What to See in Genoa - Top Sights and Attractions

Historical place in Genoa, Italy. Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes a number of streets and palaces in the center of Genoa, in Northwestern Italy.

• The Strade Nuove are a group of streets built by the Genoese aristocracy during the expansion of the city at a time when the Republic of Genoa was at the height of its financial and seafaring power. These are Via Giuseppe Garibaldi and Via Balbi, later followed by Via Cairoli.
• The Palazzi dei Rolli are a group of palaces - most of which also date from the late 16th and early 17th centuries - which were associated to a particular system of ‘public lodging’ in private residences, whereby notable guests on State visit to the Republic were hosted in one of these palaces on behalf of the State.

On 13 July 13, 2006, forty-two of the 163 palaces originally included in one the five public list called "Rolli" were selected as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO special committee meeting in Vilnius. The site includes an ensemble of Renaissance and Baroque palaces along the so-called ‘new streets’, which offer an extraordinary variety of different solutions, achieving universal value in adapting to the particular characteristics of the site and to the requirements of a specific social and economic organization. They also offer an original example of a public network of private residences designated to host state visits.

On January 20, 2007, UNESCO unveiled a plaque in via Garibaldi, the former Strada Nuova, explaining the reasons for inclusion of the Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli within the World Heritage Sites:

The largest homes, various in shape and distribution, that were chosen at random in the lists to host visits of state. The buildings, often built on sloping land, formed of a stepped atrium - courtyard - staircase - garden and rich interior decorations, express a singular social and economic identity and commencement of modern age urban architecture in Europe.

Some of the Palazzi dei Rolli are used today as public buildings, museums, offices and private residences. Among the palaces open to the public, Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Doria Tursi jointly constitute the Strada Nuova Museums located in via Garibaldi.^[2]

Palace in Genoa, Italy. The Palazzo San Giorgio or Palace of St. George is a palace in Genoa, Italy. It is situated in the Piazza Caricamento.

The palace was built in 1260 by Guglielmo Boccanegra, uncle of Simone Boccanegra, the first Doge of Genoa. For the construction of the new palace, materials were used from the demolition of the Venetian embassy in Constantinople, having been obtained from Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII as a reward for Genoese aid against the Latin Empire. Stone lions – the emblem of Venice's patron St Mark – were displayed as trophies on the facade by her bitter rival, the Republic of Genoa. The palace was intended — through the creation of a civil-political center — to separate and elevate the temporal power of the Republic's government from the religious power of the clergy, centered on the Cathedral of San Lorenzo.

In 1262, Guglielmo Boccanegra was deposed and forced into exile. The palace was used for a time as a prison; Marco Polo was its most famous resident and it was there that he dictated his memoirs to Rustichello of Pisa.

In the 15th century, the palace became home to the Bank of Saint George.^[4]

Estate with a villa and botanical garden. The Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini is a villa with notable 19th-century park in the English romantic style and a small botanical garden. The villa now houses the Museo di Archeologia Ligure, and is located at Via Pallavicini 13, immediately next to the railway station in Pegli, a suburb of Genoa, Italy. The park and botanical garden are open daily.

The estate was begun in the late 17th century by Clelia Durazzo Grimaldi, who established the Giardino botanico Clelia Durazzo Grimaldi at that time. Today's park was created by her nephew Ignazio Alessandro Pallavicini after he inherited the property.

The park was designed by Michele Canzio, set designer for the Teatro Carlo Felice, and built between 1840 and 1846. It covers some 97,000 m2 of hillside behind the villa. Although recognizably in the English romantic style, the garden is highly theatrical, to the point of being organized as a series of scenes forming a play with prologue and three acts (Return to Nature, Memory, Purification). Structures and statues through the garden form focal points to this libretto.

When the park opened in September 1846, on the occasion of the VIII Congresso degli Scienziati Italiani, it quickly gained national fame. In 1928 its current owner, Matilde Gustinani, donated both park and botanical garden to Genoa for use as a public park. Through the remainder of the 20th century, the garden fell into some disrepair, and indeed was threatened in 1972 by construction of a nearby highway. Its restoration began in 1991, however, in honor of Columbus' discovery of America. As of 2006 about half of the park is open for visitors.

In 2017 the park was elected the most beautiful garden in Italy.

