The medieval heart of Europe
There is one thing that strikes those who arrive in Genoa for the first time and enter the alleys: the light. Or rather, its absence. The alleys of the historic center – the largest in Europe with its approximately 110 hectares of almost intact medieval fabric – are as narrow as a child’s arms, and the sky above you is a blue stripe between ancient cornices. Yet there is nothing gloomy in this labyrinth: there is life, noise, the smell of focaccia, the dialect singing of a greengrocer, the glimmer of a sanctuary open in the mid-afternoon. Genoa is a city that cannot be seen immediately: it reveals itself slowly, alley by alley, as if it wanted to ascertain the visitor’s intentions before showing off its wonders.
“The historic center of Genoa is like an open book: every alley tells a story of merchants, navigators and saints”
— Renzo Piano, Genoese architect
The historic center is not an open-air museum in the museumized sense of the term. It is a lively, inhabited, contradictory neighborhood. Families have lived there for generations, artisans work there in almost forgotten professions, university students sleep there and lost tourists pass by in the best possible way. The social stratification is real and visible: within a radius of two hundred meters you can find a frescoed noble palace, a popular building with clothes hanging between the windows and a shop that has been selling fabrics since the beginning of the twentieth century. It is this messy and authentic coexistence that makes the historic center of Genoa different from any other Italian historic center.
Positioned between the Porto Antico to the south, Piazza De Ferrari to the east and the Castelletto hill to the north, the historic center is the obligatory starting point of any visit to Genoa. But it is also, for those who stay there, the perfect base to reach every corner of the city on foot without having to depend on public transport.
What to see in the historic center
The symbolic monument of the historic center is the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, in Piazza San Lorenzo, with its black and white marble zebra façade that never ceases to surprise. Construction began in the 12th century and has never really finished — some parts are still unfinished, which gives it a wild charm. Inside, don’t miss the Chapel of St. John the Baptist, a Renaissance treasure chest that houses the relics of the city’s patron saint, nor the Treasure Museum underground, where the Sacred Catino is preserved (according to Genoese tradition, the true Holy Grail) and the plate in which, according to legend, the head of John the Baptist was served. The cathedral’s treasure is one of the richest in Italy and tourists often discover it almost by chance, going down a staircase that seems to lead to a simple basement.
Via Garibaldi — today included in the UNESCO list as part of the Strade Nuove and the Palazzi dei Rolli — is probably the most beautiful Renaissance street in Italy. In the sixteenth century the great Genoese patrician families challenged each other to build the most sumptuous palaces along this newly traced road: the result is a sequence of monumental facades which today house the most important museums in the city. Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Tursi – the latter seat of the Town Hall and custodian of the legendary violin by Niccolò Paganini, visible in a glass case – can be visited for a few euros and are worth every minute. A detail that always amazes: the internal courtyards of these buildings are open to the public and can be crossed freely for a good part of the day, offering glimpses of hanging gardens and frescoed loggias that seem to have come out of a painting.
The Palazzi dei Rolli, as a system of aristocratic residences used as state hospitality for illustrious visitors to the Republic of Genoa, obtained UNESCO recognition in 2006 – and there are dozens of them, scattered throughout the historic centre. Many are not marked by tourist signs: they can be recognized by the ashlar portals, the facades painted with illusionistic motifs and the catalog numbers engraved on the stone. Learning to recognize them while walking is one of the subtlest pleasures of visiting the historic center.
A stone’s throw from San Lorenzo is Piazza Banchi, the commercial heart of medieval Genoa. The central loggia – the Loggia dei Mercanti – is now home to temporary exhibitions, but the atmosphere remains that of a place that has seen centuries of trading and currency exchanges. A little further on, the porticoes of Sottoripa preserve shops selling objects of all kinds: spices, fishing tools, knick-knacks, and above all food. It is here that some of the oldest fry shops in the city are located, where you can taste freshly baked farinata or the classic friscieu – cod fritters – which the Genoese eat standing on the pavement.
Porta Soprana, in Piazza Dante, is the best preserved medieval gate in Genoa, with its two cylindrical towers looming over the eastern entrance to the historic center. Just outside the door, almost hidden in a garden, is the alleged House of Christopher Columbus: a medieval building partially rebuilt in the eighteenth century which tradition indicates as the navigator’s childhood place. The reconstruction is partially romantic, but the historical context is authentic — Columbus grew up in this part of the city, among these alleys and these smells of the sea.
