Streets squares and districts to visit Genoa

As early as the 13th century, the "bankers" carried out their activities under the arcades of the medieval houses, hence the name. A few meters from the port, the Loggia dei Mercanti (1598) housed the first stock market in Italy from 1855 to 1942. The church of San Pietro (1572), covered with trompe l'oeil frescoes and in an elevated position, was built on land belonging to the Lomellini family of merchants, who only gave permission to build it on condition that the existing shops were maintained. The only solution was to build upwards.

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!