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Genoa

Italy

Italy Travel Guide

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Genoa, Italy - September 10, 2016: In this a typical corner of Genova, the square Piazza de Ferrari. Genoa is a popular seaside city for both the port and the aquarium, both for typical Caruggi, narrow alleys of the old town. The upper part of the city is finally very rich with stately palaces, great churches and stately squares. 624721102 Genoa - Italy, Co-Pilot, Ligurian Sea, Explorer, Pesto Sauce, Gamla Stan, Aquarium, Arch, History, Colors, Cultures, Narrow, North, Architecture, Urban Scene, Liguria, Italy, Bay Of Water, Mediterranean Sea, Sea, Apartment, House, Church, University, Alley, Palace, Tunnel, Harbor, City, Urban Sprawl, Caruggi

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Overview

Italy's largest sea port is indefatigably contradictory, full at once of grandeur, squalor, sparkling light and deep shade. It's a gateway to the Riviera for many travellers today, but a weighty architectural heritage speaks of its former glory – the Most Serene Republic of Genoa ruled over the Mediterranean waves during the 12th to the 13th centuries – and history feels alive in Genoa. No more is this true than in its extensive old city, an often confronting reminder of premodern life with its twisting maze of caruggi (narrow streets), largely intact. Emerge blinking from this thrillingly dank heart to Via Garibaldi and the splendid Enlightenment-era gold-leaf halls of the Unesco-listed Palazzi dei Rolli.

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Best Things to Do

Gritty and gracious in equal measure, Genoa’s legacy is immense. Here are the city's best experiences.

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