In the middle of the Italian Riviera sits Genoa, Italy’s largest commercial port, Ligurian capital and the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.
A chaotic mix of old and new, sophistication and squalor, Genoa (or Genova) is as multi-layered as the hills on which it lies.
A port city, it was an important maritime center for the Roman Empire and later one of the largest and wealthiest cities of Renaissance Europe.
The historic Genoa can be found within the medieval walls of the old town, in the lanes and alleys where palaces and churches stand next to tenements. The modern city stretches for miles along the coast and into the hills with theatres, museums, restaurants, cafes, shopping centers and Europe’s largest aquarium, located near the port. Genoa has been chosen the cultural capital of Europe for 2004.