiling pensione, the converted palazzo, the avant-everything boutique hotel; the Genovese are not an innkeeping people. However, a converted palazzo hotel has recently come on the scene, the Locando di Palazzo Cicala, which mixes up its medieval and 18th-century origins with high-tech minimalist design (251-8824; www.palazzocicala.it; doubles, $170-$305; handicapped-friendly). Most appealing to us was the Bristol Palace, a hotel in the grand European fashion, with a lovely elliptical staircase, a discreet little bar, a helpful staff, and a convenient location near the Palazzo Ducale, at the edge of the old city (592-541; www.hotelbristolpalace.com; doubles, $182-$304; good value for the destination; handicapped-friendly). The only comparable old-world hotel, the Savoia Majestic has attractive public rooms and a modern annex (261-641; www.hotelsavoiagenova.it; doubles, $131-$311; handicapped-friendly).

If you insist on modern standards of luxury, the tall, sleek Starhotel President is in the business district (57-27; www.starhotel.it; doubles, $161-$373; handicapped-friendly). On the other hand, if you prefer postmodernity, the Ramada Hotel and Suites (formerly the Britannia) has the kind of stark furnishings meant to convey a fashionable edge. The rooms, though, are quite small, and the public spaces seem glum (269-91; www.ramadagenova.com; doubles, $125-$160; good value for the destination).

Dining
Genoa's cuisine—the cucina povera of Liguria—is more famous than its restaurants. Try a farinata (a pancake made of chickpea flour) or a square of warm, pulpy, aromatic focaccia, which Genoa is said to have invented, at a bakery or a stand in the street. Ristorante da Rina is a raffish little place known all over Italy for its farinata and its pesto (246-6475; entrées, $24-$44). The simple, beloved Sa Pesta is also renowned for its pestos (246-8336; entrées, $11-$20).

Genoa is a fine city for bar-trawling. A predinner beer is typically accompanied by potato chips, olives, nuts, and focaccia. Threegaio, an outdoor café in the very jolly Piazza delle Erbe, serves little sandwiches of ham and cheese, olive paste, melted cheese, and tomato. After a few drinks, you're pretty close to a meal.

Perhaps the most refined cucina povera in Genoa is at Gran Gotto, an austerely elegant restaurant with white walls largely bare save for a few serious works of modern art. Among the more exquisite dishes are the vegetable flan, the pureed cod, the roast bronzino, and the pasta with pesto (564-344; entrées, $12-$28). It's not easy to imagine a more romantic dining experience than the moonlit terrace of Santa Chiara, in the seafaring village of Boccadasse (377-0081; entrées, $20-$25), although Creuza de Ma, next door, is said to have cuisine of equal or superior quality (377-0091; entrées, $14-$24). And the Garibaldi, down a tiny lane known as the Via ai Quattro Canti di San Francesco, has the amenities and the cuisine of 21st-century Europe in a splendid late-Renaissance setting (247-0847; entrées, $12-$16). Just down the way, at 28R Piazza Savonarola, is the very groovy Liquid Art Café, which has an extensive wine list, outdoor seating, and live music until 3 a.m. on weekends (2 a.m. during the week).

Reading
The Cadogan Guide to the Italian Riviera devotes a good deal of space to Genoa and is indispensable if you plan to tour the coast ($17). Italian publisher Umberto Allemandi's Genova Architectural Guide has photos and descriptions of every noteworthy construction in town, though the English translation is a bit stilted. It's available in the U.S. through the Antique Collector's Club (antique-acc.com; $25). You might be able to obtain the new Getting to Know Genoa and Its Historic Centre from the publisher, De Ferrari (deferrari@deferrari.it; $10). Robert W. Carden's City of Genoa is thorough and highly entertaining, but it's not exactly in general circulation (1908; out-of-print).