My Genoa Experience & MSC Fantasia – Part 1

Well I am just back from a 3 night stay in Genoa and 7 night cruise around the Western Mediterranean on the MSC Fantasia – which was absolutely Fantastic! Unfortunately as you aware Genoa was hit with a terrible incident 2 days before I was travelling out as the Morandi Bridge collapsed and claimed 43 lives with another 600 people being evacuated from apartments below the bridge. As we were flying in Genoa airport you can see from the skies the huge 200 metre section missing from the Morandi Bridge which serves as the A10 toll motorway, which serves the Italian Riviera and links northern Italy to France.

As we were transferred from the airport to our hotel in the centre of Genoa the queues of traffic were immense as the main motorway and toll road being closed people had to go through the city of Genoa. We had booked a 3 night stay at the 4 stay Continental Hotel for our stay in Genoa, which was no only close to the port of Genoa but to the main train station in the city. To our surprise when checking-in to the hotel we were told we were upgraded to the 5 Star Grand Hotel Savoia, which was just next door and part of the same chain and the hotel did not disappoint.

The hotel which was built in 1897 oozed class and was decorated in 19th Century furnishings throughout with the bedrooms being modern but keeping with the 19th Century times. The hotel was just like the description on their website – ‘Entering the Grand Hotel Savoia is like stepping back into the past on board a marvellous transatlantic liner sailing for distant shores.’ Which was very apt as we about to go on a cruise after our 3 night stay in Genoa.

Well after checking in and dropping the cases off we met our friends who were stopping at the CIT Britannia which was virtually opposite our hotel and looked for a restaurant for our evening meal, stopping off in a bar or two on the way.

On my next blog, my thoughts of Genoa as a pre-cruise stay and our visits to Santa Margherita and Portofino.