If Genoa had a soul food restaurant, it would be Trattoria da Maria. This place is an institution — not in the polished, self-congratulatory way that word is sometimes used, but in the truest sense. It has been feeding the people of Genoa for generations, and walking in for the first time feels less like entering a restaurant and more like being welcomed into someone's home.

The setup is wonderfully unpretentious. Plastic-covered tables, mismatched chairs, handwritten menus on a chalkboard, and a dining room where you'll inevitably end up sharing a table with a retired professor, a group of university students, and a couple of workers on their lunch break. The menu changes daily based on what's fresh and what Maria — or whoever is running the kitchen that day — feels like cooking. Expect classic Ligurian dishes: trofie al pesto, minestrone, buridda (a hearty fish stew), and whatever pasta the season allows.

It's cash only, the portions are generous, the prices are genuinely low, and the line at the door by noon is a permanent feature. Get there early, embrace the chaos, and eat like a local. This is the kind of place you remember long after you've forgotten the fancy restaurants.