Hidden gems? Padua, Genoa, Florence, Naples, Rome

Check out the Orto Botanica in Padua. Oldest botanical gardens in the world, UNESCO classified. And the new greenhouse is great.
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/824

There are lots of nice places in Padua. The Prato della Valle is very nice, though I would not describe it as hidden. It is one of the main piazzas. It also worth visiting the university which is one of the oldest in the world. There was even a graduation ceremony when I was there, and the students were singing a song which started with the words "Dottore, Dottore" meaning Doctor, Doctor. When I looked it up later, I found that some of the words were obscene.

Just wandering the old town in Padua is great. If you're including side-trips, there are many great options from Padua aside from Venice (Ravenna, Ferrara, Vicenza, Verona) -- definitely more than you'll have time for.

If the University is open have a look around. There is a wall covered with the names and crests of famous students from across Europe going back to the Fifteenth century. It was fun seeing which names we recognized. Also try and see the beautiful Anatomy Theatre at the Medical school with its tiers of seats rising up over the instructors’ table.

The market is supposed to be excellent but it’s open mornings only.

In Genoa, we especially enjoyed taking a funicular up to the top to see the views. We also enjoyed visiting several of the old Genovese mansions. In general, despite the hills, Genoa was fun to wander around. The Eatly on the waterfront is a good spot for a drink or snack.
In Naples, we stayed in the Vomero neighborhood which is a “gem”. Being on a hill on the north side of the busiest part of Naples, it is a nice refuge with quieter tree lined streets. There are some good restaurants and bars in the neighborhood. There is also a great ceramics museum at the Villa Floridiana and the views from Castel Sant’ Elmo are spectacular.

We enjoyed the aquarium in Genoa - something different.
Padua is a cute place for sure. If you have time - Chioggia has a great fish market and is a pretty little "port" town about an hour away.
I was disappointed with Parma - but in the area the Lamborghini and Ferrari museums were neat and I'm not into cars ( I think they are in Modena) I did enjoy Bologna - most towers still standing and amazing porticoes covering most of the downtown area. Beautiful library.

We spent 3 nights in Genoa last year and could have added two more. Great food and interesting old quarter.

The caruggi are a tangle of streets and walkways going up from the water. Full of churches, palaces, shops, and streetfood places. San Matteo is a pretty little striped church. San Donato dates from the 11th century. Cattedrale di San Lorenzo is stripey and decorated with multi-colored marbles, and guarded by two stone lions.

Around Piazza de Ferrari you can see the Opera house and the Doge’s Palace.

There's Genoese and northern art at the Palazzo Bianco museum, and there's the roof for the view.

Take a taxi to the monumental cemetery of Staglieno north of the city if you enjoy giant, creepy, melodramatic and often very weird sculptures (thickly coated with gray dust) like we do, but the monumental cemetery in Milan is the very best.

We enjoyed our Airbnb apartment Casa Coccagna on the tiny steep alley Salita di Coccagna near the edge of the caruggi (actually quite near the Christopher Columbus house --- I saw many Italian tourists going into it but we didn't).

Our favorite place to eat was Antica Sa Pesta --- street food but with seating. Serves farinata, which you can watch being made, and many kinds of savory pies. I think we ordered two different assortments, plus some pesto pasta. Some of the Italian Tripadvisor reviews of it are hilarious, such as complaints that it costs too much for street food or the service is "too fast" or there's no highchair for babies. But it was one of the most memorable lunches we've had in Italy. I would go back to Genoa just to eat there two or three more times and to eat pesto in any of the restaurants we ate at.

We also enjoyed Osteria La Laterna, Ristorante Prie Rosse (near our apartment) and Da Leccarsi I Baffi.

pansotti: ravioli stuffed with cooked leaves of herbs like borage and cheese in a white sauce

corzetti: flat, round, embossed pasta with a wooden stamp. In a town near Genoa we had a stamp-maker carve us a stamp while we watched. He did it from a photo of our dog.

pesto bianco: walnuts, olive oil, and fresh ricotta.

crema ai pinoli: similar but made from pine nuts, garlic, butter, and fresh marjoram.

Try a day trip or even a half-day trip to tiny Camogli and walk from one end of town to the other along the waterfront. Eat some focaccia di Recco (and whatever else you have room for) at Revello.

In Padua, a short (20 minutes by regional train) is the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza. Absolutely stunning! And if you're an architecture buff, there's a really interesting Andrea Palladio museum housed in a 16th century palazzo up the hill from the theater.

