My experience in Liguria +

Might I ask what you did in Genoa and why you think a day is plenty?
Where dd you stay?? (I have a few hotels in mind but would love comments from you as you've just been)
I'm asking because I'm thinking about a return to Liguria next year....and wanted to spend a few days in Genoa at the beginning of my trip.

We'd fly into Genoa and begin with a few days there, then drive to stay in one or two places on the Riviera Levante (Chiavari, maybe) and Camogli (maybe) before driving down to the Tuscan coast where we would spend the bulk of our time.

The walk from SML to Portofino is lovely, through Paraggi, but Portofino....(??).

I liked the cemetery and the view of the port from there.
Why do people even go to Portofino..because it's famous? And pretty?

I remember that I paid 80 euro for a taxi from the airport in Genoa (did not stay in that city) to Camopgli, but that was more than ten years ago....so that price from La Spezia to Portovenere sounds ok for the present time.

How was Portovenere? Was a cruise ship in port? Where did you stay in that town?

You will love Portovenere ekscrunchy. When we visited they were rebuilding the last hotel before the end of the promontory towards the church. I think that would be a fantastic place to stay. It's not really a town - a small village.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2020/02/la-spezia-in-january-portovenere.html?m=1
We spent ten days in Nervi near Genova a few years ago. The road bridge above the port aquarium area is a pity but apart from that it's a great city. Not as manicured as Tuscany towns and cities but there's Boccadasse, the UNESCO Palazzi, the aquarium, great fresh fish, a look around the centre, an excellent food market, duomo etc. I would think at least three nights to have two full days but you could easily stay a week and day trip by train. Nervi and in particular the walkway next to the sea is lovely especially for sunsets

Excellent! Just what I wanted to hear, thank you, Tinac.

Stayed in portovenere at grand hotel portovenere- to me it’s the only place to stay in that village!

In genoa stayed at the Melia . Very nice.
Someone i know stayed at the genoa B and B hotel near the train station at found it perfectly adequate. It seems groups stay there. A street or 2 in that area may be considered by some to be sketchy. In genoa took a 2 hour electric rickshaw tour of the city which was fantastic. The city has cool old buildings . Genoa is gritty and real but besides the nice old buildings and churches, nothing i would call iconic. To fill the time there i took a cooking class.

OP Js,
Did you know that Genoa was once the home for a famed Italian rock band, the great Matia Bazaar with their superstar vocalist Antonella? And where to next for you?

Eks, we too are now looking at Liguria for some time next year, now favoring it over our previous plans (NYC or le Marche). Just got back from researching that destination at our city's venerable Reference Library, which has probably every guidebook and map every currently published about well, anywhere. It even has rare 19C collectable (original) copies of Baedekers titles.

Our Ligurian decision now seems whether to base in Camogli or the larger and less steep for my wife's bum knee SML. And when to do so. Snowbird it or instead wait til October when the fireworks fest will occur in Camogli--my wife is a fireworks fan (*Editors--come come, this is a family show!). Could be that we do the latter and spend winter in Cadiz.

I am wearing brown socks.
Done. The end.