A city for all seasons. Each day the same and yet every day different. Every season finding its expression in a rich palette of sparkling colours.

The green of Spring, for example. Embellished with the shades of red and pink from its rose gardenin the Parks of Nervi and the flowering of the camellias in the park of Villa Pallavicini. It is the ideal season for the outdoors and for enjoying all the opportunities for open air activities that the city offers. Like the excursions that leave from the city center and climb up the “creuses” - the characteristic sloping brick-paved streets - that lead to the Parco delle Mura, a green balcony overlooking the port that houses the formidable chain of eighteenth-century fortifications. Over the centuries, the Castellaccio, Sperone, Begato, Diamante forts, acted as a bulwark protecting the city, today these magnificent monuments offer panoramic view points that can be reached on foot or by mountain bike. But spring is also found in the shades of blue of the sea of the promenade of the new Waterfront which will, shortly, allow you to walk, without encountering a single pedestrian crossing, along the entire Genoese coast from the Old Port to the characteristic fishing village of Boccadasse with charing colored houses clinging to the rock coastline.

All the shades of blue, both of the sea and the sky are also the hallmarks of summer, when Genoa presents itself as a seaside resort, a role which alone would make it a natural choice as a tourist destination. Just a few minutes from the centre, Genoa offers a series of precious treasures and beautiful corners. Silent oases easily reached by public transport: train, boat or, for those who prefer, even by bicycle. Vernazzola and Boccadasse, nestled between pastel-colored houses and boats close to the small beach, Nervi, framed by its promenade that winds along a rocky coastline, Quinto, Quarto, Pegli and Voltri. What a pleasure it is in summer, to take a dip or bask in the sunshine taking advantage of the free beaches or many bathing establishments. In any case a refreshing break from the heat of the Mediterranean summer is always close at hand in the woods that cover its hills, in an immediate hinterland that can also be explored via the historic narrow-gauge Genoa-Casella railway line, which connects the Parco delle mure with the city center. Its red and white wagons make up a charming colored train that looks a little like a toy but is the best-preserved, still functioning, historic railway in Italy.

Fall. The days get shorter and fade into gray as the humid sea winds bring rain. But the historic center is always a warm and colorful embrace, a labyrinth of alleyways and small squares where you can get lost and yet find yourself, where the sunlight always enters at an angle and where the many historic shops are oases of light where you can enjoy a coffee with typical biscuits and pastries or a “panera” semifreddo. The cultural season of the city comes alive with the exhibitions and conferences of Palazzo Ducale and those of Genoa’s numerous other museums. The city’s museums with their permanent collections, starting from the Strada Nuova Museums housed in the historic Palazzi dei Rolli, enchant the visitor with their splendor until closing time which always seems to arrive too soon. The Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art and the Castello d'Albertis Museum of World Cultures are flagships whose rich collections, unique in Italy, are the result of the cosmopolitan restlessness of the two Genoese travellers after whom they are named. And everything is red. The red of the leaves of its parks and the sunsets seen from Spianata Castelletto that seem to set the slate roofs of the old city ablaze.

Cheeks reddened by the north wind, the cheerfulness of the lights of all colors of the Christmas markets that block out the dark of the shortest days of the year. Even in winter, Genoa is a warm response to a season which, in the popular imagination at least, seems the least suitable for holidays and spending time away from home. The usual rich cultural offering also accompanies us during these short days, while the atmosphere in the city begins to change day by day and we look forward to the holidays when we gather with family and friends and culminates in the events of the Genoese New Year, which carrries us into the new year. The days are often swept by a wind that carries away all the clouds to reveal a crystalline blue sky and matching sea. The mild climate of the Ligurian Sea comes back as a surprise, giving the more hardy the thrill of an out-of-season dip, joining the brave Genoese who practice this so-called winter “ordeal”. Remnants of a beautiful season that never really ends here. And which, in any case, will soon be back, indeed very soon. In a month, a week, indeed, a day. Tomorrow it is already spring.