The capital of Liguria has experienced many ups and downs during its long history. Genoa has been known since antiquity, when a small ancient Greek colony was located on the site of the modern city. Genoa became the largest port of the Mediterranean in the 10th century, and 200 years later it completely expanded to the scale of an independent city-state. Then there were the Crusades, when the city surpassed many European kingdoms in influence and wealth. Crafts and trade flourished in the maritime republic, there was a banking system of its own, and an extensive network of colonies brought considerable income to the Genoese. Christopher Columbus was born here, the University of Genoa was founded in the 1470 century, and the ships of the Genoese successfully resisted the Algerian corsairs, having on board the most modern weapons for that era. All these events have left their mark on the history of the city, and the answer to the question of what to see in Genoa can be found in ancient squares, in medieval castles and the richest museum exhibitions.
TOP 10 attractions of Genoa
Lanterna
All tourist guides call the port lighthouse the hallmark of Genoa. It rises in the old Genoese port and has been lighting the way for ships entering the harbor for almost nine centuries.
Lanterna's history began in 1128, when it was decided to build a tower to show arriving merchant ships the way to Genoa's harbor. The first fuel to maintain the fire in the lighthouse was juniper firewood, which was lit by the Laterna caretakers. The money to pay for their services was taken from the mooring fee received from ships entering the port. Two hundred years later, a lamp powered by olive oil appeared in the Genoa lighthouse.
For the possession of the lighthouse, there were often battles between clans fighting for power in Genoa. This was the reason for the emergence of a protective trench around Latern.
With the advent of new inventions, the tower first received Fresnel lenses, which concentrated the light flux in one direction, and at the beginning of the 20th century, electricity began to be used in its work.
The lighthouse of Genoa is still in operation, and next to it in the museum you can look at the exhibits that tell about its history.
Ferrari square
In the very center of Genoa, you will find a beautiful square named after the famous Genoese patron and patron of the city, Duke Raphael de Ferrari.
Ferrari Square is famous for its fountain, which was erected thanks to donations from the Piaggio family, who financed the construction in 1936.
Other sights of Genoa are certainly worth your attention in Ferrari Square:
- The main Genoese theater is named after Duke Carlo Felice of Savoy. It is famous for the fact that operas by G. Verdi have been staged on its stage for forty seasons in a row. The theater was opened in 1828 on the site of the former monastery of San Domenico.
- An equestrian statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi was erected in front of the opera house in 1879.
- The oldest building on the square is the Doge's Palace. It began to be erected in the 13th century, and then it was reconstructed and rebuilt many times.
- In the Museum of the Academy of Ligurian Art, you can see the painting and sculptural masterpieces of masters from Genoa.
The architectural ensemble of Piazza Ferrari was reconstructed and partly created under the direction of Carlo Barabino.
To get there: Metro Genoa, stop. Ferrari.
Via Garibaldi
The main artery of the old center of Genoa is called the street of the kings. It is built up with palaces, each of which is a self-sufficient city landmark.
The history of Via Garibaldi dates back to the 16th century, when members of the wealthy families of Genoa began to buy up land in the center and build palaces on the acquired plots. The construction took place in the second half of the 16th century, and the architectural work was supervised by Bernardino Cantone. His project later served as the basis for the development of other historic streets of the Ligurian capital.
Each palazzo on both sides of the Via Garibaldi deserves special attention. On 250 meters of a small street, there are luxurious mansions, in which the most interesting museum expositions are open today. The collections of the Genoese palazzo on Via Garibaldi display picturesque masterpieces, household items and decorations from the Middle Ages, and even the Paganini violin, which is still played during the autumn music festival.
Palazzi dei Rolli
Palaces from the Palazzi dei Rolli quarter in Genoa were built in the 16th century, when members of aristocratic families massively acquired land in the center of the old city. The quarter became unique due to the fact that the architect Galeazzo Alesi proposed the first complex development project at that time, when the long-term development plan for this part of the city was put at the forefront.
The name of the quarter means “palaces from the list”. We are talking about a list that included palazzo that satisfy three characteristics - the nobility of the owner, the beauty of the architectural project and the size of the proposed building.
The modern Palazzi dei Rolli especially attracts tourists with its museums located in several palaces on Garibaldi Street. The most luxurious collection of exhibits is offered to the visitors of the Palazzo Reale.