We cannot talk about the historic center without mentioning Via del Campo. It is an ordinary street, apparently, among the many in the centre. But it is immortalized in one of the most beautiful songs by Fabrizio De André, the Genoese poet par excellence, who made it the symbol of a popular, marginal and beautiful Genoa. At number 29r there is still a small museum dedicated to De André, managed with care and passion by the custodians of his memory. Finally, the Palazzo Ducale in Piazza Matteotti was the center of power of the Republic of Genoa for five centuries: today it hosts art exhibitions of international scope, an excellent café in the portico and a bookshop specializing in art and local history which is worth a visit even on its own.
What to do in the historic center
The first thing to do in the historic center of Genoa is the simplest: walk aimlessly. The alleys form a network that changes appearance every hundred metres. You can enter from Piazza De Ferrari and find yourself, after ten minutes, in front of a baroque church that you didn’t know existed, or in an internal courtyard of a noble palace opened by chance. Bring comfortable shoes: the pavement is made of blackboard stone and sometimes uneven, especially in the narrower alleys such as Vico Superiore del Ferro or Salita degli Embriaci. Orientation is almost impossible without Google Maps, but taking a wrong turn is part of the experience.
The Mercato Orientale, in Via XX Settembre (reachable in five minutes on foot towards Brignole), is one of the most beautiful covered markets in Italy. The neoclassical cloister that houses it was an Augustinian convent: today you will find local vegetable stalls, fishmongers shouting prices in dialect, delicatessens with prescinseua – the fresh Genoese curd, an indispensable ingredient for the Easter cake – and the inevitable fresh pesto for sale by the jar or in bulk. The morning, between 8 and 12, is the best time: the environment is lively and the market is at its maximum vitality. Since 2019, the upper floor also hosts a food area with an open kitchen where you can try traditional Ligurian dishes at reasonable prices.
On Sunday morning, Piazza delle Erbe – a small square inside the alleys, one of the liveliest in the center – transforms into an informal meeting point: outdoor bar tables, early aperitifs, people from the neighborhood meeting up after the walk. It is one of the most authentic places to understand Genoese social life, one that does not appear in official guides. In the evening, the same square and the adjacent streets such as Vico Falamonica and Via San Bernardo become the fulcrum of the nightlife of the historic center, with pubs, wine bars and clubs open until late frequented by a mixed audience of students, artists and professionals.
The Giornate dei Rolli are held in March and October: two weekends a year in which the Palazzi dei Rolli open their internal courtyards, loggias, frescoes and even some private apartments to the public free of charge. It is an unmissable event that brings thousands of visitors from all over Italy and abroad — booking in advance on the Municipality website is essential. During the summer, the Goa-Boa Festival brings jazz and blues concerts to the courtyards and squares of the historic center, creating a unique atmosphere where live music resonates between sixteenth-century stone walls.
Where to eat and drink in the historic center
The historic center of Genoa is a gastronomic paradise as long as you know where to look. The golden rule is invariable: the smaller and more anonymous the place is on the outside, the more likely it is that the food will be excellent inside. Be wary of laminated tablecloths with “Italian” classics printed on them and menus in five languages displayed outside — here you eat Genoese, period.
For focaccia – which in Genoa is a religion and is eaten at any time, even for breakfast dipped in cappuccino – the classic destination in the historic center is Antico Forno della Casana in Vico della Casana: classic focaccia with Ligurian extra virgin olive oil, focaccia with golden onions, chickpea flour cooked in copper pans in a wood oven. You eat standing or on the steps of a building, like the real Genoese do. Very low prices, queues almost always (€). Another historic focacceria is Patata Bollente in Via Ravecca, with vegetable pies, focaccia with cheese and a selection of savory pies that change every day (€).
For a seated lunch, Trattoria da Maria in Vico Testadoro has been a Genoese institution since the post-war period: paper tablecloths, fixed menu that changes every day handwritten on a blackboard, real home cooking with pesto minestrone, stewed tripe, baked lasagne and bunet as the house dessert. The bill does not exceed 15 euros each. Frequented by workers, lawyers, tourists and elderly ladies from the neighborhood – the best guarantee of authenticity you can find in the center (€). For something more refined but always authentic, Trattoria Vegia Zena in Vico Serriglio offers Genoese classics – trofie with pesto, stockfish buridda, lean cappon on Fridays – in a warm and welcoming environment with exposed stone walls (€€).
For an aperitif, Le Corbusier in Piazza delle Erbe has been the neighborhood’s go-to bar for decades: decent Negronis, good selection of Ligurian craft beers, lively atmosphere especially on Thursday and Friday evenings when the square fills up and people overflow onto the steps. For something quieter and more genuinely Genoese, look for one of the small wine bars in the alleys between Via San Luca and Piazza Banchi, where a glass of Ligurian Pigato can be drunk for a couple of euros while sitting on a wooden stool next to locals who don’t know what an influencer is.
