Attractions
Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport
Address: Via Pionieri e Aviatori d'Italia, 1, 16154 Genova GE, Italy .Cristoforo Colombo - City Airport
Galata - Museo del Mare
Address: Calata De Mari Ansaldo, 1, 16126 Genova GE .Navigate through history
Even today, meeting a very diverse audience made up of people different for ages and levels of education, and often also living far away from the sea and its culture, the Galata “impresses” through its ability to immerse visitors in accurate reconstructions of great scientific and formal quality, aimed at achieving the best representation of an era, typology of ship and the kind of on board life.
MEM – Memory and Migration section is dedicated to Italian emigration by sea and to the recent phenomenon of immigration to Italy.
The path, covering an area of 1200 square metres, with more than 40 multimedia stations tells how migrations have left – and are still leaving – their mark on the Italian society.Palazzo San Giorgio
Address: Via della Mercanzia - 16123 Genova .Palazzo San Giorgio is one of the most relevant and well-known historic buildings in Genoa. Nowadays it hosts the headquarters of the Autorità di Sistema Portuale del Mar Ligure Occidentale. The palace is located in the docks area and is formed by two different parts: the ancient one, a typical example of medieval architecture, front pointed towards the Sottoripa portico, and the Renaissance one, oriented south. The main entrance is located on this side in front of the Porto Antico, facing via della Mercanzia, a small alley that links piazza Caricamento to piazza Cavour.
The palace was built between 1257 and il 1260 and was commissioned by the Capitano del Popolo Guglielmo Boccanegra, who wanted to realize the headquarters of the civic power in order to differentiate it from the religious power, installed in the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo. The design for the new public palace was entrusted to Frate Oliverio, a Cistercian monk, who had already designed he extension of the Ancient Dock to the sea, thanks to his technical skills. According to a legend, during the second half of the 13th century, in this palace Marco Polo was held prisoner.
Since 1340 the palace became the headquarters of the judiciaries authorities for the supervision of port trades and here were installed the customs and the offices of the so called Compere, the authorities entrusted with the management of credit from citizens to the Municipality. In 1407 all the Compere were reunited under a single authorty: it was the birth of the Casa delle Compere e dei Banchi di San Giorgio, one of the first banks, born in Italy. Since 1451 the entire building was managed by the Bank of San Giorgio, and got its name.
In 1903 the palace became the headquarters of the Port Authorities, which was called Consorzio Autonomo del Porto di Genova.
More information about guided visits on the FAI website: https://www.fondoambiente.it/luoghi/palazzo-san-giorgio/
San Lorenzo Cathedral
Address: Piazza San Lorenzo .Genoa Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Genova, Cattedrale di San Lorenzo) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Italian city of Genoa. It is dedicated to Saint Lawrence (San Lorenzo), and is the seat of the Archbishop of Genoa. The cathedral was consecrated by Pope Gelasius II in 1118 and was built between the twelfth century and the fourteenth century as fundamentally a medieval building, with some later additions. Secondary naves and side covers are of Romanesque style and the main facade is Gothic from the early thirteenth century, while capitals and columns with interior corridors date from the early fourteenth century. The bell tower and dome were built in the sixteenth century.
Excavations under the pavement and in the area in front of today's west front have brought to light walls and pavements of Roman age as well as pre-Christian sarcophagi, suggesting the existence of a burial ground in the site. Later a church devoted to the Twelve Apostles was built, which was in turn flanked and replaced by a new cathedral dedicated to Saint Lawrence, in Romanesque style. Money came from the successful enterprises of the Genoese fleets in the Crusades.
The first cathedral, now the basilica of St. Syrus, was founded probably in the 5th or 6th century AD, devoted to Saint Sirus, bishop of Genoa. The transferring of the cathedral favored the urbanization of the zone that, with the construction of its walls in 1155, and the fusion of the three ancient city nuclei (castrum, civitas and burgus), became the heart of the city. The piazza, in the absence of other public squares and centers of lay power, was the city's only public space for the whole of the Middle Ages. The cathedral was consecrated by Pope Gelasius II in 1118, and from 1133 had archiepiscopal rank. After the fire of 1296, provoked by fights between Guelphs and Ghibellines, the building was partly restored and partly rebuilt. Between 1307 and 1312 the façade was completed, the inner colonnades rebuilt with capitals and matronei added. The Romanesque structures remained pretty untouched, and frescoes of religious subject were also added.
Various altars and chapels have been erected between the 14th and 15th centuries. The small loggia on the north-eastern tower of the façade was built in 1455; the opposite one, in Mannerist style, is from 1522. In 1550 the Perugian architect Galeazzo Alessi was commissioned by the city magistrates to plan the reconstruction of the entire building; however, he executed only the covering of the nave and aisles, the pavement, the dome and the apse.
The construction of the cathedral finished in the 17th century. The dome and the medieval parts were restored in 1894-1900. The present 7 bells are tuned in the major scale of C#.
Among the artworks inside the church are ceiling frescoes in a chapel on the north by Luca Cambiaso; a Crucifixion with Saints (St. Sebastian's Vision) by Barocci; in front of the organ is an Episode from the life of St. Lawrence by Giovanni Andrea Ansaldo; the ceiling fresco in the presbytery of the Martyrdom of St Lawrence was painted by Lazzaro Tavarone; and an Assumption of the Virgin (1914) by Gaetano Previati. The church also contains 14th-century frescoes in the Byzantine style in the main portal. Sculptural works include a statue in the chapel of St. John by Domenico Gagini ; a Virgin and a St. John the Baptist by Andrea Sansovino. Other works include works by Matteo Civitali, Taddeo Carlone,and Giacomo and Guglielmo Della Porta .
The Museum of the Treasury lies under the cathedral and holds a collection of jewellery and silverware from 9 AD up to the present. Among the most important pieces are the sacred bowl (it:Sacro Catino) brought by Guglielmo Embriaco after the conquest of Caesarea and supposed to be the chalice used by Christ during the Last Supper; and the Cassa Processionale del Corpus Domini.
War damage:
Armour-piercing shell fired on 9 February 1941 in the nave of Genoa cathedral.
The cathedral had a fortunate escape on February 9, 1941, when the city was being shelled as part of Operation Grog. Because of a crew error, the British battleship HMS Malaya fired a 381 mm (15.0 in) armour-piercing shell into the south-eastern corner of the nave. The relatively soft material failed to detonate the fuse and the shell is still there.
The inscription, which gives thanks for the cathedral's escape reads:
QUESTA BOMBA LANCIATA DALLA FLOTTA INGLESE PUR SFONDANDO LE PARETI DI QUESTA INSIGNE CATTEDRALE QUI CADEVA INESPLOSA IL IX FEBBRAIO MCMXLI
A RICONOSCENZA PERENNE GENOVA CITTÀ DI MARIA VOLLE INCISA IN PIETRA LA MEMORIA DI TANTA GRAZIALanterna di Genova - Museo della Lanterna
Address: Rampa della Lanterna, 16126 Genova GE .History of Lanterna di Genova
The emblem of the city of Genoa, situated on the Capo di Faro’s ness, with their 76 meters of height, is the highest lighthouse of Mediterranean sea and the second in Europe.
