Genoa Pictures, Italy
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One
of ancient Rome's triumphal arches, but this one is on the edge
of Piazza della Vittoria, Genoa.
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the image to see these Genoa Pictures, Italy, or go below to
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Genoa,
the only European city to be mentioned in the
old Arabian Nights stories is a fabulous surprise for travellers
who know all about the wonders of Rome, Venice, Pisa, and Florence
but were not aware that Genoa was Europe's Capital of Culture
in 2004 and imagine that Italy's largest Mediterranean port
is an industrial wasteland.
Upside:
Far from it. Genoa's centre is lively, easily walkable and loaded
with 16thC and 17thC Palazzi [small palaces], chic shops, elegant
people, magnificent avenues, tiny winding medieval streets,
bizarre little details and of course gorgeous churches, particularly
in the well-preserved old town.
The Cathedral of San Lorenzo is in pole position for the sights
race with an awesome mixed marble and slate facade [best seen
in the afternoon], stunning sculptures and a fantastic treasury,
closely followed by the neighbouring Gesu church with more marble,
frescos and two huge, unusual paintings by Rubens.
The Porto Antico [waterfront] offers plenty of action, with
shows, swimming, aquarium, kids play area, bars and restaurants.
Downside:
The Porto Antico bordering the old town is not an aesthetic
success, with its clumping elevated highway, bald piazza, uncoordinated
Bigo thing and tired plastic box-set of an Aquarium,
while some areas are still sleazy despite a major clean up around
the turn of the millennium and there is no shortage of down-and-outs
looking for a hand-out.
Genoa
Sights: XX Settembre is the best route to the old town
for tourists disembarking from trains at Genoa's Brignole station
- from where run useful trains to the Italian Riviera in an
hour and along the Cinque Terre line [see Italy Beaches Pictures,
below]. The grand colonnaded XX runs down to Piazza de Ferrari
on the edge of the old town and is lined with a variety of interesting
structures and excellent shops.
Another
must-see route is the pedestrianised Via Garibaldi, narrow but
lined with fine Palazzi that now host all sorts of venerable
European institutions, galleries, some excellent trompes l'oeuil
and odd architectural features.
Otherwise it's down to diving into the labyrinthine maze of
the really tiny but tall streets of the old town looking
for ancient churches and curiosities, cappuccinos and cold beers.
Museums/galleries:
Two of the Genoa's best art galleries, Galleria di Palazzo Bianco
and Galleria di Palazzo Rosso are in Via Garibaldi while the
city's best museum is the Palazzo Reale on Via Balbi, the glittering
best place to see how Italian royals lived 500 years ago.
The Palazzo Ducale has regular, high quality exhibitions.
The Aquarium on the waterfront is fiendishly ugly externally
but diverse, colourful, informative and worthwhile inside and
particularly popular with kids. It's Europe's biggest aquarium
and houses excellent reconstructions of a Caribbean reef, a
rain forest habitat and many more educational sets, as well
as a terrific collection of marine critters, including piranha,
penguins, Mediterranean jellyfish, massive sunfish, touchable
rays and acrobatic dolphins. Suggestion to Genoa's local goverment:
paint the bloody hideous exterior with a trompe l'oeuil design!
With
these pictures of Genoa we have tried to give a feeling for
the centre of the city; we have not attempted to encompass every
last tourist option, that is your job.