To Genoa Airport

The journey from Colletta to Genoa airport is just under 100 km in all, and all being well takes about one hour and ten minutes. However, bear in mind that the motorway back to Genoa is more twisty than the one coming, and that the timing can be upset by road works or weight of traffic at peak times. It would be a good idea to ask the locals at Colletta what the traffic might be like on your day of departure, and then to adopt a somewhat more pessimistic view!

Leaving Colletta head for the motorway at Albenga and after picking up your ticket take the right fork in order to join the carriageway for Genova (Genoa).

Just over half an hour into your journey you will see the two tall hooped chimneys this side of Savona. Keep straight on past Savona. The road now becomes more hilly and twisty in places – you have been warned!

If you have a hire car and you wish to return it with its tank full, then the ultimate service station for so doing is Piani d'Invrea, about forty minutes and 68 km into your journey (follows the Varazze exit). Ask the attendant to fill it 'pieno, pieno!'. It's no good expecting to be able to fill up at the airport because the service station there seems to be more often closed than open!

Further along, after Arenzano the motorway forks. You must take the right fork for Genoa, and slow down because the road immediately narrows to a single lane and you filter in to merge with the traffic coming through on your left.

You are now on the outskirts of Genoa and the motorway is narrower, and often busier and more frantic.

After the Genova – Pegli exit you will pass through a few tunnels, and immediately at the end of a longish one is the exit for Genova airport. It is essential to be in the right hand lane in this tunnel in order to be able to exit safely. It is about 90 km and 1 hour into your journey.

Then you pay the toll and emerge with relief that you are nearly there. However, there is still ample scope for going wrong!

You will shortly be faced with a fork in the road, and if you are travelling at any speed you won't notice the tiny sign on the left directing you to take the right hand fork into a tunnel for the airport. Just out of the tunnel you must go left and over a flyover heading towards the Sheraton Hotel.

You descend to a roundabout, where you go straight across (second exit) to enter the airport precinct. Don't go up the ramp if you are returning a hire car, but keep to the right of it and immediately on the left you will see the entrance to the drop-off area for cars. There is a barrier, but you can press a button to get in. Leave your car, preferably in a slot labelled with the name of the car hire firm, and enter the airport on the ground floor (arrivals), because that is where you will find the desk to return your keys.

You can normally check-in more than two hours before your flight, so you might well have time to grab a quick meal at the excellent self-service restaurant upstairs (La Lanterna)!