In Liguria with Blanca
Flower Riviera, Genoa and surroundings, Palm Riviera
It was one of the most successful dramas in 2021, so much so that a second season is already being planned. It is called "Blanca" and, with its talented protagonist Maria Chiara Giannetta, it narrates Genoa and Camogli, since the episodes all take place here. The protagonist, who is a blind investigator, but also the other characters including the faithful guide dog Linneo, who has become a star, wander around the beautiful scenery of Genoa, an ideal city for setting a detective story. A promising young English director had realised this in 1925: the then 26-year-old Alfred Hitchcock, who landed in Genoa, stayed at the Hotel Bristol and shot some scenes of "The Labyrinth of Passions", his first feature film.
The stages
Genoa: from the Bristol hotel to the historic centreCamogli: towards the east
Dolceacqua and Finale: Blanca in the West Coast Riviera
Genoa: from the Bristol hotel to the historic centre
In a sort of déjà-vu of noir, the journey can start from the Hotel Bristol on Via XX Settembre in the city of Genoa, where Hitchcock stayed. From here, we continue to Piazza de Ferrari and throw ourselves into the alleys of the historical centre along the axis of Via San Lorenzo, where Blanca strolls in several episodes to the Porto Antico, whose backdrop appears in the series. A visit to Palazzo Cattaneo, in Piazza Grillo Cattaneo, where an entire episode of the first series ('Ghosts') takes place, is a must.
Camogli: towards the east
Camogli can be reached by car or train: the town of a thousand white sailing ships, where Blanca lives and likes to spend some days and where several scenes are set. The ideal way to get into the atmosphere is to walk along the seafront and reach the Dragonara Castle, overlooking the sea. Another seaside village, this time as urban as Boccadasse, was also one of the privileged sets of the successful series.
Dolceacqua and Finale: Blanca in the West Coast Riviera
Several outdoor shooting were filmed also Dolceacqua and Finale Ligure. Two enchanting places and two villages that caught the attention of Jan Maria Michelini, the director of the series, based on the novels by Neapolitan writer Patrizia Rinaldi. Both can be visited in one day, travelling by car. Worth seeing in Dolceacqua is the Doria Castle - immortalised in a scene - and in Finale Ligure the cloister of Santa Caterina.
