Tourist Attractions & Monuments Genoa

The development of Piazza Mentana dates back to the late th century. It defines the business district of the more residential quarters of Castelletto and Albaro. By arriving Via Roma on the right, the Acquasola garden occupies the location of a former bastion. At the centre, the monument to Victor-Emmanuel II.

This spherical construction of glass and steel was designed by Renzo Piano. The transparent ball can be seen from the harbour and is located at the Aquarium exit. Inside, it is a recreation of a tropical forest, in all its beauty and fragility. There are several rare plant species, such as the giraffe acacia and the coffee and cocoa tree. But also an emblematic fauna: fish, insects, butterflies, birds, reptiles and amphibians. An exotic visit where nature and architecture evolve in total symbiosis.

The palace, buried in a park, houses a botanical garden and a greenhouse from the beginning of the th century. The museum exhibits Ligurie palaeontological objects, préromaines and Roman pieces, and the entire collection of ancient vases by Prince Oddone.

The famous red buses could not be missing in the city of Christopher Columbus! The classic formula (hop on/hop off available over 24 or 48 hours) has two routes in the city. They mark 10 and 11 stops, criss-crossing all the city's key points from east to west; one passes through the Principe and Brignole railway stations, stopping near the elevators that take you up to the hills. The other goes as far as the picturesque village of Boccadasse. Multilingual audioguide on board, with detailed commentary on the city's main sights.

In the port's old cotton warehouses, not far from the Aquarium, the Città dei Bambini e dei Ragazzi (City of Children and Young People) is Italy's first play and educational center dedicated to children, modelled on the Cité des Sciences de la Villette in Paris. Well-animated workshops, trails and laboratories for the little ones and their families. With distorting mirrors, light shows, soap bubbles, lasers and climbing walls, there's never a dull moment!

The powerful maritime republic did not only deploy its military force on the sea. Vigilant, it took care, in the 16th century, to build ramparts on its northern front, punctuated by thirteen fortresses (i Forti), built between the 17th and 19th centuries, to accommodate the garrisons. Today, this huge facility has become an urban nature park of more than 870 hectares, which you can visit freely on foot and by bike. This defensive arsenal of the city can only be fully grasped by boat. Guided excursions are regularly organised by the tourist office.

Until 1909, when these two elevators linking the lower town to the Castelletto district were inaugurated, the heights of this part of the city were reached by stairs that still exist today (for the brave, there is only a 60 m difference in height, i.e. a few hundred steps). For Genoa residents, use of the vertical structures is totally free, but visitors have to pay €2. This may seem a bit steep for a one-minute elevator ride, but don't forget that this ticket is valid for 110 minutes on all modes of transport, including the other elevator back down. And 110 minutes is plenty of time to take photos, have a drink or enjoy a delicious ice cream or pastry. The optimal route is to take the Ponente's all-wood elevator up. The entrance is hidden in the Galleria Garibaldi, which can be reached either via the gallery entrance or via a long (and guarded!) corridor leading from the Piazza della Meridiana. You then exit through an ornate hall and a gateway that retains its typical early ^20th-century glass canopy. Contemplate the harbour and the city from above, and in fine weather enjoy the cafés in the surrounding streets and squares, or the benches of the Spinata, then admire the superb Levante elevator cabin, suspended in the void, with its colourful stained-glass windows. Simply splendid at sunset... Time to head back down!

Standing just a few metres from the church of Santa Maria di Castello, this beautiful tower, set between other buildings, belonged to the powerful Embriaci family. It is the only tower to have escaped the ordinance of 1296, which imposed a reduction in the height of all buildings in the city: most probably thanks to a favor granted to the Embriaci family for their many loyal services to the Republic. 41 m high, its rusticated surface is covered with exposed stone and its top is crowned with arches.