The park contains two ponds, a dozen notable structures, various statues, and an extensive grotto. The grotto represents a Dantesque inferno, with walkways and subterranean lake through which the visitor may ascend to paradise. In former years, visitors could explore the grotto by boat. Structures include a Coffee House in the shape of triumphal arch, Rustic House, Madonna's Chapel, Mausoleum of the Captain, Temple of Diana, Flower House, Turkish Temple, Obelisk, and Chinese Pagoda.

The park also contains a number of plantings of botanical interest, including mature specimens of Araucaria bidwilli, Cedrus libani, Cinnamomum camphora, Jubaea chilensis, Notelaea excelsa, Firmiana simplex, Quercus suber, Podocarpus macrophyllus, many exotic palms and a stand of some 160 Camellia japonica.^[6]

Grand square used for civic events. Piazza De Ferrari is the main square of Genoa. Situated in the heart of the city between the historical and the modern center, Piazza De Ferrari is renowned for its fountain, which was restored in recent years along with a major restyling of the square.

Today next to Piazza De Ferrari are numerous office buildings, headquarters of banks, insurances and other private companies, making of this district the financial and business centre of Genoa, so that the Genoese popularly refer to it as the "City" of Genoa. At the end of the 19th century Genoa was the main financial centre of Italy along with Milan, and Piazza De Ferrari was the place where many institutions were established, like the stock exchange, the Credito Italiano, the branch offices of the Bank of Italy, founded in 1893.^[7]

Japanese art and historical artifacts. The Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art in Genoa is an important collection of Asian art, one of the most significative collections in Europe and in Italy, along with the museums of Venice and Rome.

The museum hosts the huge collection (over 15,000 pieces) of Edoardo Chiossone, who spent 23 years (1875-1898) in Japan.

The exhibition shows many objects and artworks from Japan and China, like sculptures, porcelain pieces, bronze vessels, prints, masks, Samurai armors and helmets.

It is situated inside Villetta Di Negro, a public park in the centre of Genoa, next to Piazza Corvetto and overlooking the historical centre and Via Garibaldi.

• Interiors of the museum photographed by Paolo Monti (1967)

76m-tall stone lighthouse and city icon. The Lighthouse of Genoa, is the main lighthouse for the city's port. Besides being an important aid to night navigation in the vicinity, the tower serves as a symbol and a landmark for the City of Genoa. Built of masonry, at 76 m it is the world's fifth tallest lighthouse and the second tallest "traditional" one. Between 1543 and the construction of the lighthouse on Île Vierge, France in 1902, it was the tallest lighthouse in the world. When measured as a whole with the natural rock on which it stands, as it is commonly perceived and represented, its height is 117 m, which would make it the second tallest lighthouse in the world, the tallest in Europe, and the tallest traditional lighthouse.

It is constructed in two square portions, each one capped by a terrace; the whole structure is crowned by a lantern from which the light is shone. Rebuilt in its current shape in 1543 replacing the former lighthouse, it is the world's third oldest lighthouse, following the Tower of Hercules in A Coruña, Spain, and Kõpu Lighthouse, on the island of Hiiumaa, Estonia.^[13]

Opera house in Genoa, 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.^[20]

Museum in Genoa, Italy. The Diocesan museum of Genoa is located in Genova in the region of Liguria. It is found inside the old residence of the canons of the Cathedral of San Lorenzo and is accessible through the cloister of San Lorenzo. The cloister, built in the 12th century, is characterized by two levels of arches resting on double Romanesque columns with leaved capitals. In the 17th century two sides of the building were modified, with the double columns substituted with heavy pilasters in order to support the above two floors constructed for additional space. The museum houses objects from the diocese of Genoa and the surrounding area, including sculptures, paintings, frescoes, illuminated manuscripts, and a series of liturgical items, as well as an archeological area.^[25]

Palace. Palazzo Pietro Spinola di San Luca is a 16th-century palace in Piazza di Pellicceria, Genoa, Italy. It is now a private residence, and it remains in good condition. It is one of the Palazzi dei Rolli, but it is not listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Site.

The building faces the Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria, overlooking the square. The building was included in the rolli of 1588, 1599 and 1614. It still has a well-preserved 16th-century atrium and a grand staircase, part of which was reconstructed after being damaged by bombardment in World War II.

The palace's façade contains an ornate marble portal decorated by reliefs of vines and bunches of grapes, and topped by a sculpture of Saint George and the Dragon.^[27]