Genoa

Genoa Travel Guide

Genoa or Genova is as multilayered as the hills it clings to. The Genoa's name comes from Genua, founded by the two headed Giano, protector of ships and coins. This was a city of two faces, which looks both inland and towards the sea. Genoa, as well as being full of mythical origins, has always been a crossroads of traffic and culture, between continental Europe and the Mediterranean, thanks to it natural position and the initiative of its inhabitants.

A city rich in art and a major seaport, of flourishing trade and commercial exchange, Genoa is one of the most extraordinary cities in Italy. Long ignored by conventional tourist routes, Genoa offers its visitors incredible attractions and a stunning artistic heritage. Maybe it’s this ancient port’s earthy atmosphere that puts the tourists off, or maybe it’s just that in Italy they are spoilt for choice. Whatever the reason, visitors are missing out on somewhere special. Genoa, once the equal and arch-rival of Venice, has a medieval old town to rival any in Europe.

The main features of central Genoa include Piazza de Ferrari, around which are sited the Opera and the Palace of the Doges. There is also a house where Christopher Columbus putatively was born. Its medieval old town, the biggest in Europe, is an intricate labyrinth of alleyways, where among the shops, restaurants, and local stores, visitors can catch sight of the city's noble past in its 16th century palazzos, baroque edifices, and Romanesque churches, looming over the little piazzas.

Strada Nuova (now Via Garibaldi), in the old city, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2006. This district was designed in the mid-16th century to accommodate Mannerist palaces of the city's most eminent families, including Palazzo Rosso (now a museum), Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Grimaldi and Palazzo Reale. The famous art college, Musei di Strada Nuova and the Palazzo del Principe are also located on this street.

The city center is a manageable extension but it's a bit of a steep climb from the port to the old town (centro storico) via narrow, unmapped caruggi, medieval streets punctuated by treasure-filled churches and stylish boutiques. Gorgeous antiques are displayed in the frescoed entrance to a 16th-century palace at Galleria Imperiale, at the bottom of via Scurreria, off piazza di Lorenzo. Eventually, the caruggi lead to the city’s main squares: piazza Banchi, once a grain market, now filled with flower compartments and second-hand record shops; the revamped piazza de Ferrari, with the Palazzo della Borsa, a major exhibition center, on its south-east corner; and the neighbouring piazza Matteotti, with the imposing Palazzo Ducale, once home to Genoa’s ruler, the Doge, and now an exhibition hall. Rubens has two works in the Gesù church nearby, itself a 16th-century baroque masterpiece.

City of Genoa

Genoa (Genova in Italian, Zena in Genoese) is a city of northwest Italy on the Gulf of Genoa and a seaport in northern Italy. The city has an approximate population of 620,000 and the urban area has an approximate population of 890,000. The population is homogeneously Italian. Southern and northern Italians alike have flocked to the city during the late 1900's. An estimated 95.3% of the population is of Italian origin. But there has been a sharp increase of immigrants mostly from South America, Eastern Europe, and a very meager number from Asia. The city, characterized by one of the largest historical centers in Europe, is the core of the Italian Riviera. Activity of the tertiary sector, settled in the downtown, is primarily related to the commercial port, one of the most important in the Mediterranean Sea.

Now many things are changing towards a better use of the territory with a keen view to the environment and so becoming more interesting for tourists. Arriving to the Ligurian area, the town is really worth a visit as many ancient Renaissance buildings, famous museums and very good restaurants are all within an easy reach. The Old Town is the biggest in Europe and one of the best preserved old cities in the world. Great palaces, property of the ancient powerful Genoa families are now museums open to the public. Genoa has been elected Cultural Capital for the year 2004 by the European Parliament Commission.

Between Genoa's notable buildings are the Cathedral of San Lorenzo (rebuilt in 1100 and frequently restored), the palace of the doges, the richly decorated churches of the Annunciation and of St. Ambrose (both 16th cent.), the medieval Church of San Donato, many Renaissance palaces, and the Carlo Felice opera house (19th cent.). The city is surrounded by old walls and forts, and the steep and narrow streets of the harbor section are very picturesque. The 16th-century Lanterna [lighthouse] is an emblem of Genoa. The Old Port was redesigned in 1992 by Renzo Piano; a modern aquarium and tropical greenhouse (the Bolla) are there. Genoa has several museums and a university (founded 1243). 

Genoa Aquarium

Genoa Aquarium is the biggest in Europe and one of the most important worldwide, and with one and a half million visitors each year it is one of Europe’s leading cultural attractions. The Aquarium is an eloquent tribute to Genoa's link with the sea and surrounding coastal waters.

The aquarium's 59 tanks reproduce marine and terrestrial habitat from throughout the world and provide a home for more than 6000 animals belonging to 600 different species at same time respect their biological equilibrium. While it is first and foremost a tourist attraction, the Aquarium also has a mission to increase public awareness of environmental problems.

