Authentic Pesto Genovese vs Tourist Traps: Where to Eat in Genoa Old Port on a Budget
If you stand on the waterfront of the Old Port (Porto Antico) in Genoa on a sun-drenched afternoon, you will be bombarded by glossy picture menus in six languages promising “Authentic Ligurian Pesto.” Most of them are serving bright neon-green paste made with cashews, cheap vegetable oil, and bitter greenhouse basil. True Pesto alla Genovese is one of the culinary wonders of the world—a silky, aromatic emulsion of young basil, garlic, pine nuts, aged cheeses, and golden olive oil pounded with a wooden pestle in a marble mortar. In Genoa, pesto is not a casual condiment; it is a sacred …
