Principe and Castelletto
The western part of Genoa's city center paradoxically combines middle-class and working-class neighborhoods: the historically working-class Pré district, close to the port, is bordered to the north by Via Balbi. This is lined with Renaissance palaces that were converted into universities in the 19th century, and leads to Piazza Acquaverde and the Principe railway station. Beyond, and slightly set back, the small village of Carmine is still a popular pocket, but one that is undergoing rapid gentrification. This is where you'll find the popular Genoa of yesteryear that lives on. The district of Carmine clings to the elegant, middle-class hill of Castelletto, which dominates Genoa in all its glory.
Il Prè. In the lower part of the district, along the harbor, the Via di Prè (meadow street, in dialect) has retained the charm and authenticity of a street that has long maintained a dubious reputation. The street used to lead to Genoa's western districts, the impoverished areas outside the city walls. Today, colorful and cosmopolitan, the Prè district has become home to Genoa's most recent immigrants. Long abandoned, the Via di Prè has regained its medieval charm in recent years thanks to a project to upgrade the district.
Via Balbi and Principe. The street running parallel to Via di Prè is Via Balbi: it links Piazza dell'Annunziata and its imposing church to the Principe train station. This is where the city's main literary faculties are concentrated. A succession of ancient palaces gives this thoroughfare an old-fashioned charm, less formal or austere than the palaces of Via Garibaldi. Students meet here, sandwich shops feed them and small cafés follow one another. Piazza Acquaverde, too, retains a slightly old-fashioned charm, with its handsome train station and its grand, candy-pink hotel, the Grand Hotel Savoia. From the station square, an elevator leads to the Castello d'Albertis. Students, tourists and travelers mingle in this charming neighborhood.
Il Carmine. A popular little pocket between the palaces of Via Balbi and the middle-class villas of Castelletto, the Carmine district rises on the hillside of Genoa's most affluent central district. Starting from the pretty Piazza del Carmine, cobbled, pedestrian lanes lead to courtyards, pastel houses and an unspoilt village that is resisting ever-increasing gentrification. Take the time on a sunny afternoon to wander around, and you'll come across nothing but locals, strolling and drinking coffee. Join them to enjoy this truly authentic downtown district.
Castelletto. Perched on a hill, Castelletto takes its name from a defensive castle that has stood here since the Middle Ages. The fortress was finally demolished in 1849 and, since then, Castelletto has become a middle-class residential area with elegant villas set in lush green parks. From here, the view of Genoa, the Ligurian coast and the sea is incomparable. This is the main reason for visiting the area, which has no other sites of interest open to visitors. For direct access to the belvedere for which Castelletto is famous, take the Art Nouveau elevator from Piazza del Portello or climb up through the narrow streets of Carmine.
Porto Antico and Centro Storico
For centuries, the port of Genoa has been the heart of the city, the core of its history and the origin of its political and economic fortunes. The historic center, with its narrow, chaotic medieval streets, climbs like a horseshoe from the port and the sea to the heights.
The Porto Antico is Genoa's true origin. It was long separated from the city center, first by the customs buildings and later by the Sopraelevata, the elevated road running through Genoa.
In 1992, to mark the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America, the Porto Antico was the subject of one of Italy's biggest redevelopment projects, signed by the renowned Renzo Piano architectural firm. This impressive redevelopment reconciled the city with its port, creating a museum hub, tourist attractions and a public space.
Today, there are three freely accessible areas: the port itself, with the marina and the Genoa Aquarium; the waterfront, with the promenade, Piazza Caricamento and the buildings, warehouses and palaces that line the city; and the arcades of the Sottoripa, with its stalls.
Historic center. Behind the Sottoripa lies one of Europe's most extensive medieval centers. It is a concentrate of urban planning and architecture that is unique in the world. Incredibly vast, mysterious and bubbling with vitality, the center of Genoa alternates between straight arteries and labyrinthine medieval alleyways. These caruggi (in Genoese, vicoli in Italian), where it's easy to lose your sense of direction, are the remnants of urban planning designed to combat invaders from the sea.
Genoa's merit lies in its ability to preserve its historic structures, adapting them to the requirements of the times, and to do so throughout the ages. As a result, today it's possible to stroll through the old town on a fascinating journey back in time.
Left bank versus right bank. The only way to find your way around the labyrinth of medieval alleyways is to understand that when you go up, you're heading towards the modern city; when you go down, you're heading towards the port. It's also worth noting that Genoese distinguish between the "left bank", to the east of Via San Lorenzo, and the "right bank", to the west of this main thoroughfare, which acts as a border between the two parts of the old town.
The left bank contains the oldest part of Genoa, Castello and the Sarzano district. The right bank is divided into a "noble" part with palaces and historic shops between Via San Lorenzo and Via dei Orefici. To the west of the latter, we enter the Maddalena district, a working-class area undergoing a complete renewal.
