Genoa attractions include Piazza De Ferrari, via Garibaldi, San Lorenzo Cathedral, Genoa Acquarium, and Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art.
Piazza De Ferrari is the main square in Genoa, dominated by its central fountain, and adjacent to which you can find many of the most important buildings in the city.
Many of the square’s buildings are from a period up to the late 19th century, when Genoa was the region’s most important financial center(together with Milan)…
…and Piazza De Ferrari was the center of this financial activity.
Within the square, you can find…
- Doge’s Palace,
- Carlo Felice Theatre,
- Genoa Stock Exchange building (from 1912), and
- Palace of the Duke of Galliera, Raffaele De Ferrari (after whom the square is named).
Via Garibaldi (www.museidigenova.it), on the other hand, is the most important street of Genoa, and, particularly well-known for having the world’s best collection of historical palaces within its 250 meters (273 yards) length.
Fame for the street increased substantially in 1846, when Charles Dickens published his Italian travelogue, “Pictures from Italy“, in which he admired the “street of palaces”, Strada Nuova (the name for the street until 1882).
In “Pictures from Italy”, Dickens also admired Genoa’s Strada Balbi, another palatial street, its buildings, the endless details, large stone balconies, and thick marble columns.
The most famous of these palaces, which belonged to the most important Genoan families, include…
- Palazzo Rosso,
- Palazzo Bianco,
- Palazzo Grimaldi, and
- Palazzo Reale (www.palazzorealegenova.it).
Genoa attractions include San Lorenzo Cathedral, the most important church in the city.
First versions of the cathedral were built around 5th century AD, but construction and extension work on the cathedral continued until 17th century.
Highlights within the church include…
- 16th century sculptures by Tomaso Allio,
- “Flagellazione” by Bartolomeo Litterini (from 17th century), and
- “Via Crucis” by Carlo Henrici.
Acquario di Genova (www.acquariodigenova.it), meanwhile, is Europe’s second largest aquarium, built for the Expo 92, and today, it acts as an educational, scientific, and cultural center.
The aquarium includes 71 exhibition aquariums, which contain a total of about 600 species of animals and plants…
…with highlights such as penguins, sharks, and seals.
Building, where the aquarium is located, is also significant, as it was designed by famous architects Renzo Piano and Peter Chermayeff.
An addition to the building was made in 1998, when a full-sized ship was constructed to the end of the pedestrian zone.
Finally, one of the top Genoa attractions is Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art (museidigenova.it/chiossone), which contains the largest collection of oriental art in Europe.
The museum collection consists mostly of artworks collected by Genoan Edoardo Chiossone, during his 23-year stay in Japan (1875-1898).
The museum collections include:
- Paintings, printing books, illustrated books,
- Buddhism sculptures and sacred objects, archaeological findings,
- bronze objects, coins, porcelain, books, theater masks,
- musical instruments, costumes, and oriental fabrics.
Pearls of the collection especially include world-famous Ukiyoe paintings and prints.