La Piazzetta Rooms

La Piazzetta has just three rooms, right in central Genoa, and the owner was lovely and full of helpful suggestions for places to eat and drink. We were in the Romantica room, which had tasteful decor, soft white curtains and nice little touches. Breakfast was a delicious continental spread of cheese, cured ham, croissants, bread and coffee. Brilliant service and a brilliant location. We’ll definitely come back next time we’re in Genoa.

Elena is warm and genuine, and she really lifts your spirits. The old city location makes it easy to get to the important areas. The building and furnishings have so much style that you feel like a local, rather than staying in a standardized hotel. Breakfast is available if you ask, and Elena can make a fresh croissant in the morning.

The historic building is in a convenient spot, and the rooms have a lot of character. Lena, a stylish woman who speaks Russian, Italian and English, clearly puts care into making the place cosy and interesting. When she serves breakfast herself, it’s delicious and generous: gluten-free food, muesli, cheese, cookies, jam, juice, wonderful pastries and very good coffee, with a few cups if you ask. We experienced both breakfasts during our two-night stay. On one morning Lena wasn’t there, and the replacement from Signor Kiwi downstairs was just coffee and either a croissant or a piece of plain or onion focaccia. We’d chosen this place based on breakfast reviews because we didn’t want the usual Italian breakfast snack, and the price was the same on both days despite the big difference. When I raised that with the owner, she said that was how she did things. The first morning she didn’t cook because there were only two guests, as though the lack of other guests were our problem and meant we didn’t qualify for a full breakfast. The next day, when there were more people, she cooked. If you’re booking because of the B&B breakfast, make clear what you expect. The rest of the place is very nice.

The rooms are a good size in a lovely old building, and the shared table made for a great breakfast. It’s centrally located, just a one-minute walk from Ferrari. I’d stay again if I found myself in Genoa.