Many visitors skip Genoa on their way to Cinque Terre, but that would be a mistake.
Genoa is not the kind of Italian city that sounds like luxury hotspot. It does not have the obvious softness of Tuscany or the extravaganza of Venice, nor the shine if I may say. It feels older and tougher and tired and grey. A city built by the sea, shaped by trade, sailors, palazzos, stone alleys and salty air.
For centuries Genoa was one of the great maritime republics in Europe, competing with Venice for power across the Mediterranean. Christopher Columbus was born here, and the city’s enormous wealth can still be seen in its elegant palaces, hidden churches and magnificent harbour.
Walking through the city feels wonderfully authentic. It is not polished for tourists. Laundry hangs between centuries-old buildings, locals chat outside tiny cafés, and scooters squeeze through streets barely wide enough for two people.
That authenticity is exactly what makes Blanca feel so believable. The city does not look like a set. It looks lived in. It gives Blanca a world that feels complicated, beautiful, noisy, emotional and slightly rough around the edges.
The Food You Should Try in Genoa
Ligurian cuisine is simple, fresh and deeply connected to the sea.
The region gave the world Pesto alla Genovese, made with fragrant basil, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, garlic and local olive oil. I’m sure that it will taste nothing like the supermarket version.
Almost in every episode someone is eating a Focaccia. In the. norning for breakfast or for lunch, a focaccia is always in someone’s hands or desk.It seems like this is perhaps the city’s greatest obsession.
What Does Blanca Eat at Sebastiano’s Restaurant?
One of the most charming parts of the first season is Blanca’s relationship with “Nanni”, the talented young chef who becomes one of the show’s most complicated figures.
The series never focuses too heavily on individual dishes, but the restaurant feels rooted in elegant Ligurian-inspired seafood and seasonal Italian cooking rather than the obvious clichés of pizza and pasta.
Food becomes part of Blanca’s emotional world: quiet dinners, conversations, trust, hesitation, and the feeling of being seen.
Those restaurant scenes are warm at first. Almost romantic.
But once you know where the story is going, they become much harder to watch.
That is what makes them clever. The food, the lighting, the charm, the intimacy — all of it makes you relax. Then the series slowly changes the meaning of what you thought you were watching.
Why Genoa Works So Well in Blanca
In Blanca, Genoa gives the series its texture.
The narrow streets create tension. The harbour gives it movement. The sea brings light and loneliness. The colourful buildings soften the darkness without removing it completely.
That contrast is what makes the series so beautiful.
Genoa can look bright and heavy at the same time. It can feel open by the water and closed inside the old streets. It is a perfect city for a crime drama because it already holds so many opposites.
And Blanca belongs inside those opposites.
She is funny and vulnerable. Independent and sometimes reckless. Warm, stubborn, brilliant, wounded and full of life. Genoa gives her a world that matches her: colourful, difficult, unpredictable and impossible to flatten into one simple thing.
Why Blanca Made Me Want to Visit Genoa
I have watched many crime dramas set in beautiful places, but few make the location feel this alive.
Genoa is not glamorous. It does not try too hard to impress you.
Instead, it slowly grows on you.
Its worn stone buildings, hidden courtyards, salty sea air and bustling harbour become just as memorable as Blanca herself.
By the time the credits roll, you are no longer only thinking about solving crimes.
You are wondering where to find the best focaccia, which alley Blanca just walked through, and whether the next corner might look exactly like it did on screen.
Sometimes that is the sign of a truly special series. It does not simply entertain you.
It makes you want to book a flight.
Why Genoa Works So Well in Blanca
In Blanca, Genoa gives the series its texture.
The narrow streets create tension. The harbour gives it movement. The sea brings light and loneliness. The colourful buildings soften the darkness without removing it completely.
That contrast is what makes the series so beautiful.
Genoa can look bright and heavy at the same time. It can feel open by the water and closed inside the old streets. It is a perfect city for a crime drama because it already holds so many opposites.
And Blanca belongs inside those opposites.
She is funny and vulnerable. Independent and sometimes reckless. Warm, stubborn, brilliant, wounded and full of life. Genoa gives her a world that matches her: colourful, difficult, unpredictable and impossible to flatten into one simple thing.
Why Blanca Made Me Want to Visit Genoa
I have watched many crime dramas set in beautiful places, but few make the location feel this alive.
Genoa is not glamorous. It does not try too hard to impress you.
Instead, it slowly grows on you.
Its worn stone buildings, hidden courtyards, salty sea air and bustling harbour become just as memorable as Blanca herself.
By the time the credits roll, you are no longer only thinking about solving crimes.
You are wondering where to find the best focaccia, which alley Blanca just walked through, and whether the next corner might look exactly like it did on screen.
Sometimes that is the sign of a truly special series. It does not simply entertain you.
It makes you want to book a flight.
WATCH THE TRAILER FOR SEASON 2 BELOW
