Genoa

Liguria's capital and historic seaport, with the World Heritage palaces of the Strade Nuove, the birthplace of pesto and focaccia, plus a harbor aquarium and a clifftop seaside promenade.

Genoa is the capital of Italy's Liguria region and the country's largest port city, built between mountains and sea, with houses climbing tier upon tier up the Apennine foothills. From the Middle Ages it was a maritime republic rivaling Venice, and the wealth amassed by its banking families in the 16th–17th centuries produced the Strade Nuove and the Palazzi dei Rolli, inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2006; Christopher Columbus and Paganini were both born here. The city divides into four areas: first, the old town and the Strade Nuove, including the Via Garibaldi museums, the Royal Palace, San Lorenzo Cathedral, the Doge's Palace and the maze-like caruggi alleys; second, the Old Port, where the Aquarium, the Galata Maritime Museum and the Bigo lift are great for families; third, the eastern coast, with the fishing village of Boccadasse and the Nervi seaside promenade; and fourth, the hills, with the Castelletto viewpoint, the Righi funicular and the fortresses along the city walls. Spring and autumn (April–June, September–October) have the most pleasant weather; summer is crowded at the seaside but good for swimming, and winters are mild with little snow. An airport bus links Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport with the city; trains take about 1.5–2 hours from Milan or Turin and about 1–1.5 hours to the Cinque Terre. In town you can use the metro, buses, funiculars and public lifts, all on the same ticket. Allow 2–3 days, with a side trip to the Cinque Terre or Portofino. Be sure to try trofie al pesto, focaccia and farinata. Watch your belongings at night in some parts of the old town.

Top sights

• Strade Nuove & Palazzi dei Rolli – A UNESCO-listed Renaissance street of noble palaces, with grand mansions lining Via Garibaldi. It is a picture of Genoa's golden age.
• Aquarium of Genoa – One of Europe's largest aquariums, with dolphin, manatee, penguin and shark exhibits. A must-visit with children.
• Porto Antico – A historic harbour district remodelled by Renzo Piano, combining the aquarium, the Biosphere glass sphere, the Bigo lift, a replica 17th-ce…
• Caruggi & Via del Campo – One of Europe's largest medieval old towns, where narrow, towering lanes hide bakeries, small churches and long-established shops.
• Musei di Strada Nuova – A museum complex linking three palaces on one ticket, with works by Van Dyck and Rubens and Paganini's violin.
• Palazzo Reale – A Rolli Palace on Via Balbi that later served as the Savoy royal residence in Genoa, with a dazzling Hall of Mirrors and Throne Room.
• Bigo – A white steel structure modelled on harbour crane booms, whose rotating glass cabin rises to 40 metres for views over the harbour and Old T…
• Biosfera – A spherical glass greenhouse suspended over the sea beside the aquarium, recreating rainforest plants, birds and fish.
• Galata Museo del Mare – One of the largest maritime museums in the Mediterranean, where visitors can board a reconstructed Genoese galley and a real submarine.
• Genoa Cathedral (San Lorenzo) – A Gothic-Romanesque cathedral with a black-and-white striped marble facade, whose treasury holds the legendary Holy Grail.
• Palazzo Ducale – The former residence of the Doge of the Republic of Genoa, now a major city exhibition and cultural centre, with a climb to the Torre Grima…
• Piazza De Ferrari – Genoa's central square, with a large bronze fountain surrounded by the Palazzo Ducale, the old Stock Exchange and the opera house.
• Teatro Carlo Felice – Genoa's main opera house, with a neoclassical portico opening onto a modern auditorium that stages opera, symphony and ballet.
• Porta Soprana & Columbus House – A twin-towered gate of the 12th-century medieval walls, beside a small stone house said to be where Columbus spent his childhood.
• Piazza San Matteo – The private square of the Doria family, a quiet medieval corner preserved with black-and-white striped palaces and a small church.
• Chiesa del Gesù – A plain exterior hides a richly gilded Baroque interior covered in frescoes, housing two authentic paintings by Rubens.
• Santissima Annunziata del Vastato – A Baroque great church near the Royal Palace, with the ceilings of its three naves entirely covered in gilded carvings and frescoes.
• Spianata Castelletto – A hillside terrace reached by a century-old lift, overlooking the Old Town rooftops, the harbour and the lighthouse. Best for night views.
• Righi & Parco delle Mura – Ride a cable railway up the ridge behind the city for panoramic views, then hike along the 17th-century walls past old forts.
• Lanterna di Genova – Standing about 77 metres tall, it is one of the world's oldest lighthouses still in use and a symbol of the city. Visitors can climb it for…
• Staglieno Cemetery – One of Europe's largest open-air sculpture museums, with arcades full of realistic 19th-century marble funerary sculptures.
• Boccadasse – A colourful little fishing village in the east of the city, with a pebble cove, painted houses and ice cream shops, a favourite sunset spot…
• Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi, Nervi – A seaside path of about 2 km carved along the cliffs, with rocks, coves and small harbours, and views of the Portofino peninsula.
• Parchi di Nervi – A seaside park made up of the gardens of three aristocratic villas, famous for its rose garden. One of the villas houses a modern art museu…
• Via XX Settembre & Mercato Orientale – An arcaded Art Nouveau avenue serving as the main shopping street, with the century-old Mercato Orientale nearby, where you can taste Ligur…
• Castello d'Albertis – A world culture museum in a neo-Gothic castle, reached by public lift and with terraces overlooking the port.
• Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini – A 19th-century Romantic garden in Pegli, west of the city, where a theatrical 'three-act' route links lakes, temples and pavilions.
• Portofino – A luxurious little fishing harbor on the Ligurian east coast, with a horseshoe bay crowded with yachts, pastel houses, the Church of San Gi…
• Abbey of San Fruttuoso – A thousand-year-old abbey hidden in a bay on the Portofino peninsula, reachable only by boat or on foot, with a statue of Christ of the Aby…
• Camogli – A fishing village on the western side of the Portofino peninsula, known for its rows of tall, colorful seafront houses and painted fake win…

Where to eat

• Trattoria da Maria – A century-old budget trattoria in the old town's alleys, featuring a handwritten daily menu and communal tables for aut…
• Antico Forno della Casana – A famous focaccia bakery tucked away in the old town's alleys, serving golden, savory focaccia regarded by many locals…
• Il Genovese – A two-story trattoria on Via Galata serving pesto freshly ground in marble mortars, starting your meal with a mini mort…
• Sa Pesta – An historic eatery housed in a medieval salt warehouse, where the wood-fired farinata baked in copper pans is praised b…
• Antica Friggitoria Carega – A century-old fry shop under the medieval Sottoripa arcades, serving fried seafood in paper cones—a classic street food…
• Osteria di Vico Palla – A traditional tavern in a 17th-century building near the Old Port, specializing in Genoese stockfish and seafood with a…

Itineraries

• Riviera Coastal Railway: Nice to Cinque Terre – Follow the coastal railway from Nice through Monaco, Sanremo, and Genoa all the way to Cinque Terre.
• Genoa to Cinque Terre Coastal Railway – Travel east along the Ligurian coast from Genoa's old town to Camogli, Portofino, and the Cinque Terre by train.