Staglieno cemetery
The most famous tombstone of the world famous Genoese cemetery has long been the Angel of the Resurrection. The beautiful statue, commissioned by Francesco Onoto in 1882 by the talented neoclassical sculptor Giulio Monteverde, is now called the hallmark of one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world.
Staglieno appeared in the Genoese suburb in 1851 and, thanks to the efforts of the architect Carlo Barabino, quickly gained fame as a unique and unusual sight of Genoa. People began to come here not only to commemorate the dead, but also to look at the most beautiful works of famous Italian masters Bistolfi and Alfieri, Monteverde and Varni, made of Carranian marble. Today the Staglieno cemetery is called an open-air sculpture museum.
To get there: Metro Genoa stop. Principe, then by bus. N34 to the stop. Staglieno.
Basilica of St. Mary Assunta
The project of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta belongs to the famous architect from Perugia Galeazzo Alessi. He worked on drawings in the first half of the 16th century. The construction was delayed for 50 years and the church was consecrated in 1583. The customer of the construction, a representative of the noble Genoese family Sauli, did not live to see the solemn day.
The basilica was built in the Renaissance style. On the plan, it is a cross with five domes and two bell towers.
The interior is richly decorated with works of sculptors and Renaissance painters. In several altars of the temple, you can see paintings by Domenico Piola, Francesco Vanni and Luca Cambiaso. The pearl of the basilica is the painting "The Last Supper" by Giuseppe Palmeiri, the famous Genoese who worked in the late Baroque style. The main marble altar was designed by Massimiliano Soldani, who worked for the Medici house in Florence for many years.
The temple is located on a hill and is visible from almost anywhere in Genoa.
Christ from the abyss
In the suburbs of Genoa, in a bay near the medieval monastery of San Fruttuoso, at a depth of 17 meters, you can look at another famous city landmark. A sculpture of Christ, made by Guido Galetti in the middle of the last century, is installed under the water. The idea belongs to an Italian diver whose friend had died in the bay a few years earlier.
The height of the sculpture is 2.5 meters. The Savior is depicted raising his hands to the sky. The clear water of the Ligurian Sea allows you to see Christ from the abyss even with a slight dive.
Genoa's underwater attraction is particularly popular with divers, despite the fact that getting to the abbey is not very easy.
Genoa Cathedral
Among the city's many magnificent churches, the Duomo stands out. The Cathedral of San Lorenzo began to be built on the square of the same name at the beginning of the 12th century on the burial place of the Martyr Saint Lorenzo. Work on the construction of the current Duomo lasted almost three hundred years, and therefore the building acquired features characteristic of different architectural styles. It has signs of Romanesque architecture and Gothic notes.
The facade of the temple is faced with two-tone Carranian marble. One bell tower was built to the end, is 60 meters high and decorated in the Renaissance style. The second was never completed, and in its place there was an elegant loggia in the style of open galleries in northern Italy.
The interior of the Duomo of Genoa is decorated with sculptures by masters of the 15th-16th centuries, and the main shrines of the temple are the relics of John the Baptist and a dish on which Salome was served the severed head of the saint.
House of Columbus
The Genoese firmly believe that Christopher Columbus was born in their city, and therefore his museum is arranged in one of the mansions on Dante Square. Guides claim that it was here that the greatest navigator lived until 1470.
The interiors of the house can be viewed only on October 12, the day of the holiday in honor of Columbus.
National Gallery
The exposition of one of the most famous museums in Genoa is located in the Spinola Palace, built at the end of the 16th century. The mansion is an architectural monument in the Renaissance style. Its facade is decorated with ancient frescoes, stucco decoration, figures of Atlanteans and bas-reliefs in the form of masks. The interior decoration of the palace reproduces the interiors of the 17th century. The museum has preserved the furniture of that era, and the Mirror Gallery remains the most impressive hall today.
The interior walls of the gallery are hand-painted by craftsmen Giovanni and Luca Cambiaso. Father and son own the frescoes Apollo Throwing Arrows at the Greeks at the Walls of Troy and Hercules Fighting the Amazons.
The museum exhibition includes works by Rubens, Van Dyck and other great painters of the Middle Ages.
