A good friend of mine Annalisa (who blogs at Viaggio Vagando) comes from Genoa, a city on the north-west coast of Italy, very close to the Côte d’Azur in France.

Knowing of my penchant for postcards, she showed me these antique postcards her parents/grandparents had at home in Genoa.

Genoa itself is a huge city with a very large port, meaning it has a strong maritime heritage. It is possibly the hilliest city I’ve ever been to and I seriously recommend you take the public transport to get around the city as walking will put a great strain on your muscles!