The San Stefano Church is a scenic church built on top of a hill. Apparently Christopher Columbus was baptised at this very church. A pleasant train ride by Genoa’s unique funicular railway leads visitors to Santo Stefano Church. The medieval church has been refurbished, so some of the original detail has been lost. It boasts of simple Romanesque architecture and provides a stark departure from the ornamental cathedrals that seem so popular in Europe.

The entrance is via a long staircase. It’s easy to detect Baroque influences on the inside—the architecture is testimony to the layers of history encompassed in this one building. This continues on the outside. Ancient trees—whose roots can be seen beneath cobble-stoned alleyways—surround the church building. A walk on these roads is bound to take visitors back in time.