To stroll through Genoa is, inevitably, to lose oneself — and to find oneself again — within its carruggi: the narrow, twisting alleyways that make up the beating heart of the largest historic centre in Europe.

The Carlo Felice Opera House, located in Piazza De Ferrari in Genoa, is the principal opera and symphonic theatre of Liguria (a National Opera Foundation) and among the most important in Italy.

Genoa is made of alleyways, scents and sounds — but if you truly wish to breathe in its soul, you must step inside its Historic Shops.