The actual construction dates back to 1543, but until XII century a tower with a similar structure existed, born like watch-tower to announce the arrival of suspected boats and became as time passes a lighthouse too, on which top people burnt brushwood to announce to navigates the access to the port. The first Lanterna at olive oil was built in 1326 , its light was concentrated in a truss thanks to glassy crystals produced by glass-workers Ligurians and Venetians. Probably the oldest representation of this first Lanterna dates back to 1371 and compares on a register’s cover of the maritime authority of the time.
In the XV century the tower was used as a prison and guarded, among others, Cyprus’ king.
At the beginning of XVI century it was built the fortress of Briglia, wanted by Luigi XII for the armies which garrisoned the town : the genoeses, insurgent against the Frenches , bombarded it, damaging Lanterna too, reduced to half tower. In 1543 it was rebuilt and the old battlements were replaced. Since this moment Lanterna overcame without serious consequences the naval bombardment of the Sun King in the end of XVI century, the fights of 1746 after Portoria’s revolt, the bombings of the second world war, as well as a lot of bad weathers (until, in the second world war, it was armed of lightning).Recently the power of the lighthouse increased considerably, whether for introduction of new optics system, or for the introduction of news combustibles: the acetylene’s gas(1898), than pressurized oil (1905), until the electrification in 1936.
The Tower’s history from 1128 to nowadays.
According to some not official sourcing , in 1128 was built the first tower, tall just under the actual, with an architectural structure similar to the actual, but with three overlapping crenellated logs. At her top were lighten up, to advise the ships approaching, bundles of dry stalks of heather or broom.
The documents of the XI century, the first chronicles and the officials acts of the rising Genoese municipality produces sures facts on the signal tower, but not her exactly data of building.
The pedestrian promenade
The Lanterna's pedestrian promenade was built in 2001 in order to connect the city with its symbol and to create a sort of terrace on Genoa's Port, giving back the harbor area to the city. 800 metres long, the promenade runs through the ruins of the seventeenth and the nineteenth century walls. The promenade has been thought to link the Ferry Terminal directly with The Lanterna, but because of some road works, it is a bit more difficult to reach it. Starting from the Ferry Terminal, you can enter the first part of the promenade and you will find the yard work. Then turn into Via Milano along the yard and go through it until you'll be facing the tunnel entrance, where you will find a stairway with the informations to get to the Lanterna. The promenade's structure is made of wood and iron, because of it, it's not possible to ride it with bikes, which have to be carried while walking.Luigi Ferraris Stadium
Address: Via Giovanni de Prà, 1, 16139 Genova, Genova Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy .The Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, also known as the Marassi from the name of the neighbourhood where it is located, is a multi-use stadium in Genoa, Italy. The home of U.C. Sampdoria and Genoa C.F.C. football clubs, it opened in 1911 and is one of the oldest stadiums still in use for football and other sports in Italy. Aside from football, the stadium has hosted meetings of rugby in the Italian national team and, more rarely, some concerts.
The stadium is named after Luigi Ferraris, an Italian footballer, engineer and soldier who died during the WWI.
Biosphere
Address: Ponte Spinola, 16126 Genova GE .A tropical forest on the sea!
The Biosphere is a striking sphere of glass and steel designed by the architect Renzo Piano, which you can find in Genoa’s Porto Antico (the Old Port). Here you can learn about the plant and animal life in tropical forests, and find out more about these fragile environments that are highly endangered by human activities. Visitors will have the chance of taking a close look at more than 150 species, with their fragile beauty, and you will also find out why their survival depends on all of us.
You will see rare tropical plants: not only tree ferns, but also plants that are traditionally used for human activities, such as gum trees, coffee plants, banana trees and cinnamon. The tree ferns that grow in the Biosphere are the tallest cultivated plants of this species in the whole world.
Palazzo Bianco - Museum
Address: Via Garibaldi, 11, 16124 Genova GE .After Luca’s death in 1580, his namesake purchased the property and carried out new construction works. Nevertheless, the building kept its humble appearance, so much that Rubens did not consider it for his studies and surveys in his publication of 1622 on the most imposing houses in Genoa. Today, the two statues of Jupiter and Janus by Pierre Franqueville (1585) are the only visible elements of the original building. After 1658, the ownership of the building was transferred to the De Franchi family and, in 1711, Federico De Franchi’s indebted heirs eventually ceded it to their main creditor, Maria Durazzo Brignole-Sale. In 1712, Giacomo Viano started the complete reconstruction of the building, its front overlooking – and thus completing – the Strada Nuova. The external stucco decorations were done between 1714-1716 by Taddeo Cantone, who also decorated the interior cornices of several living rooms; four other rooms were enriched with stucco ornaments by Antonio Maria Muttone between 1715-1716.
As per Maria Durazzo Brignole-Sale’s will, the family home Palazzo Rosso was wholly inherited by her eldest grandson, Gio. Francesco II, whereas the newly renovated building (since then, called Bianco – i. e. white – due to the fair colour of its façade, in contrast with the former) was given to the second-born Gio. Giacomo. In 1736, he gave it to his younger brother, Giuseppe Maria, who commissioned Pietro Cantone to renovate the interiors in 1762. As Giuseppe Maria died without male issue in 1769, the building was inherited by his nephew, Anton Giulio III, who already owned the Palazzo Rosso and rented the Palazzo Bianco to Marquis Carlo Cambiaso. Since then, the house was occupied by a series of renters-collectors, who, between the 18th and the 19th centuries, enhanced the Palazzo Bianco with rich art collections described in the travel books of the time, as they were accessible to the public of amateurs and well-educated travellers.
In 1884, the Duchess of Galliera, Maria Brignole-Sale De Ferrari, bequeathed in her will the Palazzo Bianco to the Municipality of Genoa, as well as a notable group of old and modern works of art and rental income, with the purpose of increasing the city’s artistic heritage. Since then, the history of the building has been intertwined with the establishment of the Civic Museums of Genoa, of which the Palazzo Bianco has become the core.www.museidigenova.it/en
Palazzo Rosso - Museo
Address: Via Garibaldi, 18, 16124 Genova GE .Domenico Piola (1627-1703), Gregorio De Ferrari (1647-1726), and, later, Paolo Gerolamo Piola (1666-1724) took part in the first decoration phase between 1679 and 1694 with the help of perspective quadratura painters and stucco experts. By the end of this initial phase, the decorations had been completed in the Salone, with perspective decorations by the bolognese Gio. Enrico and Antonio Haffner and the magnificent ceiling fresco by Gregorio De Ferrari, which was unfortunately destroyed during air raids in the Great War; four rooms in the east wing, each with subjects inspired by a season of the year; and finally the loggia, where the arcades were filled in, thus transforming it into a small picture gallery, where Codazzi painted his false ruins and Paolo Gerolamo Piola the scenes from the myth of Diana and Endymion.
The spring of 1691 marked the beginning of the year-long decoration works in the four rooms of the west wing: the Sala della Vita dell’uomo and the Sala delle Arti Liberali were frescoed by Gio. Andrea Carlone (1639-1697) with the help of Antonio Haffner for the perspective scenes on the walls of the latter, opening onto the Paesaggi by Carlo Antonio Tavella (1668-1738) ; the Alcove room frescoed by both Gio. Andrea Carlone and his brother Nicolò, now also with a later decoration; the last room, which is entirely the work of Bartolomeo Guidobono (1654-1709), whose Fucina di Vulcano on the ceiling was damaged and replaced in 1736 by the Domenico Parodi’s Gioventù in cimento.
