Panificio Patrone, Genoa

Panificio Patrone is a historic Genoese bakery on Via Ravecca, near Porta Soprana and the medieval heart of the centro storico, beloved for its focaccia genovese, the dimpled, salt-and-oil flatbread that is the city's daily ritual. Focaccia is to Genoa what the croissant is to Paris, eaten at all hours and famously dunked in morning cappuccino, and Patrone is one of the long-standing addresses where locals queue for it warm from the oven. The counter also offers focaccia con cipolle (with onions), pizza al taglio sold by the slice, and Genoese sweets such as the dense, fruit-and-nut studded pandolce genovese and the ring-shaped canestrelli biscuits. The format is a classic bakery and bread shop rather than a restaurant: visitors order at the counter and eat on the go or take away, which makes it an ideal quick, inexpensive stop while exploring the old town. The focaccia is at its best warm, fresh from the oven, soft and oily with pools of salt in its dimples, and worth timing a visit around a fresh batch. Prices are very low, with focaccia sold by weight or the slice for a euro or two and a generous breakfast or snack easily had for around EUR 3-8 per person. The atmosphere is that of a busy everyday neighbourhood bakery, no-frills and authentic, with no seating to speak of and no dress code. It typically opens early and runs through the day Monday to Saturday, closing on Sundays. Set near Porta Soprana, the medieval gate associated with the house of Christopher Columbus, it pairs naturally with a walk through old Genoa. For an authentic, cheap taste of Genoa's signature focaccia the way locals eat it, Panificio Patrone is a classic stop.