Around Via XX Settembre and Brignole
The area around Via XX Settembre, from Piazza De Ferrari to the Brignole railway station, is the commercial, financial and administrative heart of modern Genoa. There are also affluent residential areas, such as the chic and quiet Carignano district. The wide, straight avenues you'll find here contrast sharply with the labyrinthine alleys of the historic center.
Origins. From the first half of the 19th century, the desire for urban expansion was dictated by a gradual increase in population and the growing industrialization of Genoa. The districts to the east of the medieval center were masterfully reinvested to illustrate the grandeur of the industrial city, which was experiencing a new peak of wealth. The Piazza De Ferrari, which became the city's focal point in the 19th century, marks the boundary between the ancient and modern parts of Genoa.
Eclectic architecture. The new district was strongly influenced by the work of architect Carlo Barabino (1768-1835), who opened Via XXV Aprile and built the Carlo Felice Theatre. Along with Via Roma, Via XXV Aprile and Galleria Mazzini, lined with elegant shop windows, retained the bourgeois air of the Belle Époque. At the same time, the establishment of Via XX Settembre on the route of the old Via Giulia marked the definitive shift of the city's economic center, for the first time away from the port. The Fascist period marked a new stage in the district's evolution, with the construction of the large architectural complexes in Piazza della Vittoria and the skyscrapers in Piazza Dante. A large part of the district was destroyed during the Second World War, and was redeveloped again, albeit less successfully, in the 1960s. On the Carignano side, you'll find the beautiful villas and opulent buildings of the new Genoese bourgeoisie.
Art and culture off the beaten track. The district is home to some often overlooked treasures. These include major churches, such as Genoa's most beautiful Romanesque church, and the emblematic Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, whose dome can be seen from every vantage point in Genoa. Among the museums, the Villa Croce Museum of Contemporary Art is rarely visited, despite its magnificent collection of abstract art. A little further away, the Staglieno cemetery, one of the most beautiful monumental cemeteries in Europe, is an extraordinary open-air museum. As for live entertainment, the Piazza De Ferrari has been home to the Genoa Opera and the Carlo Felice Theatre since its construction, while the Teatro Stabile is a center of alternative culture.
Temple of shopping. But the district is best known for its boutiques. Today, Via XX Settembre is the reference point for shopping, with all the major retail chains and the famous Mercato Orientale, Genoa's covered market. Open to traffic and often jammed, these streets are busy during the day, but quiet in the evening. Via Roma is home to luxury brands, and Galleria Mazzini is the place to go for antiques.
Les Riviere
Genoa's Ponant and Levant -the Riviere, as the Genoese call them - are the city's geographical extension: towards the east coast in the case of the Levante, and towards the west in the case of the Ponente. The urban fabric is so continuous that it's almost impossible to identify a divide, at least along the coast, between the city center and the suburbs.
Theorigins. In 1926, some twenty autonomous communes were attached to the city of Genoa. This decision, linked to the Fascist desire to rationalize urban planning and administration, marked the birth of Grande Genova. Today, although the feeling of belonging to one's own district is very strong, these suburbs are perfectly integrated. Although geographically close, Ponant and Levant are very different from each other, historically, economically and culturally.
Ponant. With its characteristic fishing villages and lush green landscapes, the Ponant has long been popular with the Genoese nobility, who built sumptuous villas here. With the industrial revolution, these villages became workers' quarters for shipyards and the steel industry. In the 19thand 20thcenturies , entire areas were sacrificed to the logic of profit, transforming these privileged neighborhoods into densely populated, working-class urban zones. Since the crisis that hit Genoa's industry in the 1980s, these communities have been largely impoverished. Today, they face a delicate process of reconversion.
The Ponant still boasts some unexpectedly interesting tourist attractions, such as the villas of Pegli and Voltri. A boat trip to Pegli's pretty waterfront is also a pleasant way to spend a day at sea.
Le Levant. Less troubled, Le Levant has lived through the transition from a string of fishing villages to a residential area for the Genoese upper middle class without much trauma. This slow, gradual transition began with the construction of villas in the 16thcentury . Today, as soon as spring arrives, the Genoese head for the beaches and seaside bars that criss-cross the coast. Past Foce and its amusement parks, Corso Italia is a popular promenade leading to the village and small bay of Boccadasse, a picturesque fishing village. Further east, the beaches of Sturla, Quarto and Quinto are very popular in summer. Finally, Nervi, with its parks, museums, villas and seafront, has become increasingly attractive. A little further east, cool young people and surfers flock to Bogliasco, while families prefer Sori. And then there's Camogli, at the foot of the Portofino promontory.
Farniente and aperitivo. The Riviere are especially popular with Genoese in summer. When the city center becomes too stuffy, they escape to the coast at every opportunity. There, you can breathe easier, swim, cool off and, above all, indulge in the ritual ofaperitivo. It's an absolute must to have a drink at sunset on either of the Riviere, even if it has to be said that it's mainly on the Levante side that the Genoese go. The beach bars and bistros fill up for an evening by the sea.