The renovation work and completion of the decorations continued through to the mid-19th century, as the Brignole-Sale collection grew in size and quality. A few years after the death of Gio. Francesco, the collection was further enriched by the inheritance of his father-in-law, Giuseppe Maria Durazzo.
The passion for art displayed by Gio. Francesco I was kept alive by his grandson, Gio. Francesco II (1695-1760), who commissioned architect Francesco Cantone to decorate the façade of the Palazzo Rosso and the adjacent Palazzetto. Both got their current look back in 1746, with the characteristic lion heads on the lintels of the windows of the two main floors, as a reference to the heraldic weapon of the Brignole: a rampant lion under a tree of plums (in Genoese dialect, brignole).
The diplomatic mission to Paris between 1737 and 1739 gave Gio. Francesco II the opportunity to appreciate the then-prevailing Regency style. He thus commissioned his and his wife’s portrait to the King’s painter, Rigaud, and ordered new, in-fashion furnishings for the stately home.
The renovation programme also included the decorations of the first room of the annexe of the building, the dipendenze, by Gregorio De Ferrari’s son Lorenzo De Ferrari. This policy of artistic greatness was crowned by Gio. Francesco II’s election as doge of the Republic of Genoa in 1746.
Further works were launched around 1783 for the construction of a new apartment on the mezzarie superiori, located on top of the second floor, after Anton Giulio II (1764-1802) married Anna Pieri, a lively and well-educated member of the aristocracy in Siena. Unfortunately, these rooms, whose decorations were vaguely inspired by the themes of the Enlightenment with decorative motifs between Louis XVI and proto-neoclassical style, were largely destroyed during the bombings of World War II.
The floors were renovated and paved with fine polychrome marble even before the mid-19th century when the building belonged to Antonio Brignole-Sale. When he died, his eldest daughter, Maria, better known in Genoa as the Duchess of Galliera, co-inherited Palazzo Rosso and finally obtained full usufruct of the building upon her sister’s death. As her son Filippo, whom she had had with Marquis Raffaele De Ferrari, did not show any interest in the property and traditions of his lineage, in January 1874 she decided to donate Palazzo Rosso to her city, aiming at both “enriching [its] beauty and income” and, at the same time, transforming the building into a veritable monument to the Brignole-Sale family.Aquarium of Genova
Address: Ponte Spinola 16128 Genova GE Italy .The Aquarium of Genoa (in Italian: Acquario di Genova) is the largest aquarium in Italy .Located in the old harbor area of Genoa, Italy, the 33,000-square-foot (3,100 m2) aquarium is a member organization of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and welcomes more than 1.2 million visitors each year.
The aquarium was originally built for Genoa Expo '92 (International Exhibition Genoa '92 Colombo '92), celebrating 500 years since the Genoese sailor Christopher Columbus discovered the new world. The building, which some say looks like a ship ready to head out to sea, was designed by the Genoese architect Renzo Piano of the Renzo Piano Building Workshop. The interior design and initial exhibits for the opening in 1992 were designed by Peter Chermayeff leading a design team at Cambridge Seven Associates. In 1998 the aquarium was expanded with the addition of a 100-metre (330 ft) ship connected by walkway to the original building.
The original exhibition concept was to show the Ligurian Sea, the North Atlantic and Caribbean reefs "from two perspectives, one the New World/Old World encounter of 1492, the other the ecological awareness of 1992 and the present."
The aquarium includes 70 tanks containing a total of 6,000,000 liters (1,300,000 imp gal; 1,600,000 U.S. gal), and almost 10,000 meters (33,000 ft) of exhibit space.
The tanks host 12.000 animals of 400 different species including fishes, marine mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. Among these are dolphins, sea cows, sharks, seals, rays, boas, jellyfishes and penguins.
Palazzo Tursi
Address: Via Garibaldi, 9 16124 Genova GE Italy .The UNESCO World Heritage Site Via Garibaldi – the baroque Strada Nuova dating back from the Italian Rinascimento – is the extraordinary setting of a unique itinerary connecting three important Genoese buildings: the Palazzo Rosso, the Palazzo Bianco and the Palazzo Doria Tursi.
The Palazzo Doria Tursi was built during the ‘Golden Century of Genoa’ (approx. between 1530 and 1630). It houses the boardrooms of the Mayor, as well as the enlargement of the Palazzo Bianco Gallery. Its monumental halls display famous items, such as the Guarneri del Gesù, the violin which belonged to Paganini, as well as a remarkable exhibition of decorative art pieces, and a collection of official coins, weights and measures from the old Republic of Genoa.
Museo del Risorgimento - Istituto Mazziniano
Address: Via Lomellini, 11 16124 Genova GE Italy .Due to its story and to its collections, the Museum of Risorgimento in Genoa, housed in Giuseppe Mazzini’s birthplace, has always been an exception among other Italian museums.
Indeed, it was originally envisioned as a small “memorial museum” as early as 1875, few years after Giuseppe Mazzini’s death and earlier than other exhibitions and museums which opened in the major cities of the Italian peninsula as from 1878, the year of Vittorio Emanuele II’s death; it was the first and only museum devoted to representing the Risorgimento from a republican and Mazzinian point of view.
Since then the museum has gradually developed, and 1934 saw the creation of the Mazzinian Institute, a proper research centre complete with an exhibition space, an archive and a specialised library.
At the same time, thanks to donations and acquisitions, its collections have continued to grow until today, and they now constitute a rich historical heritage consisting of paintings, prints, weapons, uniforms, photographs, antiques, mementos and documents. These collections bring back to life not only legendary figures of the republican and democratic Risorgimento, such as Giuseppe Mazzini, Giuseppe Garibaldi and his Red Shirts, and Goffredo Mameli, but also people and events related to the first half of the 20th century.
The current exhibition layout was completely reorganized in 2005 to mark the bicentenary of Giuseppe Mazzini’s birth, and since then the layout has been renewed and extended more than once. It documents the historical events that led to the Unification of Italy, from the revolt of the Genoese against the Austrians in 1746 up to World War I, greatly thanks to the historical documents preserved in the Institute’s archives.
What still makes the Mazzinian Institute an important research centre on a national and international level, alongside the museum and the archives, well known and visited by scholars and tourists from all over Europe, is the presence of a considerable collection of books which include periodicals, essays, printed volumes about historical, philosophical, scientific and literary subjects, as well as a large number of publications related to the labour and cooperative movements.
The current exhibition layout
The current exhibition layout includes a dozen rooms; there, the visitor can relive the history of Risorgimento, with its republican and democratic movements and its main protagonists, Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi.
The narration begins with the revolt against the Austrians and the revival of the legend of Balilla, symbol of Genoese resistance; it continues with the sections devoted to Jacobin Republic (1797), annexation of Republic of Genoa to the French Empire (1805) and to the Sardinia’s Kingdom, which took place after the Vienna Congress (1815).
