September arrives in Genoa without haste, as always. The beaches empty out a bit, the alleyways of the city center fill again with Genoese voices rather than foreign accents, and the late afternoon light becomes that golden, slanting thing that seems made precisely to be admired from a caruggio or a terrace overlooking the sea. The first weekend of the month, between Friday the 4th and Sunday the 6th of September, brings with it a program that blends live music, contemporary art, sunset-guided tours and a touch of author-driven comedy a little further on, toward Rapallo.
It is not a boisterous weekend, and that is fine. Rather, it is an invitation to choose: those who love jazz played in the open air will find plenty to their taste in the western part of the city, those who prefer art can lose themselves among multi-channel installations and rediscovered portraits, those who cannot resist the somewhat gothic charm of nights among monumental tombs and silent cathedrals will have plenty to leave them speechless. We tell you what we chose, and why.
Jazz under the stars in Genoa’s west end
It begins on Friday, September 4th with the opening of the Pra’ Jazz Music Festival, four evenings of live music that will animate the Arena Colombi until September 12th. The initiative bears the signature of the Pra’ Carlo Colombi School and Musical Band, and the program promises a journey that spans the most classical swing, the warm atmospheres of bossa nova and the most personal improvisations of the musicians involved. The stage will alternate different formations in style and makeup: from the choral power of the Big Band Colombi to the more intimate sounds of trios and quartets.
Maurizio Magnetta, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It is a festival worth discovering just for the atmosphere: the Arena Colombi, in the heart of Pra’, is one of those places that downtown Genoese often do not know, and yet it offers different evenings, less touristy, more authentic. Taking the train or metro to Pra’ for an evening of jazz is also a way to see another Genoa, the one that stretches along the western coast between old shipyards and dolphinariums, far from the spotlight of the historic center.
Contemporary art and rediscovered portraits
Those seeking more visual stimuli have two appointments to mark on their calendar, both linked to the world of art but at opposite ends in terms of language and atmosphere. The first opens on Friday, September 4th at Palazzo Ducale: in the prestigious Liguria Hall debuts Ninety Percent of Everything, a multi-channel installation that plays with perception and perspective, immersing visitors in a sensory experience constructed to be discovered from multiple angles. The exhibition will remain on view until October 4th, so there is plenty of time to organize a visit at your leisure, perhaps combining it with a stroll through the arcades of Piazza De Ferrari.
Alessandro Giudice, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The second appointment, more closely tied to the city’s history, opens on Sunday 6 September at the GAM – Gallery of Modern Art in Nervi. Argentina-Genova Round Trip brings to light a masterpiece of early twentieth-century Italian painting: the monumental Portrait of Julia Lavarello Anselmo, painted by Vincenzo Irolli in 1907. The exhibition tells the story of one of Genoa’s most influential families of the time, the Lavarello-Anselmo family, whose destinies intertwine with emigration and the bonds between the city and Argentina. It is also an opportunity to discover (or rediscover) the Parks of Nervi, a green and seaside setting that in summer offers a freshness that feels almost alpine despite the sea just a stone’s throw away.
Nights Among Tombs and Cathedrals: Guided Tours for the Weekend
Genoa, as everyone knows, has a special relationship with its sacred places and with the memory of the dead, and the weekend offers two opportunities to explore this after sunset. Among the most evocative proposals is Staglieno of Wonders, a narrated guided tour through the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno, considered one of the most extraordinary in Europe for its sculptural wealth and the density of stories it holds. The tour leads through the most famous sepulchres and most enigmatic symbols, in an atmosphere that takes on a different charm in the evening, denser, almost theatrical. The tours recur throughout the year, typically on Saturday: it is worth checking the updated calendar before planning your evening.
Maurizio Beatrici, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
On the same evening, in the center, the Cathedral of San Lorenzo opens its doors for Secret Cathedral, a night-time guided tour that allows access to corners normally closed to the public: the Baptistry Chapel, the Baptistry, the presbytery with its fifteenth-century wooden choir, the Doge’s Tribune. It is an experience we recommend to those who love the history of sacred art and to those who simply want to see Genoa’s Cathedral in a (literally) different light than daytime.
Genoa, after all, is a city that never stops surprising those who know how to truly see it: just change the time of day, and its best-known places transform into something unexpected.
Rapallo calls: comedy and author’s music
For those not deterred by a short day trip, Villa Tigullio in Rapallo offers a packed schedule this weekend, confirming how the Riviera di Levante works perfectly in tandem with Genoa’s cultural offering. On Friday, September 4, Fabio Concato takes the stage with the show “Another Me in Concert,” a journey that combines live music and narration, in dialogue with journalist Marino Bartoletti, inspired by the book “Dear Lucio, I Write to You” dedicated to Lucio Dalla.
Davide Papalini, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
On Saturday, September 5, it is Antonio Ornano‘s turn with “(Un)grateful,” a stand-up comedy show that transforms personal reflection into sharp irony, exploring the right to feel imperfect in an age that always demands gratitude. The triptych closes on Sunday, September 6, with Tullio Solenghi and “An Amazing Evening,” a tribute to Paolo Villaggio made of readings, anecdotes, and personal memories that capture all the fierce and irresistible comedy of the Ligurian genius behind Fantozzi. Three evenings different in tone and audience, but all united by a single thread: the ability of comedy and author’s music to tell Italy through its most beloved voices.
The gem: an aperitif before jazz
If you choose the evening at the Pra’ Jazz Music Festival, we suggest arriving an hour early and taking a stroll along the Pra’ district, perhaps stopping at one of the local trattorias for a plate of trofie al pesto before the concert. It’s a suggestion from someone who lives Genoa year-round: the western part doesn’t have the postcard fame of the historic center or Boccadasse, but it offers authentic glimpses and a slower pace, ideal for closing the summer without haste, with the sea glimpsed between buildings and the air already beginning to smell of September.
Where to stay to enjoy your weekend at a relaxed pace
Whether you choose an evening of jazz in Pra’, a night visit to the Cathedral or a trip to Rapallo for some laughs, having a comfortable base in the city makes all the difference. Our residences in the heart of Genoa are designed precisely for this: carefully curated apartments, in a strategic location, from which you can easily reach the historic center, Porto Antico or train stations to explore the western coast and the Tigullio area. To help you navigate the city’s offerings during these days, our Genoa guide remains a useful reference point, while to make sure you don’t miss any of the upcoming events you can check our city events section.
Genoa in early September is a city that breathes more slowly but never truly stops: between a note of jazz and a secret corridor in the Cathedral, between a rediscovered portrait at the GAM and a laugh in Rapallo, the weekend of 4-6 September 2026 offers more than one good reason to stay, or to come visit us. If Genoa is calling you, we are here: you can book your stay and let the city tell you the rest.
