Grand Tour of Genoa: A Journey Through Medieval and Modern Charm

Highlights

• Professional Guide & Private Transport
• Complete City Overview

What's included

Itinerary

1. 1

   Old Port

   30min

   Meet your guide at your hotel or at the cruise ship port. Wandering through the narrow streets of the medieval town, we will see 17th-century houses, mind refreshing landscapes, precious churches, art, culture, and traditions. Take a walk to Genoa Old Port. Soaked in history and rich in local color, Old Port houses museums, movie theaters, cafes, restaurants, and shops. Renowned architect Renzo Piano redeveloped this area in the 1990s, restoring the historic buildings, like the old cotton warehouse, and creating new landmarks that have become the city’s biggest tourist draws. Genoa remains an important port on the Mediterranean, and this busy harbor is filled to the brim with yachts, ferries, cargo ships, and boats of all sizes.

2. 2

   LANTERNA di Genova

   30min

   See Lanterna di Genoa – a symbol of Genoa, one of the oldest lighthouses in the world. The Lanterna di Genoa is an ornate ancient lighthouse that has stood since the 12th century but over time has been reconstructed. It stands as the main lighthouse of the harbour and is an iconic landmark of the city. After the tower of Hercules and the Kopu lighthouse, it is the oldest in the world. A large icon of the city of Genoa is present on one side, and the top is crowned with a large glass light. Standing at 76m high it towers over the surrounding area and can be seen for miles.

3. 3

   Via Giuseppe Garibaldi

   30min

   Visit Palazzi Dei Rolli – a group of palaces most of which date from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. You might expect a street laid out in the 16th and 17th centuries as a setting for palaces of Genoa's richest and most powerful families to be a grand broad avenue, but Via Garibaldi is little more than a lane. It seems even narrower because it is hemmed in on both sides by the grandiose facades of side-by-side palaces. This little street, which lies north of Piazza Ferrari and above the sailors' quarter, is worth walking down even if none of the palaces is open to tour. Its facades present a succession of carved and painted embellishments, frescoes, grand arcades and loggias, balconies, courtyards, and entrances crowned by crests of noble families whose homes these were. So outstanding is this assemblage that it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

4. 4

   Il Cittadino - Arcidiocesi di Genova

   45min

   Together with your guide, you will climb the tower of the Cathedral of San Lorenzo. Genoa's zebra-striped Gothic–Romanesque cathedral owes its continued existence to the poor quality of a British WWII bomb that failed to ignite here in 1941; it still sits on the right side of the nave like an innocuous museum piece. The cathedral, fronted by three arched portals, twisting columns and crouching lions, was first consecrated in 1118. The two bell towers and cupola were added later in the 16th century. Also, you will taste fantastic street food, like focaccia and pesto.

5. 5

   Castello d'Albertis

   15min

   Then we will have a beautiful car ride through the most picturesque and inaccessible places in the city, which is simply impossible to reach on foot. We will drive through the streets and squares of Genoa, which will open to you in all their originality! Albertis Castle stands a short distance from the main harbour and houses the Museum of World Cultures. The castle itself was created in a Gothic Revival style and was built in 1886. It is actually built on the site of a previous 12th century fort and preserves the forts original foundations. The castle offers great views of the Ligurian Sea and the surrounding city. Inside the building is the wonderful museum of world cultures. This collection includes a range of findings from around the world by Enrico and Luigi Albertis such as weaponry from the Sudan and China, and artefacts from the Mayan civilization.

6. 6

   Chiesa del Gesu e dei Santi Ambrogio e Andrea

   15min

   Just a few meters from the massive cathedral of San Lorenzo, Chiesa del Gesu is one of the oldest churches in Genoa, originally dating back to the 6th century. While the outside of the church was completely rebuilt in 1894 when the Doge's Palace was strongly renovated, it still houses one of the most gorgeous ceilings in the city. Gilded in gold, and covered in richly-colored paintings, visit the Chiesa at sunset to see everything beautifully illuminated by a natural, ethereal glow.

7. 7

   La Casa di Colombo

   15min

   The house is located outside Genoa's 14th-century walls. During the Renaissance, the area became subject to intense building, mainly consisting of public housing. Columbus was born in 1451, and historical documents indicated that Columbus lived here between approximately 1455 and 1470. Currently, the building operates as a museum, under the management of the "Porta Soprana".

8. 8

   Piazza Raffaele De Ferrari

   15min

   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 refers 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.

Before you go

Location

Calata Molo Vecchio 15, Magazzini del Cotone, Modulo 5, 16128, Italy