The section devoted to Giuseppe Mazzini is hosted in the apartment where Mazzini’s family lived; the room where the “Apostle” was born partially maintains the appearance of a “memorial”, as in the first set-up (1875), while the other two rooms are devoted to the young Giuseppe Mazzini, from his early experiences as member of the Carboneria to the Giovine Italia, with the reconstruction of his study room, including his guitar which he played during his long years of exile.
On the mezzanine floor, the most spectacular part of the Museum opens with the section dedicated to Goffredo Mameli and the first autograph draft of the Canto degli Italiani, better known as “Fratelli d’Italia”, the Italian national anthem, written by Mameli and composed by Michele Novaro, both Genoese by birth. This section is followed by display windows devoted to the Roman Republic (Repubblica Romana, 1849) and to the little known “revolt of Genoa” (1849).
The exhibition continues with a section dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi and the “Expedition of the Thousand”, with the legendary Red Shirts (Camicie Rosse) and the light blue uniforms of the Carabinieri Genovesi, association of volunteer shooters founded in Genoa, responsible for the major military successes during the Sicilian expedition.
From the room “5 May 1915, the Monument to the Thousand between legend and propaganda” there begins the last section of the museum, devoted to World War I (Grande Guerra), in particular to the subjects of propaganda, with documents, posters and postcards, drawings by soldier-artists, among which some of the most significant names of the contemporary Italian art scene.Sottomarino Nazario Sauro
Address: Calata de' Mari, 1, 16126 Genova GE .The Nazario Sauro, the largest Italian submarine that can be visited still afloat is moored in front of the Galata Museo del Mare. An integral part of the AcquarioVillage offering, the Nazario Sauro gives visitors a chance to experience the living conditions of submariners aboard a real submarine.
Neptune (Galleon)
Address: Porto antico, Molo Ponte Calvi, 16124 Genova GE .The Neptune is a ship replica of a 17th-century Spanish galleon designed by Naval Architect David Cannell of www.dmcmarine.com. The ship was built in 1985 for Roman Polanski's film Pirates, where she portrayed the Spanish ship of the same name. An accurate replica above the waterline, but sporting a partly steel hull, planked in timber and two main engines with Schottel drive, the Neptune is currently a tourist attraction in the port of Genoa, where its interior can be visited for a 9 euro entry fee. In 2011, she portrayed the Jolly Roger, the ship of Captain Hook, in the TV miniseries Neverland.
La città dei Bambini
Address: Via Magazzini del Cotone, 15, 16128 Genova GE .La città dei bambini e dei ragazzi is an educational play area for children from 2 to 13 years old. Here children can learn about science and technology while playing and having fun.
In over 2000 m2 with 50 interactive multimedia exhibits, young visitors touch, observe and experiment different topics sharing a learning experience with their family.
Palazzo Reale - Museo
Address: Via Balbi, 10, 16126 Genova GE .Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) started life as a large patrician residence, first built by the Balbi family between 1643 and 1650, and then by the Durazzo family, who extended it between the end of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries. When the Savoy family bought it, in 1824, it became the Royal Palace.
The palace is one of the largest seventeenth-eighteenth century architectural complexes in Genoa and its reception halls are decorated with frescoes, stuccos, paintings, sculptures, furniture and fittings belonging to the noble and royal families who lived there. Some of the most important names in Baroque and Rococo decorative art frescoed the vaulted ceiling of the living rooms and galleries.
Among the more than one hundred paintings on display in the rooms are works by the greatest seventeenth-century Genoese artists. Other works on display are masterpieces by Anton Van Dyck, Tintoretto, Guercino, Luca Giordano, Ferdinand Voet and Bassano. The origins of Palazzo Reale lie in the seventeenth century when it was commissioned by the aristocratic Balbi family. On 4 February 1643, Stefano Balbi, an accomplished financier, presented the project for the imposing building that would rise opposite San Carlo Church. He entrusted the project to the architects Pier Francesco Cantone, Michele Moncino and Giovanni Angelo Falcone. The seventeenth-century building was limited to what is today the central section and the rooms were decorated by some of the most esteemed Genoese artists, such as Giovan Battista Carlone and Valerio Castello, as well as Angelo Michele Colonna and Agostino Mitelli from Bologna.
The palazzo changed ownership in 1679 when it was acquired by Eugenio Durazzo. In addition to redecorating most of the rooms, the new owner started new construction works. These included the east wing, the decoration of the long façade on Strada Balbi and the reconstruction of the Teatro del Falcone. In the first half of the eighteenth century, the building took on an entirely scenic layout, with the construction of the two staircases, the large U-shaped terrace and the extension of the courtyard of honour.
The Galleria degli Specchi (Hall of Mirrors) dates back to this time, for which the galleries of the Palazzo Colonna and Palazzo Doria Pamphilj in Rome and the Galerie des Glaces at Versailles were the inspiration. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Durazzo family suffered economic problems and the building was put up for sale. The first to be interested was Napoleon Bonaparte but in the end, in 1824, it was bought by Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia.
Plans were immediately drawn up for important restoration work and the apartments were converted to the new needs of the royal family. Over the course of a few decades, a covered passage was built connecting the palace on Via Prè with the Regia Darsena (Royal Dock). Reconstruction work was carried out to fit out the Sala del Trono (Throne Room), the Sala della Udienze (the Audience Chamber), the Salone da Ballo (Ballroom) and a noble apartment on the first floor.
The apartments of the King and Queen were on the second noble floor, in the east wing. The west wing was the apartment of King Carlo Alberto’s second son, Prince Ferdinando di Savoia, Duke of Genoa.
The Savoy administration commissioned the most respected professors of the nearby Accademia Ligustica (Ligurian Academy) for the décor. In 1821, Carlo Felice had purchased an important collection of paintings for the gallery, which was running low on works due to their being removed by the last cash-strapped Durazzo heirs, and by the transfer of works to Turin ordered by both Carlo Felice and Carlo Alberto.
Palazzo Reale changed owners for the last time in 1919 when King Vittorio Emanuele III ceded it to the Italian State.
Castello D'Albertis Museum of World Cultures
Address: Corso Dogali, 18, 16136 Genova GE .The Museum of World Cultures is housed in the Castello D’Albertis, home of captain Enrico Alberto D’Albertis, its creator.
After travelling by sea and land between the 19th-20th centuries, the Captain’s home collects pieces of his world in a romantic setting between “Chambers of Wonder” and colonial trophies.
His castle testifies to the strong fascination that the distant worlds he had visited exerted on his soul, permeated with Genoese traditions and the love for the sea, as well as curiosity about the unknown and the unventured. But there is more. At the entry of the 16th-century bastion, on which the castle was built, starts a second exhibition, where archaeological and ethnographic pieces are displayed through the dialogue with the peoples who produced them, thus giving voice to multiple perspectives and making our certainties relative.
The Castello D’Albertis is not only the home of Captain D’Albertis but our own house, the cradle of our drives and fascinations, our fears and searches, the questions that mark our relationship with the world.Mackenzie Castle
Address: Mura di S. Bartolomeo, 16, 16122 Genova GE .The Mackenzie Castle (Italian: Castello Mackenzie) is a historical manor in the Castelletto quarter of Genoa, northern Italy. It is an example of Gothic Revival architecture.