Inside, the immense tanks form virtual walls of water among which visitors can wander accompanied by the sound of waves, currents and echoes from the deep. The most spectacular ones are those housing the sharks, the dolphins and the seals are amazing to watch. Very impressive is the reproduction of a coral reef from the Caribbean with an incredible variety of coral, plants, peculiar sea creatures and brightly colored fish. During the summer and on weekend you might find the Aquarium pretty crowded, nevertheless, visits are made easier by long-opening hours and no lunch-time closings.

How to get there:

• From Conference Centre: Volabus to Stazione P.Principe and then normal bus, or Sheraton shuttle.
• By car: "Genova Ovest" mortoway Exit, take the overground to "Piazza Cavour" exit.
• By train: from "P.Principe" Station (bus n.1-3-7-8-38); from "Brignole" Station (bus n.12-15).

 

Genoa Eating & Drinking

Genoa is one of the most important towns for what it is known as the Mediterranean cuisine. It is very rich in ingredients and flavors, and often very labor-intensive. Genoise cooking is dedicated mainly to the natural products that have always existed in the area which stretches between the mountains and the sea. The Ligurians use very simple ingredients, which by themselves seem insignificant, but when combined together, they truly accentuate and bring out each ingredient's individual qualities to produce a final result of superb flavor harmony: mushrooms, pine nuts, walnuts, and a great variety of aromatic herbs.

The base of all recipes is Ligurian olive oil, delicately flavored and perfect for preparing tasty sauces. The most known of these is pesto, a sauce made of basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. The best choice to accompany meat dishes is "salsa verde" (green sauce), made of parsley and pine nuts, while salsa di noci (walnut sauce) goes perfectly with pasta and ravioli.

Diverse kinds of focacce and torte salate (a kind of vegetable and cheese pie) are typically Genoese treats. These dishes are eaten both as meals and as appetizing snacks: from the simple focaccia all'olio (focaccia with olive oil) to focaccia filled with cheese, no one can resist the tempting smell of this Ligurian specialty! You can't leave without having tried the farinata, a unique kind of focaccia made from chick-pea flour.

Fish truly occupies a principal place on the menus of Genoese restaurants. A true masterpiece of Ligurian cuisine is the cappon magro: a very elaborate dish made of various kinds of fish and boiled vegetables, and seasoned with a sauce of herbs and pine nuts.

Other local recipes are the fritto misto (mixed deep-fried seafood), l'insalata di pesce (seafood salad), triglie (mullet) alle genovese, stoccafisso in agrodolce (cod in sweet and sour sauce), with pine nuts and raisins. Mussels are omnipresent, alla marinara or stuffed with meat, cheese, eggs, or marjoram. Finally, the queen of the Ligurian sea; the anchovy, which can be eaten cold, but is best when stuffed.

Between the desserts, one of the most distinctive is "pandolce", a treat found on every table at Christmastime. Genoa is famous for its pastries: Canestrelli, amaretti, Baci di Dama (little walnut pastries), and Gobeletti, little short breads filled with quince jam. 

Nightlife in Genoa

On first impressions, life after dark looks sparse but a bit of time rooting around in the old town will turn up a good choice of convivial bars and small clubs, some of them with live music.

The best source of information on nightlife is the local daily paper Il Secolo XIX ; in summer you can supplement this with Genova by Night, the tourist office's free what's-on guide. The student magazine La Rosa Purpurea del Cairo also has information on music, theatre and cinema; it's published monthly and is available from bars and some Via Balbi bookshops in term-time.

There are plenty of bars along the seamy waterfront Via Gramsci, in between the strip joints and brothels, but more attractive places to drink can be found on the side roads off Via XX Settembre and around Piazza delle Erbe. Moretti on Via San Bernardo is a beery student dive; Le Corbusier , Via San Donato 36r, is consistently popular; Epr? Rosse , Via Ravecca 54r, is a characterful wine-bar. The Britannia pub at Vico Casana 76r, off Piazza di Ferrari, has pints of Guinness and burgers and chips. The Louisiana club on Via San Sebastiano has live trad jazz most nights from around 10pm, but you'll find more happening joints tucked away in the southern part of the old town: the Quaalude , beneath the "Massari" signboard at Piazza Sarzano 14, is an underground club that features live bands and/or dance parties on Fridays and Saturdays - ask around in local bars for the latest news.

Theatre and opera in Italy
The two main theatres in Genoa are the Teatro della Corte, Via E.F. Duca d'Aosta, and the Teatro Duse, Via Bacigalupo, who advertise their performances on the same hoardings around town and sell tickets to both venues (tel 010.534.2200, The two main theatres in Genoa are the Teatro della Corte, Via E.F. Duca d'Aosta, and the Teatro Duse, Via Bacigalupo, who advertise their performances on the same hoardings around town and sell tickets to both venues (tel 010.534.2200, www.teatro-di-genova .it.net ). The Teatro Carlo Felice in Piazza de Ferrari (tel 010.589.329, www.carlofelice.it ), is Genoa's main opera house ; its performances are often oversubscribed, but it's still worth an enquiry. Chamber music concerts take place in some of Genoa's palaces over summertime.