Historical center
It is a fascinating world, where arts and crafts mix in a labyrinth of dark alleys (caruggi) and small suntouched squares; where poor old houses stand by luxurious palaces.
Everywhere there are pieces of art: on the frescoed vaults of Baroque churches, on the old sculpted slate doorways, even in some ancient shops.
Here fish vendors cry in front of elegant pastry shops.
Here the names of ancient noble Genoese families mix with Arabian, Chinese, South-American names of the late generation emigrants.
In the evening young people come to drink beer and listen to music under old vaulted wine shops or under the ceilings of Romanesque churches.
A long alley once ran with the seaside, linking the port and the city. Today the sea is far away, but that long alley is still there, lined with shops, artists’ studios, churches and ancient buildings. During the Roman age Genoa came downhill
and took possession of the coastal plain.
From Via della Grazie the alley leads to Via Canneto il Curto and Piazza San Giorgio, where meets the Roman streets: Via San Bernardo, Via dei Giustiniani and Via Canneto il Lungo, with its Liberty barbershop and Islamic butchers, that rises to Piazza delle Erbe, where in the evening crowds of young people and
tourists gather.
They were so wise, those merchants who first settled themselves on the hill now called “Castello” (i.e. castrum, fortified town), in the 7th, maybe even 8th century B.C. That steep, unassailable hill later became a town.
Here there is evidence of every stage in Genoa’s history; below the 17th-century convent of Santa Maria in Passione traces have been found of dwellings built when Rome was still an unknown village
The Cathedral of San Lorenzo was built by artists, craftsmen and workers from Pisa, Lombardy and France.
It is elegant, for its black and white striped façade, its two bell-towers, its large rose-window, its doorways made of multicoulored marble. It is unusual, for the Roman remains on the façades. It is precious, for its Museo Diocesano (Museum of
Genoese Diocese) and its Museo del Tesoro (Museum of the Treasury), which keeps a silver and gold coffer containing the ashes of Saint John the Baptist and a green glass basin said to be the Holy Grail.
Genoa’s Aquarium is one of the most important in Europe and one of the most popular attractions in Italy. Its visit requests about three hours: you’ll see the great tanks that house sharks, dolphins and joking seals, the rocks where penguins stay, the tropical forest where small crocodiles live.
Stop to stroke the skates, that flutter their “wings” when you stroke them (never mind if your fingers smell of fish).
Take a closer look at small red frogs or multicoloured chamaleons keeping still on the trees. Try to understand the king-crabs, incredible fossils from
Prehistoric ages.
Let yourself be hypnotized by the dreamlike phosphorescence of jellytish forever floating in a clear watery column…
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District:
Arenzano
- Avegno
- Bargagli
- Bogliasco
- Borzonasca
- Busalla
- Camogli
- Campo ligure
- Campomorone
- Carasco
- Casarza ligure
- Casella
- Castiglione chiavarese
- Ceranesi
- Chiavari
- Cicagna
- Cogoleto
- Cogorno
- Coreglia ligure
- Crocefieschi
- Davagna
- Fascia
- Favale di malvaro
- Fontanigorda
- Genova
- Gorreto
- Isola del cantone
- Lavagna
- Leivi
- Lorsica
- Lumarzo
- Masone
- Mele
- Mezzanego
- Mignanego
- Moconesi
- Moneglia
- Montebruno
- Montoggio
- Ne
- Neirone
- Orero
- Pieve ligure
- Portofino
- Propata
- Rapallo
- Recco
- Rezzoaglio
- Ronco scrivia
- Rondanina
- Rossiglione
- Rovegno
- San colombano certenoli
- Santa margherita ligure
- Santo stefano daveto
- Santolcese
- Savignone
- Serra ricco
- Sestri levante
- Sori
- Tiglieto
- Torriglia
- Tribogna
- Uscio
- Valbrevenna
- Vobbia
- Zoagli
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Part of the information regarding the history, the art, the traditions and the events about the city of Genoa on this page is drawn from www.wikipedia.org
respecting the GNU Free Documentation License.
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