History:
The castle was built on a pre-existing country villa, in turn located on the site of the 16th century Genoese walls.
Built in 1893-1905, it was designed in Gothic revival style by Art Nouveau architect Gino Coppedè under commission by Evan Mackenzie, an insurance broker, whose family lived here for 26 years.
In 1956 it was declared a national monument. Thirty years later it was acquired by American collector Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. The restoration works he commissioned remained unfinished, and in 2002 the castle was sold to the Cambi auction house which commissioned the restoration to architect Gianfranco Franchini. The manor was opened to the public in 2004 and is now used as a public space for scientific or cultural exhibitions.
Genova–Casella railway
Address: Via alla Stazione per Casella, 15, 16122 Genova GE .The Genova–Casella railway is a narrow gauge (1000 mm) railway in Liguria (Italy) which connect the port city of Genoa to Casella, a village in the mountains behind the city.
It operates nine trains per day and it is used both for commuting and tourist purposes; it crosses three valleys and it was opened in 1929.
While it is owned by Liguria Region, it has been operated since 2010 by AMT Genova.
Boccadasse - An old mariners' neighbourhood
Address: Piazza Nettuno - Genova .Boccadasse (Bocadâze in Genoese) is an old mariners' neighbourhood of the Italian city of Genoa. It lies at the eastern side of the Corso Italia stroll, the main sea front stroll of the city of Genoa, at the feet of Via Aurora, a typical Ligurian narrow street ("crêuza").
The origin of the name is uncertain, one of the more reliable hypothesis is that the name comes from the form of the bay on which Boccadasse lies, thus the name should be the shortening of the Genoese for donkey's mouth bócca d'âze. Another theory is that the name derives from the torrent that used to flow through the village, the Asse, therefore the name should mean outlet of the Asse.
The village of Boccadasse attracts tourists. It is enclosed in a narrow bay, at the eastern side the cape of Santa Chiara with a castle (a new building in the style of a medieval castle), on the western side the rocks, and in the middle the tiny cobblestones beach where the seamen's small boats rest.
Villa del Principe - Museo
Address: Piazza del Principe, 4, 16124 Genova GE .Built in the first half of the 16th century on the orders of Andrea Doria, Admiral of Emperor Charles V, and completed by his heir Giovanni Andrea about a century later, this is the only "royal palace" belonging to a city Republic.
Palazzo del Principe Andrea Doria or Palazzo del Principe a Fassolo (the Doria-Pamphili family) was commissioned by Andrea Doria in 1521 and built between 1521 and 1529 outside the city walls, on an estate he had purchased from the Lomellini family.
The interiors, recently restored by the Doria Pamphili family, the owners, feature a wealth of frescoes, tapestries and wooden furnishings. Of particular note is the hall with the fresco depicting the Giganti fulminati da Giove (Giants struck by Jupiter's lightening), by Perin del Vaga (1533), and the tapestries dedicated to the battle of Lepanto in 1571.
Revealing Roman influences in Renaissance design, it was built before the palaces of the Strada Nuova, marking the passage of Genoese architecture from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and from the city palace to the suburban villa.
The building was once encircled by gardens that stretched out to the sea on one side and the hills on the other. In the centre was the magnificent fountain of Neptune, symbolising Admiral Doria, still visible today, while on what is now the back of the villa, a statue of Jupiter once stood as an allegory of Emperor Charles V, from whom Andrea received his title of prince.
For information on prices and schedules, please visit the organisation's website.
Cristoforo Colombo House and St. Andrea Towers
Address: Via di Porta Soprana, 16121 Genova GE .The House of Columbus
The building is on two floors; the façade was restored during the 17th century. The ground floor was used as a workshop by Columbus’s father, who dealt in wool weaving and trade. Recent excavations carried out during the restoration of the house, have brought to light the ancient foundations of a construction dating back to the early Middle Ages, probably the 6th century.
The Porta Soprana gate
In 1155, the Genoese feared an attack by Frederick Barbarossa. Therefore, they hurried to create a circuit of walls enclosing the majority of the city. The main entrance on the east side was formed by the Porta Soprana – also called Gate of St. Andrew due to the convent nearby –, while the twin Porta dei Vacca was the gate westwards. The two towers framing the access to the Porta Soprana still today bear two gravestones in Latin commemorating the event.
link to the official websiteThe Porta Soprana gate
Address: Via di Porta Soprana .The Porta Soprana gate
In 1155, the Genoese feared an attack by Frederick Barbarossa. Therefore, they hurried to create a circuit of walls enclosing the majority of the city. The main entrance on the east side was formed by the Porta Soprana – also called Gate of St. Andrew due to the convent nearby –, while the twin Porta dei Vacca was the gate westwards. The two towers framing the access to the Porta Soprana still today bear two gravestones in Latin commemorating the event.
link to the official websiteGalleria nazionale di Palazzo Spinola
Address: Piazza di Pellicceria, 1, 16123 Genova GE .The palace was built for the wish of Francesco Grimaldi before 1593, when it was immediately included in Rolli’s first category (first “bussolo”); the “Rolli” was a peculiar aristocratic residential system, formalised in 1576 by a Decree of the Senate that issued an official list of the dwellings (List of Public Lodgings, also known as Rolli), recognising their unique value. The same decree compelled the owners of the homes to take turns in hosting state visits, in the absence of a royal palace. Host dwellings were chosen in accordance with the importance of the visiting guest: the higher the guest's noble rank, the more sumptuous the mansion that was required and the wealthier the family given the honour - and indeed the burden - of welcoming them. The prospect of the building on Piazza Superiore di Pelicceria is documented in the volume of drawings “I palazzi di Genova” (“The palaces of Genoa”) written by Pier Paolo Rubens and printed in Aversa on 1622. Since Grimaldi’s period, remain the frescos located on the ceilings of the halls on the two main floors realized by Lazzaro Tavarone representing the Lisbona’s siege (first floor) and the Triumph of Ranieri Grimaldi (second floor).
The palace hosts Grimaldi’s family till 1650, the year when it was sold by Tommaso Grimaldi to his brother in law Ansaldo Pallavicino in exchange for a sum of money to cover a debt. This one is the only transfer of ownership caused by a trade. Some architectural innovations were made by Ansaldo Pallavicino, such as closing of the opened loggia on the first floor, to expose some small paintings inherited by his father Agostino Pallavicino (Doge – Duke – of the aristocratic Republic of Genoa in the years 1637-1639) and the portrait of Ansaldo Pallavicino painted by Anton Van Dyck, different canvas of Grechetto and the sketch with “The Last Supper” by Giulio Cesare Procaccini. At the death of Ansaldo Pallavicino, in 1660, the property of the palace passed to his son Niccolò Agostino who left the legacy to his sister Anna Maria Pallavicino married to Gerolamo Doria.
