Genoa by night

One of Genoa's main attractions, both night and day, is Porto Antico. A lovely historic district by the seaside. We couldn't figure out what that illuminated construction was until the next day. It turned out to be a fancy sightseeing lift from which you could admire the view of the city.

But all those nice illuminations couldn't stop us from feeling that the city is deserted. You see in Poland we have a stereotype of Italian nightlife starting late and lasting long. It's a popular believe here, that Italians go out in the evening to have hours lasting dinners that turn into night long fiestas.
Imagine our surprise when we arrived in Milano at night due to our flight being delayed, only to discover all the pubs and clubs were closed and the only opened places were gelateria's and shady looking bars. And it's not like the journey was exhausting so we were all eager to explore our destination by night.

Same situation in Genoa. We spent all day experiencing the wonders of Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure and it was rather late when we reached the city. Hoping for nice Italian late dinner we hit the historic center but Kebab shops seemed the only option. It wasn't completely deserted, however the only people you could meet were knock-off bags street sellers socializing 'after hours' or sleeping on benches near their work place.

Our friend and personal guide later told us that we were in the 'wrong' district for night life. He also tried to explain that this is how Italian 'summer in the city' looks like. All of the cities middle and upper class were away in their summer houses by the lake and the cities were deserted. I say it was good for sightseeing - no crowds and no pick-pockets, just no fun if you're a late night eater.