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Entertainment
Genoa is a beautiful city that can also be an immense amount of fun. Far from the trendy, overwhelming, Milan scene and different from the atmosphere of Rome, Genoa offers its visitors a more underground scene where they have to make an effort to enter into the fun. The heart of this understated city's nightlife can be found in the historic center, where the underground culture can be discovered in the alleyways surrounding historic palaces and monuments. It is not always easy to find what you are looking for, but this is all part of the game, and the style of the city.
Most of the nighttime haunts are concentrated in area between Piazza Sarzana and Via San Lorenzo. During the day it is nice to wander around the backstreets here in search of some of the more hidden places in the city. There are some sophisticated wine bars to be discovered here such as Le Cantine Squarciafico, or tapas bars that are open until late, such as La Lepre. The scene changes on the weekends, when the usually peaceful alleyways are taken over by lively crowds on their way to Cafè Latino in piazza Delle Erbe, Le Corbousier in piazza San Donato and the Moretti inn in Via San Bernardo. These places are always packed and the neighbouring areas are full of cocktail and wine bars. This is a veritable epicentre of nightlife, where you can barhop all night or go on to one of the clubs in the area such as Dueseiuno or Lukrezia, or even go along to a disco which are usually full on Saturday nights, like DLF, Eccentrica, and Coccodrillo. Before going to bed, satisfy those late night hunger pangs with a warm focaccia from the bakery in Corso Sardegna, Briciole.
Out of the center, it is possible to spend the night on the Riviera. However, it is best to do this on the weekends in the winter, and any night in the summer. What could be more inviting than the prospect of sipping a cocktail on a veranda overlooking the sea, at a bar such as Monumento, or even directly on the beach at Sori, at Sillo. There are great fish restaurants at Camogli and Sabot, in Santa Margherita, is a great place to have an after dinner drink, or go to Covo di Nord Est or Carillon, to sample the local night life. After a tiring evening, when the dawn is breaking in Portofino, go to Alba for some hot foccacia which can be eaten by the boats in the port.
Cinema
Genoan cinema was revolutionized a few years ago when the multiscreen Cineplex was opened. It has nine screens, seats 3,000 and offers advanced technology, comfortable seats and free parking. The building is in the Magazzini del Cotone, in the old, port area and the largest two rooms were designed by Renzo Piano. They show commercial films but some quality works are assured by the Istituto Luce which is a partner in this enterprise. The Genoa Film Festival will take place here in June, a national competition for short films.
In the city centre, the Universale has three screens which are comfortable with large screens and Dolby surround sound. It offers commercial, quality films. For something slightly different, go to Il Corallo, which has two screens and more adventurous programmes or the Ariston, that altenates interesting films with films in their original language. The Lumiere is a must for cinephiles who meet here for exhibitions, previews and film festivals.
Theatre
The Carlo Felice Theatre offers a varied programme of opera as well as jazz and rock concerts. Even though it has not been running for many years, the former theater was bombed in the war, it has made its mark on the national scene. The building was renovated in a post-modern style and has a capacity of 2,000. As for prose theater, the most classic offerings can be found in the Teatro della Corte, which is famous for its school that has produced many well known actors. It is also in a modern, well designed building.
Two large halls have diversified theater in Genoa in the last few years. The Duse and Genovese halls offer a programme of successful musicals and comedians who do television work. As for alternative theater, two places in Genoa offer an interesting choice. The Teatro della Tosse, is now a favourite place for two great artists; the comedy writer Tonino Conte and the set designer Lele Luzzati. It produces its own shows and, in the summer, organizes surprising events in old factories and abandoned forts. There is also the Modena, a nineteenth century theater that was restored a few years ago. It offers various, interesting and fun productions, from Brazilian music and culture festivals to collaborations with Stefano Benni and Daniel Pennac, lessons by Baricco and acrobatic dance performances.
Music
The Carlo Felice Theatre is the place to go to hear opera and classical music concerts as well as high quality jazz. There are also various places in Genoa that offer live music. The recently opened DLF, offers an intense, ambitious programme which is open to international music trends with a strong emphasis on sounds from the London club scene. It has a capacity for 1,300 people and is one of the best places to hear live music in the city. The programme is developed by the same people who organize the only popular music festival in the region. It is called Goa-Boa and takes place every July.
The smaller club circuit centers around the historic district. Quaalude was the first place in Genoa to open the way for underground music. Fitzcarraldo hosts sought after artists, even if the small location is not great for larger crowds, and Mascherona and the Palace offer a chance to hear live music as well, usually punk or rock. La Cittadella offers alternative music evenings, ranging from flamenco to celtic music and the Lousiana Jazz Club alternates jam sessions by local artists with concerts by famous, international musicians.
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