The successor of Anna Maria Pallavicino, her son Paolo Francesco Doria, died prematurely in 1734. The heritage passed to his sister Maddalena Doria married to Niccolò Spinola of the San Luca’s branch (Doge of the Republic in the years 1740-1742). From this moment, the name Spinola was connected forever at the history of the palace. When Maddalena Doria became owner of the mansion, she started a big renovation that interested in particular the second noble floor, composed by sequences of rooms characterised by luxurious used of gilts in harmony with Rococo style. Maddalena provided to sign the most famous “quadraturisti” (painters specialised in the architectural realisation of the walls) and the painters of the period (Lorenzo De Ferrari, Giovanni Battista Natali and Sebastiano Galeotti) giving fashion aspect to her palace. The realisation of Gallery of mirrors is attributed to Maddalena Doria, according to the most updated taste of the period.
Maddalena’s son, Francesco Maria Spinola, survived to his mother just nine years and when he died the palace was inherited by his son Paolo Francesco Spinola.
Unfortunately, he is the protagonist of a phase of dispersion of the patrimony during the French Revolution.
He is forced to sale a lot of works of art for financing Napoleon’s revolution, but he didn’t want to renounce to his portrait that was made by Angelica Kauffman.
After the death of Paolo Francesco in 1824, the heritage is divided between three cousins: Giovanni Battista, Ugo and Giacomo Spinola di Luccoli according to his will Giacomo has to move to the palace in “Piazza di Pellicceria”.
Thanks to this transfer of ownership, the collection of Giacomo Spinola arrived in the rooms of Palazzo Spinola, for example: “Praying Virgin” by Joos van Cleve, “Allegory of the Peace and the War” by Luca Giordano and “Portrait of a nun” by Bernardo Strozzi.
In 1858, the building is owned by Francesco Gaetano (Giacomo Spinola’s son) then by Ugo, Paolo e Franco Spinola’s father.
During the Second World War the last two floors were destroyed by a bomb.
The two marquises, thanks to the suggestions of the Superintendent Pasquale Rotondi, at 31th May 1958 decided to donate the building to the State, however the house had to maintain the historical setting.
At the same time, they donated to the Sovereign Military Order of the Knights of Malta their residence by the sea in San Michele di Pagana, close to Portofino.
After the bomb that destroyed the last two floors in 1942, the two marquises suggested to create at the third floor the “Galleria Nazionale della Liguria” in which are located some works of art, for example: the “Ecce Homo” by Antonello da Messina, “Equestrian portrait of Gio. Carlo Doria” by Pietro Paolo Rubens, the statue representing the “Justice” by Giovanni Pisano.
Museo d'arte orientale Edoardo Chiossone
Address: Piazzale Giuseppe Mazzini, 4, 16122 Genova GE .Edoardo Chiossone (Arenzano 1833 - Tōkyō 1898), professor of drawing and engraving who graduated from the Ligurian Academy of Fine Arts of Genoa, moved to Japan at the invitation of the Imperial Government of Japan, where he was offered a contract as special instructor and responsible for the engraving division of the new Officina Carte e Valori of the Ministry of Finance (Ōkurashō Insatsu Kyoku). During about 24 years in Japan (1875-1898), Chiossone drew and engraved about 500 plates relating to stamps and banknotes, monopoly stamps, bonds and government securities. He is widely credited with having shaped the modern era imagery of Japanese public finances. Also, Chiossone created the official Western-style portraits for political and diplomatic use and helped found a renewed conception of the Japanese cultural heritage and its visual representation.
His important position within the state apparatus brought about new first-rate acquaintances, friendships and cultural relations. From the beginning of his stay, his extensive and profound knowledge of and experience in the artistic and historical field sparked his great interest in Japanese art, abounding on the antique market at a time of great economic and socio-political changes.
All areas of the visual and decorative arts are covered in the collections formed by Edoardo Chiossone, who bequested them to the Ligurian Academy of Fine Arts in Genoa (where he had received his artistic and cultural education) so that they could be exhibited for the public.
Having experienced Japan in the most earnest and fruitful formative period of the imperial Meiji Restoration (1868–1912), Chiossone was one of the architects of modernisation, contributing to the internationalisation of Japanese culture. The Genoese engraver was awarded two Imperial Orders of Merit: the Rising Sun (Kyokujitsushō fourth class in 1880) and the Sacred Treasure (Zuihōshō third class in 1891).
The Chiossone collections and their history
A significant event in the international environment of 19th-century Japanese art collectors, the Chiossone collections were formed in Japan by a single man over an uninterrupted period of 24 years (1875–1898), which coincided with the crucial and fervent period of modernisation. Never dismembered or separated, this important treasure includes paintings, polychrome prints and illustrated books, Buddhist sculptures and liturgical ornaments, archaeological objects, bronzes, coins, lacquers, porcelains, enamels, theatrical masks, armours and weapons, musical instruments, costumes and textiles, and clothing accessories.
The paintings, prints, lacquers, fabrics and wooden sculptures are displayed in rotating exhibitions, under the principles of preventive preservation.
The history of the Museum, from 1898 to date, comprises four phases.
1905-1948
Sent to Genoa after the death of Edoardo Chiossone (11 April 1898), the collections were rearranged and set up by Alfredo Luxoro (1859-1918) on the third floor of the Palazzo of the Ligurian Academy of Fine Arts. On 30 October 1905, the King of Italy Vittorio Emanuele III inaugurated the Museum of Japanese Art “Edoardo Chiossone”, which remained in that seat until 1942. Following the outbreak of World War II, the entire collection was packed and evacuated at the expense and by the Municipality of Genoa, which, by virtue of a testamentary clause, became its owner after the war.
1948-1971
In compliance with testamentary conditions, in 1948 the Municipality of Genoa decided on the design and construction of a special building, to be allocated as the stable and permanent seat of the Museum. This makes the Chiossone the first Italian museum specially approved of and built in the postwar period under the supervision of and with funding from a public administration. The construction area was located on the site of the neoclassical villa of Marquis Gian Carlo Di Negro (1769-1857) within the park of the same name, which had been destroyed during the Anglo-American naval bombardment of 1942. The park was created in the early 19th century by Marquis Di Negro, who reconverted to his home a bastion of the 16th-century walls of Santa Caterina. With the intention of attributing to that place a remarkable intellectual aura and exquisite character of “peaceful sanctuary of the Muses” worthy of fervent praises by Alizeri, in the first half of the 19th century, Di Negro implemented a programme of intellectual and literary patronage in his villa extended to the entire Europe.
Designed by architect Mario Labò (1884-1961), the construction phase began in 1953 and was completed in 1970. The location of the museum inside the park of the Villa Di Negro is really privileged. Nestled in the green garden that dominates the 19th-century Piazza Corvetto, the Chiossone Museum is located in the centre of Genoa, and yet offers a secluded and wonderfully scenic location. From the terraced walkway skirting the Museum on the south-west side, visitors can enjoy the view of the old town, with the expanse of grey slate roofs, steeples and medieval towers silhouetted on the blue background of the Ligurian Sea.
The building is an artefact of rationalist architecture: made of reinforced concrete with outer terracotta-tile cladding, it includes a jutting part with a roof terrace for the ticket office and bookshop, and a major body for the museum; the latter is a single magnificent space with a rectangular hall on the ground floor and six projecting galleries on the two long walls, connected by flights of stairs.