Verona is only about an hour from Padua by high-speed train and is well worth a visit.

In Parma, I highly recommend the opera house tour. We found it really interesting for both the information about the building itself and Parma history. I assume you consider the Pilotta Palace and the duomo to be "big sites" - those were terrific. I also recommend Tratorria Sorelle Picchi, which isn't far from the duomo. I found Parma delightful and plan to return.

Someone mentioned the University in Padua. I think that definitely qualifies as "big site" and must be seen by tour.

• In Padova: I purchased a book, "Guide to the City of Padua" at the bookshop by the Scrovegni Chapel for 5.50 Euros--money well spent! It outlines three walking/tram routes, including a variety of stops along the way. The Padova Card was a great value, with free admissions to many sites and half-price discounts for Orto Botanical and the Anatomy Theater. To visit the Anatomy Theater at the University you will need to book a tour (not sure about October; we booked the day before in March). There are a number of cafes/restaurants near Prato della Valle; it was a great people-watching area. Check on the date for the weekend flea market; I believe it occurs only once a month. Don't miss the outdoor market, weekday mornings at Piazza delle Erbe!
• In Parma: The TI offers a city walking tour that lasts about 2 1/2 hours. The Duomo and Bapistery are stunning! The Duomo Museum includes a number of Roman artifacts; the audio guide is very informative.

Four weeks in Italy is wonderful--have a marvelous trip!

I enjoyed Parma, and took one of those food tours where you go to the Parma ham factory, the Parmagiano Reggiano cheese factory, a Balsamic Vinegar factory, and a winery for lunch.

From Padua, you could go to Ferrara, which I found more interesting.

Then there is always Bologna, with some of the best food, ever!

Why so long in Genoa? There is a reason most people don't stay too long there, other places have so much more to offer, IMO.

Hi Here’s a hidden gem at the otherwise well known Accademia in Florence. It was 30 years ago but I still remember how my cousin (a local) peered around each of Michelangelo’s “prisoners” until she found the one with the artist’s miniature self portrait scratched on the back of one of the prisoners’ shoulders. See if you can find it too.

Have a great visit to Italy!

I think one of the reasons Genoa doesn't get much love is that it's kind of a big dirty city. My recommendation is to go through Genoa and end up somewhere in the surrounding area: Portofino, Cinque Terra, even Sestri Levanti.

I've never been to Parma, so no advice there.

Actually, my main suggestion is that you may be tackling too much for 4 weeks. It's tempting on a first trip to see everything, but wiser to save something for your next trip.

A few thoughts: Venice is worth way, way more than "a day trip or two"--give it 4 days? Ditto Florence. Rome needs a week. In most cases, a travel day is not a "be there" day, and you are doing a lot of travel. Consider narrowing your trip to 4 main stops (the obvious drop is Naples as it is so far south). About 10 years ago my son and I did Rome, Venice, Florence and Cinque Terra in a month. It was great. We were not exhausted and got to see sights we would have otherwise missed (like the Borghese Gallery in Rome and the island of Torcello in Venice).

Have fun!

I loved the archaeological museum in Naples! All kinds of artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum!

You are all so helpful - thank you.

Rome has some places not-so-many people visit.

-Santo Stefano in Rotundo church for its odd architecture and grim scenes of the martyrs

-San Giovanni in Laterano, the Pope’s church, is just lovely and uncrowded

-Palazzo Valentini but reserve in advance for small English tour

-Case Romane del Celio, south of the Colosseo and simply fascinating! Wander the Parco del Celio and the Parco Villa Celimontana, too. On Google Maps you can see the paths that wind through. End up at the Basilica di Santa Maria in Domnica.

-If you are there on a Saturday, try to get to the Galleria Colonna, only open on Saturday mornings.

Just sent you a private messge regarding the Genoa area.

In Rome I second the recommendation for San Giovanni in Laterano, the Pope’s church. It is lovely and uncrowded, It is an arch basilica. There are many churches in Rome which have fabulous art if art is your thing. A nice day trip from Rome is Villa D Estes. Gardens and fountains built by Cardinal Ippolita for many millions in the 15th Century. I also found the frescoes on the walls in the villa interesting. (There is no furniture in the villa). They are located in Tivoli. Also in Tivoli is Hadrian's villa which we didn't have time to visit because we didn't get started until noon. It is suppose to be very interesting as well. With a 8 or 9 in the morning start you should be able to do both.

Near Genova, you've already had a recommendation for Camogli: I would add Bogliasco, also worth a stop on the way there or back.