GENOA
A City to Discover
Genoa bridges between old and new, and acts as a threshold between European and Mediterranean worlds. Fascinating and enigmatic, it is a layered city that invites exploration.
'Old' City
The centro storico or historic center is, by some accounts, the largest intact and active medieval quarter in Europe. It is a dense labyrinth of narrow streets and alleys called caruggi populated by Italians and non-Italians, residents and migrants, with small shops and restaurants of every sort and some of the finest palaces and most squalid residences within close proximity to one another. It offers multiple, overlapping views of an Italian city that lives simultaneously with its past, its present and its emerging future.
12th century 'sottoripa', a medieval arcade by the port still used for normal day-to-day activities and selling marine supplies
Renaissance palace with frescoed facade on Piazza Fontane Marose, with shared electric scooter
Piazza delle Vigne
'Modern' City
The modern urban expansion of Genoa was begun in the 19th century outside the dense medieval quarter with the establishment of Piazza De Ferrari and the monumentalizing of Via XX Settembre to make it the main street of the city. As well as the "old" Palazzo Ducale, around Piazza De Ferrari there are the Teatro Carlo Felice and its companion Galleria Mazzini, the Ligurian Academy of Fine Arts, and the New Stock Exchange, all signs of the changing social structure of the new nation.
Via XX Settembre and the 'Ponte Monumentale" (monumental bridge, 1900s) that replaced the old city wall and fortified gate (1500s)
Porticoed shopping street of Via XX Settembre (with H&M, Zara, etc.)
Modern architecture from the 1930s on Piazza Dante and Via Ceccardi
Piazza della Vittoria, built in the 1930s as part of Mussolini's agenda to modernize Italy and recall its monumental past
Port & Expo
The port is the reason Genoa exists, and is still vital to its everyday life and economy. Closed to the public until the 'Expo' area was created for public use for the 1992 Columbus celebration, now it is one of the most frequented places in Genoa (from the Aquarium to Eataly) and constitutes an area of its greatest ongoing renewal.
Promenade alongside Genoa Aquarium
Public space at the Expo area, a transformation of the commercial/industrial port in 1992
Expo area at the port, with people taking an aperitivo at 'Banano Tsunami’
Enjoying the sunset on the floating 'Isola delle Chiatte' (Island of Barges)
Ports of Genoa
Genova, Pra’, Savona, Vado Ligure
- 68.1 million Total Throughput (tons)
- 2.7 million Container Traffic (TEUs)
- 4.5 million Passengers (pax)
- 15.3 million General Cargo (tons)
(from: https://www.portsofgenoa.com/en/)
FOUR PORTS, ONE PORT AUTHORITY
Genoa, Pra’, Savona and Vado Ligure, the ports of the Western Ligurian Sea - grouped together under the banner Ports of Genoa - rank as Italy’s pre-eminent port range in terms of total throughput, product diversity and economic output. Since 2017 the ports have been governed by a single Port Authority which is committed to offering the highest standards of service to operators and clients alike, improving efficiency by simplifying administrative procedures and setting out terms and conditions of port redevelopment to enhance port competitiveness.
IN THE HEART OF EUROPE
Strategically located in the northernmost point of the Mediterranean Sea at the heart of Europe, easily accessible overland across fast road and rail connections and by sea across the ultra-large container vessels which can dock in the ports’ natural deepwater, the Ports of Genoa are equipped to consolidate their leadership as the premier Mediterranean gateway to the major consumer centers in Europe. The industrial heartland of Europe sits within a 600-km range of the ports: Switzerland, Bavaria, Baden-Wurttemberg, Austria.
(from: ports of genoa information-pdf)
Environs
(all within Genoa's city limits)
Genoa's Grandi Eventi (Big Events)
Rolli Days
71,000 visitors over three days during October 2023
During Genoa's period of enormous economic prosperity as a European banking center during the 16th and 17th century, the major Genoese families commissioned palaces along the 'Strada Nuova' or New Street, now Via Garibaldi, while other important families ordered similar constructions or renovations throughout the city. These palaces were included in the 'Rolli' (Lists) and were available to host visiting nobility and dignitaries, with the finest palaces going to the guests of the highest status.
42 palaces of the original 163 of the 'Palazzi dei Rolli' system were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. Twice a year for one weekend the palaces are open to the public during the 'Rolli Days'.
Festival of Science
An annual event of 10 days, with 220,000 participants in 2022
A fixed point of reference for science dissemination. A great opportunity to meet for researchers, science enthusiasts, schools and families. One of the major international scientific events. (From Festival of Science website)
In 2022 there were 220,000 overall visitors, including 30,000 students from fourteen different Italian regions.
Salone Nautico / International Boat Show
An annual event of 6 days, with 118,000 visitors in 2023
As the largest event on the Mediterranean, the Genoa Boat Show is the world’s number one showcase for the very best the 'Made in Italy' brand has to offer, welcoming every year industry professionals and boating enthusiasts alike to over 200,000 square metres of display area on land and sea.
(from: https://salonenautico.com/en/)
Euroflora
An event of 2 weeks, 240,000 visitors in 2022
The 12th edition (2022) is an ode to rarity. Precious botanical species from all over the world meet at Euroflora to celebrate the beauty and importance of nature. Euroflora 2022 confirms, as a location, the extraordinary setting of the Parks and Historical Museums of Nervi, and it is here that the “Rose of Genoa,” symbol of the Ligurian capital, makes its international debut. With more than 240 thousand attendees, Euroflora returns to prominence as the most important European event for the promotion of Italian and foreign floricultural excellence.
(text from 2022 website: https://euroflora.genova.it/en/history/#2022)
https://euroflora.genova.it/en/