In 1967, the arrangement of the exhibition was entrusted to engineer Luciano Grossi Bianchi, in collaboration with Giuliano Frabetti, Director of the Chiossone Museum between 1956–1990, and Caterina Marcenaro (Genoa, 1906-1976), Director of the Sector Fine Arts of the Municipality of Genoa.
1971-1998
Inaugurated on 7 May 1971, and since then regularly open to the public, the museum has maintained the same construction until February 1998. The layout of 1971, accompanied by brief captions, consisted of a selection of works drawn from the different categories in the museum’s holdings, partially sorted by type, material and techniques. After Director Dr G. Frabetti retired in 1990, in November 1993 the direction of the museum was entrusted to the current manager, Dr Donatella Failla, who worked at the Chiossone Museum for more than 11 years as specialist appointed by the Museums of the Regione Liguria.
1998-present day
On the centenary of the death of Edoardo Chiossone on 11 April 1998, the permanent exhibition was completely renovated, to also include new didactic and descriptive devices. The new exhibition chronicles the main events of the history of Japan’s artistic culture and its relations with Continental East Asia: Antiquity, the advent and evolution of metallurgy, Buddhism, the samurai civilisation, and the development of decorative arts in the Edo period (1600-1868) are the main topics sorted by theme and technique, so as to highlight the disciplinary and aesthetic systems of the various arts against the wider historical and cultural background. Because of their great beauty and cultural and communicative effectiveness, the stands on the great Buddhist sculpture and armours (located in the main ground-floor hall and in the fifth-floor gallery, respectively) have remained virtually unchanged.
In 2001, thanks to the specific contribution of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio Genova e Imperia, the two galleries on the upper floors have been refurbished and fitted with innovative installations, to house rotating temporary exhibitions of the museum’s treasure.
A museum with an international vocation: exhibitions, cultural and scientific activities, cataloguing and restoration
The Chiossone Museum and its collections provide great potential for the cultural growth and exchange between Genoa, Japan and the research environments on Japanese art and culture. Very popular and well known all over the world are the collections of paintings, polychrome prints and illustrated books of 17th-19th centuries, as well as lacquers, bronzes, porcelains.
In the past 16 years, the Direction of the Museum has developed close relations of cooperation and scientific and economic partnership with Japanese authorities, particularly with the Japan Foundation, the National Institute for Research on Cultural Heritage of Tōkyō and the Sumitomo Foundation, organising programs for the preservation and restoration of the museum’s holdings, which have yielded the restoration of more than 50 paintings and a valuable cabinet of lacquer and nacre since 1997.
In addition, in collaboration with the National Institute of Japanese Literature, the Hosei University and the Universities of Kyōto and Tōkyō, several research programs and specialised cataloguing of several sections of the collections are ongoing.
In addition to the numerous exhibitions in place, the Direction of the Museum has organised and produced exhibitions in other locations: an exhibition of lacquers (1996) and one of Ukiyoe paintings and prints (2005) at the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa; a retrospective exhibition of Edoardo Chiossone - The Collector (1996) at the National Museum of Oriental Art in Rome; and a touring exhibition of Ukiyoe paintings and prints in collaboration with the Giornale di Kōbe at five Japanese public museums (2001-2002).
Further, the Chiossone Museum frequently lends its pieces to significant exhibitions at the international level, both in Italy and abroad.
The Chiossone Museum organises cycles of cultural activities dedicated to Japan, including lectures and gallery talks, courses on tea ceremony (chanoyu) and flower arrangement (ikebana), parties for children, and classic Nō theatre performances.
The museum also hosts numerous musical activities and concerts, organised by the Associazione Amici del Carlo Felice e del Conservatorio “Nicolò Paganini”, as well as by the Fondazione Spinola.Museo di Storia Naturale
Address: Via Brigata Liguria, 9, 16121 Genova GE .The official foundation of Genoa Museo Civico di Storia Naturale [Natural History Museum] is listed as 24 April 1867, the date the city council approved Marquis Giacomo Doria’s proposal to create it. Doria, who lived from 1840 to 1913, nurtured a deep passion for nature and had already undertaken extensive research in Liguria before founding the museum, as well as conducting expeditions to Persia (1862-1863) and Sarawak, on Borneo (1865-1866), accompanied in the latter case by the Florentine botanist Odoardo Beccari. Taking advantage of the fact that in the same period the city had inherited two natural history collections (one of rocks, minerals and fossils from Marquis Lorenzo Pareto in 1865 and another of shells from Prince Oddone of Savoy in 1866), Doria offered to donate his own zoological collections to the city on the condition that a Natural History Museum be founded.
The new museum was set up in Villetta Di Negro, a small building which had recently come into the possession of the city having been owned by Marquis Gian Carlo Di Negro up until 1857. Doria was made the director of the museum, while the entomologist Raffaello Gestro (1845-1936) became the vice-director. Gestro would later succeed Doria as director.
The museum soon became the driving force behind a large number of expeditions, thanks partly to the fact that Doria was also the president of the Italian Geographic Society for many years and promoted several research trips outside of Europe as part of that role.
These expeditions saw huge amounts of specimens arrive at the museum, especially zoological material discovered during visits to Africa by Orazio Antinori, Odoardo Beccari, Arturo Issel, Eugenio Ruspoli, Vincenzo Ragazzi, Vittorio Bòttego, Luigi Robecchi Bricchetti, Enrico Bayon, Leonardo Fea, Carlo Citerni, Saverio Patrizi, Raimondo Franchetti and Edoardo Zavattari, to cite just the most well-known names. Meanwhile, the likes of Odoardo Beccari, Luigi Maria D’Albertis, Antonie Augustus Bruijn, Leonardo Fea, Elio Modigliani and Lamberto Loria operated in South-East Asia and New Guinea, sometimes for entire years at a time. Giacomo Bove, Decio Vinciguerra, Luigi Balzan, Carlo Spegazzini, Filippo Silvestri, Gaetano Rovereto and others sent collections from South America, while there were many collections sent from expeditions to Mediterranean regions made possible by the Violante and the Corsaro, two vessels provided by Captain Enrico Alberto D’Albertis.
By the end of the century, Villetta Di Negro was no longer able to accommodate any further collections. As a result, the council decided to construct a new building to be used exclusively for the museum. This is the museum’s current home. The building was inaugurated in 1912, though Doria was sadly unable to attend the ceremony due to serious health problems and indeed died the following year. Gestro succeeded Doria as director of the museum, a role he held until 1934 (meaning he worked at the museum for 67 years), when he was replaced by Oscar De Beaux, who served as director from 1934 to 1947. After De Beaux, the museum was directed by Carlo Alzona (1947-1955), Enrico Tortonese (1955-1976), Lilia Capocaccia (1976-1996), Roberto Poggi (1996-2011) and Giuliano Doria (2011-present).
Teatro Carlo Felice
Address: Passo Montale Eugenio, 4 16121 Genova GE Italy .The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari.
The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, and dates from 24 December 1824, when the Most Excellent Department of Theatres was established. On 31 January 1825, local architect Carlo Barabino submitted his design for the opera house which was to be built on the site of the church of San Domenico. The Dominican friars were moved elsewhere without delay or ceremony, and the first stone of the new building was laid on 19 March 1826.
