Boccadasse is the postcard Genoa people hope still exists: pastel houses, a little shingle beach, fishing boats, and lanes squeezed tightly around the cove. It feels like a village folded into the edge of a large, working port city.
It can be busy, especially in good weather, but the setting justifies the attention. Come by bus or on foot along the seafront, have a gelato or aperitivo, and stay long enough to watch the light change on the houses.