The harbor area, much of which is unsafe even in broad daylight, is especially unseemly at night. Confine late-hour prowls in the old city to the well-trafficked streets around Piazza Fontane Marose and Piazza delle Erbe, where many bars and clubs are located anyway.
Performing Arts -- Genoa has two major venues for culture: Teatro Carlo Felice, Piazza de Ferrari (tel. 010-589-329; www.carlofelice.it), which is home to Genoa's opera company and also hosts visiting companies; and the new (built in 2001 in a country where some theaters are over 500 years old) Teatro della Corte (tel. 010-534-2200; www.teatro-di-genova.it), on Piazza Borgo Pila near Stazione Brignole, which hosts concerts, dance events, and other cultural programs.
Bars & Clubs -- Open all day, Brittania at Vico Casana (just off Piazza De Ferrari) serves pints to homesick travelers from morning to night, but caters to a largely Italian crowd at night (tel. 010-294-878).
New Yorkers will recognize the name and chic ambience from the branch of I Tre Merli Antica Cantina at Vico Dietro il Coro della Maddalena 26r (tel. 010-247-4095; www.itremerli.it), which does a brisk business in Manhattan with several restaurants (three in SoHo, one uptown). Here in Genoa, I Tre Merli operates several enotecas (wine bars), and this one, with a location on a narrow street just off Via Garibaldi that makes it a safe nightspot in the old city, is delightful. A dark stone floor and walls of brick and stone provide a cozy setting, augmented by "refined country"-style tables and chairs. You can sample the wide selection of wines from throughout Italy by the glass, and there is a full bar. The half-dozen each of primi and secondi are refined Ligurian and, along with the cheese and salami platters, make this a good spot for a late-night meal; it's open Tuesday to Sunday 7pm to 1am.
Le Courbusier, Via San Donato 36 (tel. 010-246-8652), opens early and closes late. This coffeehouse cum bar in the old quarter just west of Piazza delle Erbe is especially popular with students. The smoky room is perpetually busy, dispensing excellent coffee and sandwiches (from 3€/$3.75) as well as wine and spirits.