The inaugural performance of Bellini's Bianca e Fernando took place on 7 April 1828, even though the structure and decoration were not quite finished. The auditorium accommodated an audience of about 2,500 in five tiers (each with 33 boxes), a gallery above, and standing room in the orchestra pit. The acoustics were considered among the best of the time.
For nearly forty years from 1853, Verdi spent the winter in Genoa, but he had few strong professional ties with the Teatro Carlo Felice. In 1892, Genoa commemorated the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America and to celebrate the occasion the Carlo Felice was renovated and redecorated at a cost of 420,000 lire (nearly £17,000). Verdi was approached to compose a suitable opera, but he declined the honour, making the excuse that he was too old. Alberto Franchetti's opera Cristoforo Colombo premiered at the Carlo Felice on 6 October 1892.
The hall was altered many times in the years 1859–1934, and remained remarkably unscathed by war until 9 February 1941 when a shell fired by a British warship hit the roof, leaving a large hole open to the sky and destroying the ceiling of the auditorium which had been a unique example of 19th-century rococo extravagance, its main feature being a wide circle of angels, cherubs and other winged creatures in brightly painted high relief.
Further damage was sustained on 5 August 1943 when incendiary bombs started a backstage fire which destroyed all scenery and wooden fittings, but did not reach the main auditorium. Unfortunately additional damage was caused by looters who stripped the back of the theatre of every possible scrap of metal they could find. Finally, an air raid in September 1944 caused the destruction of the front of the theatre leaving virtually only the outside walls and the corridors behind the tiers of boxes standing. What had been the most richly beautiful of opera houses had become a skeleton of bare walls and roofless porticos.
After the war opera seasons were held for over forty years in an emergency venue, at the Cinema Teatro Margherita, later transformed into a department store
Reconstruction plans began immediately after the war's close. The first design by Paolo Antonio Chessa (1951) was rejected; the second by Carlo Scarpa was approved in 1977 but brought to a halt by his untimely death. Aldo Rossi ultimately provided today's design, in which portions of the original facade have been recreated but the interior is entirely modern. The hall officially reopened in June 1991, with a main hall holding up to 2,000 seats and a smaller auditorium holding up to 200 seats.
The theatre is the main location of the concert seasons of Giovine Orchestra Genovese, a concert society founded in Genoa in 1912.
Percorso dei forti
Address: Piazza Manin .This route through the forts and walls of Genoa also allows you to take advantage, for part of the route, of the Casella train, a very characteristic narrow gauge railway that runs through a long mountain section in the hinterland of Genoa. The departure of the Casella train is near Piazza Manin, a few steps from the center of Genoa. The route is circular and takes the train's departure station as its own (reachable from the center by public transport). Once you have taken the little train from Casella, you are advised to get off at the Campi station. From the station of Campi, through a climb that runs along the ridge of the mountain, the Forte Diamante is located about half an hour. The last stretch of road leading to Fort Diamante is a succession of rapid hairpin bends that allows you to overcome a steep difference in height. The view from the Diamante fort ranges over the two valleys surrounding Genoa (Val Polcevera and Val Bisagno). At this point you go back towards Genoa retracing the hairpin bends and taking the marked path that leads to Forte Fratello Minore, then to Forte Puin and again to the large structure of Forte Sperone. Along this route we will face the sea and the spectacular view of the fortifications in the distance. Arrived at Forte Sperone you have to continue along the walls towards Levante. In this stretch the road runs alongside the walls and the path, downhill, is not very demanding. Along the way you meet the archivolt of Forte Castellaccio (recognizable by the Osteria du Richettu) and then on your left (going down) the Forte Castellaccio inside which the Torre Specola is visible. We then walk the walls of the Zerbino. Continuing further, the Genova - Casella railway was repeated. A little earlier it is also possible to return to the center of Genoa via the Zecca - Righi funicular.
Train Station - Genova Brignole
Address: Piazza Giuseppe Verdi, 2, Genoa, Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy .Genova Brignole - Train station terminal
Maritime Station - Cruises Terminal
Address: Ponte dei Mille, Genoa, Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy .Cruises Terminal
Ferry Terminal
Address: Piazzale dei Traghetti Iqbal Masih, 16126 Genova, Genova Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy .Ferry Terminal
Marina Porto Antico Parking
Address: Molo Ponte Morosini, 34/1, Genoa, Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy .Affiliated Pay and Display Parking
Minerva Garage
Address: Piazza Bandiera, 1, Genoa, Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy .Affiliated Parking P. +39 010 246 16 09
Train Station - Piazza Principe
Address: Genova Piazza Principe, Genoa, Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy .Train Station
Cinque Terre
Address: Portovenere, Porto Venere, SP, Italy .The Cinque Terre (Italian pronunciation: [ˈtʃiŋkwe ˈtɛrre]; Ligurian: Çinque Tære, meaning "Five Lands") is a coastal area within Liguria, in the northwest of Italy. It lies in the west of La Spezia Province, and comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Cinque Terre area is a popular tourist destination. Over the centuries, people have built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages as cars can reach them from the outside only via narrow and precarious mountain roads with great difficulty.
Cinque Terre is mentioned in documents dating to the 11th century. Monterosso and Vernazza were settled first and the other villages grew later, whilst within the territory of the Republic of Genoa. In the 16th century the inhabitants reinforced existing forts and built new defense towers to defend the area from attacks by the Turks. Cinque Terre experienced economic decline from the 17th to 19th centuries,[citation needed] recovering when an arsenal was built in La Spezia and it gained a railway link to Genoa. The railway led to migration from the area and a decline in traditional industries until the growth of tourism from the 1970s onwards brought some prosperity.
The predominant crops in the area have been grapes and olives. Some fisherman were based in Monterosso, but the area's gaily painted fisherman's cottages were conceived in the late 1970s as a tourist attraction.
On 25 October 2011 torrential rains caused floods and mudslides in Cinque Terre. Nine people were killed and villages were severely damaged, particularly Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare.
Access to Cinque Terre by car is limited. A road to Vernazza is very narrow and ends a kilometre before the town.
Trains run from La Spezia to all five towns within Cinque Terre, as well as to major regional and national destinations.
A passenger ferry runs between the villages except Corniglia. The ferry also runs to Genoa's Old Harbour, La Spezia, Lerici and Porto Venere.
A walking trail, known as Sentiero Azzurro ("Azure Trail"), used to connect the five villages but the section from Riomaggiore to Manarola called the Via dell'Amore ("Love Walk") is closed. It is still possible to walk between these villages, although the trail is both steeper and longer than the (closed) path along the waterfront.
Portofino
Address: Portofino, Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy .Portofino is an Italian fishing village and holiday resort famous for its picturesque harbour and historical association with celebrity and artistic visitors. It is a comune located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore.
Corso Italia
Address: Corso Italia, Genoa, Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy .Corso Italia is the seaside promenade of Genoa.
7 km long. It ends in the ancient village of Boccadasse.
Walk in Corso Italia enjoying the incredible view, the gaze sweeps across the gulf of Savona to the mount of Portofino, the light breeze relaxes your mind, smoking ships on the horizon reminds you to a fantastic adventure.
Along the promenade there are free beaches and Beachclubs equipped with swimming pool, restaurants, tennis courts and five-a-side football pitches, discos and night clubs.
