Overview
Old Town & Caruggi
Rolli Palaces (UNESCO)
Old Port & Aquarium
Pesto, Focaccia & the Riviera
Genoa (Genova), the capital of Liguria, was for centuries one of the great maritime republics of the Mediterranean, and it wears that history vividly — a proud, layered, sometimes gritty port city the Genoese still call 'la Superba', the Superb One. It climbs steeply from its harbour up the surrounding hills, and at its heart lies one of the largest and best-preserved medieval old towns in Europe: a dense, shadowy maze of caruggi, the narrow alleys where laundry hangs overhead, artisan workshops and old shops (botteghe storiche) trade as they have for generations, and sudden squares open onto Romanesque churches and the striped marble Cathedral of San Lorenzo. The wealth of the banking republic survives in the Palazzi dei Rolli — the grand Renaissance and Baroque palaces, many along the Strada Nuova (Via Garibaldi), once registered to host visiting dignitaries and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, several open as the Musei di Strada Nuova with their painting collections. Genoa's relationship with the sea is its other great theme: the Porto Antico (Old Port), redesigned by the Genoa-born architect Renzo Piano, has been transformed into a buzzing waterfront with the Aquarium of Genoa — the largest in Italy — the Galata Maritime Museum, the panoramic Bigo lift and the Biosfera, while the old Lanterna lighthouse still marks the harbour. East along the shore, the pastel former fishing village of Boccadasse, with its little beach and bobbing boats, feels a world away from the city behind it. Genoa is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, of the violinist Paganini and of Renzo Piano, and the home of some of Italy's most beloved food — pesto alla genovese, focaccia, farinata and trofie. It is also the natural gateway to the Italian Riviera, with Portofino, Camogli and the Cinque Terre a short train ride along the coast. The climate is mild and Mediterranean; spring and autumn are ideal, summer warm and busy on the nearby Riviera.
Discover Genoa
Genoa's old town is one of the largest medieval centres in Europe, and getting lost in it is the essential Genoese experience. The caruggi — tall, narrow alleys so close-set that daylight barely reaches the ground — form a dense, atmospheric labyrinth running back from the port, lined with workshops, tiny bars (where you might try the local farinata), historic shops and shrines, and opening without warning onto handsome squares. At its centre rises the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, with its banded black-and-white marble façade and striped interior, and nearby the grand Piazza De Ferrari with its fountain, ringed by the opera house (Teatro Carlo Felice), the stock exchange and the Palazzo Ducale, the former doges' palace that now hosts major exhibitions. Tucked in the lanes are gems like the medieval Porta Soprana gate and, beside it, the house traditionally said to be the boyhood home of Christopher Columbus. The old town can feel raw and labyrinthine, but that authenticity — a working port city rather than a polished museum — is exactly its appeal.
Genoa is Italy's great historic maritime city, the capital of Liguria, known for one of the largest medieval old towns in Europe and its caruggi alleys, the gilded UNESCO-listed Rolli palaces along the Strada Nuova, and a regenerated Old Port with the Aquarium of Genoa — the largest in Italy. It is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, the violinist Paganini and the architect Renzo Piano, the home of pesto and focaccia, and the gateway to the Italian Riviera.
One to two days covers the city's essentials at a relaxed pace — the old-town caruggi and San Lorenzo cathedral, the Rolli palaces and Musei di Strada Nuova, and the Old Port with the Aquarium, plus seaside Boccadasse. Genoa also makes an excellent base for the Ligurian Riviera: trains run east to Camogli, Santa Margherita (for Portofino) and the Cinque Terre, and west toward San Remo, so you can pair the city's history with the coast.
Genoa is the home of pesto alla genovese — the classic raw sauce of Ligurian basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese and olive oil — typically served with trofie or trenette pasta. It is also famous for focaccia, eaten at any time of day, and for the cheese-filled focaccia di Recco from nearby; for farinata, a baked chickpea-flour pancake; and for the Christmas sweet pandolce. Look for the traditional shops and bakeries (botteghe storiche) in the old town.
Tourism & destination guides
1 embassy based in this city, grouped by region.