A turquoise and green stay for your Genoa experience. Rajam's smile and her house will guide you into the very heart of the tales Genoa can tell: the union between what is carried by the hills and the sea. Age-old traditions from seas far away, merging with the desire to live on a land – the Ligurian land – that, though harsh to plough, makes you eager to sow. A comfortable house offering you taste, well-being and style, between India and Genoa.

I was born and raised in Sri Lanka, coming from a family of Indian descent; at the age of twenty-nine, I moved to Genoa with my husband and my three children. In Italy, I have helped my husband through the years in running the Joytinat School, where the wisdom of our countries, India and Sri Lanka, is preserved. From Indian cookery, to Ayurvedic massage, from Yoga, to Ayurvedic beauty treatments. The Joytinat School made it possible for me to practice my own traditions in Italy, learning them anew through the Westerners’eyes; indeed, during these years, I have discovered how important it is to share what you know and to enter into a dialogue with other cultures – and how difficult! After many years of dedication to my family and to the Joytinat School with my husband, and after having the pleasure of being one of the chefs on the panel of judges of Masterchef Italy, I have decided to create a project which I could run making use of my favourite arts: cookery and hospitality. All the experiences gathered in these years led me to the opening of a sea harbour in my home, with Laxmi Guesthouse: a meeting place for Oriental spices and Genoa's sea scent.

Laxmi Guesthouse B&B rests on the hills of Genoa, in salita San Barnaba. The surrounding area is one of the most evocative places in Genoa, developed around the monastery of the same name. The distance from the hustle and bustle of the city lying at the feet of the hill is a pledge of calm and undisturbed rest. The urban fabric has grown around the place, enfolding the convent: the area is thus alive with vegetation and offers a magnificent view on the port and city of Genoa.