How to get to and around the historic center
The closest metro stop to the heart of the historic center is De Ferrari, on line 1 (the only metro line in Genoa). From here you are less than five minutes walk from the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, Palazzo Ducale and the entrance to the main alleys. From Brignole Station, another metro stop and terminus for many buses, it takes a metro stop or a pleasant 15-minute walk along Via XX Settembre, the large nineteenth-century commercial artery covered by a glass gallery.
From the Prince Station – the historic station, the one with the neoclassical façade overlooking the sea – the historic center can be reached on foot in 10-15 minutes via Via Balbi and Via Prè, or with the AMT bus line 20 to De Ferrari. The most useful buses for getting around the central area are the AMT 20, 30 and 33 lines. An AMT ticket costs 1.70 euros and is valid for 90 minutes with the possibility of transfer; It can be purchased at newsstands or tobacconists before boarding, or with the AMT app.
A large part of the historic center is ZTL (Limited Traffic Zone) and is not accessible by car during daytime hours. The most convenient car park for those arriving by car is the Picapietra car park, covered and monitored, from which you can reach the center on foot in 10 minutes, or the car park in Piazza della Vittoria. On an electric scooter the center can be easily navigated, but be careful of the uneven pavement in the narrowest alleys where it is better to proceed on foot.
Where to sleep in the historic center
Staying in the historic center of Genoa means waking up inside history. Opening the window and hearing the sounds of the city waking up – the footsteps on the stones, the voice of those who open the shop, the scent of coffee rising from some bar – is an experience that no hotel in the suburbs or in a commercial area can offer. The central location allows you to reach almost every attraction in the city on foot, to return after dinner without worrying about transport, and to truly immerse yourself in the life of the neighborhood instead of observing it from afar like passing tourists.
The historic buildings in the center are often equipped with silent internal courtyards, monumental doors and ceiling heights that make you feel small in the best sense of the term. Many apartments occupy the upper floors of sixteenth-seventeenth century buildings, with exposed beams and views of the slate roofs that seem painted. Waking up in the morning with the sun slanting through the dark sheets of a Genoese roof is something you don’t easily forget.
The historic center is also the most practical area for those arriving by train, equidistant from both main stations, and for those who want to move easily towards the Porto Antico, Castelletto or the eastern beaches. Supermarkets, pharmacies and all essential services are easily accessible, despite the medieval appearance of the neighborhood.
Explore the nearby neighborhoods too: if Centro Storico has intrigued you, also discover our guides on Porto Antico, Castelletto, Oregina and Lagaccio, San Teodoro and Granarolo and Carignano. Each area of Genoa has its own character and its own surprises.
In the historic center area we manage several apartments ideal for couples, families and travelers who want to experience Genoa like a local, not like a tourist. Discover our homes available on genovabb.it and choose the one that’s right for you. For any information, book directly online and start your journey in the heart of Genoa.
The hidden churches of the caruggi
One of the lesser-known aspects of the historic center of Genoa is the extraordinary density of churches hidden among the alleys. Along the alleys there are dozens of places of worship often overlooked by tourists, yet of considerable historical and artistic interest. The Church of Santa Maria di Castello, in Salita di Santa Maria di Castello, is one of the oldest in the city: inside there is a cycle of fifteenth-century frescoes of extraordinary quality and a medieval library that can still be partially visited. The Church of Jesus and Saints Ambrose and Andrew, in Piazza Matteotti, is a masterpiece of Genoese baroque with two large canvases by Rubens – the Flemish painter stayed in Genoa and left some of his most important works here. Even the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata del Vastato in Piazza della Nunziata, with its nave covered entirely in gilded stucco and seventeenth-century frescoes, is a spectacle that leaves those who enter it for the first time breathless.
Many of these churches have irregular opening hours and do not appear on standard tourist maps: the only way to find them is to walk carefully and look at the Latin plaques on the facades. The Genoese are used to them and cross them diagonally as if they were public corridors — which to some extent they are, since many served as a shortcut between one alley and another since the Middle Ages.
The historical craftsmanship of Sottoripa
The porticoes of Sottoripa still house some of the oldest artisan workshops in Genoa. Among the historic specialties still found here are sellers of naval ropes and fishing tackle, small hardware shops with wooden drawers full of bolts and screws of unlikely sizes, and a few dealers in spices and colonial products that keep alive a trading tradition that dates back to the Republic. Early in the morning, before the tourist traffic increases, Sottoripa still has the atmosphere of a functional, non-decorative place: people buying necessary things, smells of leather and motor oil, voices in dialect. It is the real Genoa, the one that existed before “authentic” became an adjective used by tourism marketing.
If you want to experience Genoa from the inside, our dwellings in the heart of the city are waiting for you. Book now at the best price guaranteed.
