The Spring Equinox Awakens the Superba
March 20, 2026 marks the spring equinox, and Genoa seems to know it well. The city awakens from a mild winter with a weekend that promises to be full of events, colors and flavors. The first warmth of the year invites you to stroll through the caruggi, while historic palaces open their doors to host exceptional exhibitions and quality performances.
It is the perfect time to discover a Genoa preparing for the beautiful season. The days grow longer, the sea begins to shine with a different light, and in the air you can feel that typical energy of seasonal change. From the historic center to the hills, every corner of the city offers something special for this weekend.
Between international art exhibitions, millennia-old gastronomic traditions and the first outdoor events of the year, the weekend of March 20-22 presents itself as a perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the most authentic soul of the Superba.
Van Dyck the European: an artistic journey from Antwerp to Genoa
The great artistic event of the weekend takes place in the halls of Palazzo Ducale, where the extraordinary exhibition “Van Dyck the European” comes to life. Fifty-eight masterpieces by the Flemish genius, from the world’s most prestigious museums — from the Louvre to the Prado, from the National Gallery in London to the Uffizi — transform the ducal spaces into an international museum.
Anthony van Dyck is not only one of the greatest painters of the 17th century: he is the artist who best represents the Europe of that era, able to move between the courts of half Europe leaving the mark of his genius everywhere. The exhibition traces this extraordinary journey, from his apprenticeship in Antwerp in Rubens’ workshop to his time in London as painter to the court of Charles I.
“Genoa, for those who know how to look at it, is a city of contrasts that blend and become one”
— Fabrizio De André
Particularly interesting is the section dedicated to the artist’s time in Genoa, when between 1621 and 1627 Van Dyck painted some of the most elegant portraits of Ligurian nobility. It was in those years that the “Genoese portrait” was born, a style that would influence European art for centuries to come, where local aristocracy is immortalized with a refinement never seen before.
For families, Saturday, March 21 features a special guided tour designed for children, transforming the discovery of masterpieces into an engaging adventure through brushes, colors and stories of princes and princesses of the past.
The World Pesto Championship: tradition in a mortar
Also at Palazzo Ducale, Saturday, March 21 sees one of the most anticipated events of the Ligurian gastronomic calendar: the XI edition of the World Championship of Genoese Pesto in the Mortar. One hundred pesto makers from around the world compete in the preparation of the most beloved and imitated condiment of Ligurian cuisine, strictly according to the traditional recipe filed with the Genoa Chamber of Commerce.
But this is not just a competition: it is a true festival of Ligurian gastronomic culture. Three days of initiatives that include guided tours of the Rolli, family workshops and the traditional Pesto Party with Genoa’s best restaurants. The event celebrates not only a dish, but an entire cultural heritage made of ancient gestures, genuine ingredients and traditions passed down from generation to generation.
Genoese basil DOP, extra virgin Taggiasca olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano DOP cheese and Fiore Sardo DOP, Italian pine nuts, garlic and coarse sea salt: every ingredient tells a story, every grind in the mortar is a gesture lost in the mists of time. Watching the competition means coming into contact with the deepest essence of Ligurian culinary identity.
Theater and music for every taste
The theatrical weekend opens on Friday, March 20 with an exciting performance at Teatro della Tosse: Sir Waldo Weathers, a living legend of funk and soul who played in the James Brown Band for over fifteen years, takes the stage alongside the Henry Carpaneto Organ Trio. A concert where blues meets funk in all its contagious energy, an authentic musical experience with an artist who made history in African American music.
Musicwest, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
For those who prefer author’s theater, also on Friday evening at Stradanuova Teatro Centrale, “Born for You, Love Doesn’t Ask Permission” with Luca Trapanese takes the stage. An extraordinary testimony of love, diversity and vulnerability, where the author tells his journey as father of Alba, a child with Down syndrome, addressing with delicacy and depth themes such as family, parenthood and acceptance of diversity.
For families with children, Sunday, March 22, Teatro della Tosse presents “Little Red Riding Hood“, a playful and engaging retelling of the most beloved fairy tale, where two actors compete in interpreting all the characters in a theatrical game that delights young and old alike.
“Zena a l’é comme ‘na scciumma de mâ, a se destira e a se serira”
— Genoese proverb: “Genoa is like sea foam, it expands and contracts”
Spring celebration among flowers and flavors
The awakening of spring is celebrated in grand style in Piazza De Ferrari with the “Panera Days 2026”, three days dedicated to the famous Genoese semifreddo made with fresh cream and coffee. From March 20 to 22, the city’s main square transforms into an explosion of taste and craftsmanship, with stands, tastings and meetings with the best Panera spots in the city.
Panera is much more than a dessert: it is a symbol of Genoese summer, linked to childhood memories of generations of Ligurians. Born in the 1960s, this semifreddo with its unique texture and distinctive flavor represents the Genoese ability to create excellence even starting from simple ingredients. The De Ferrari event is the perfect opportunity to discover the most creative variations of this iconic dessert.
The weekend also opens the New Spring Fair 2026 at the Blue Pavilion of the Genoa Fair. After six years of absence, the historic fair returns with a completely renewed spirit, offering the latest news in furnishings, automotive, leisure and gardening. A perfect opportunity to prepare for the beautiful season and discover this year’s trends.
Classical music and contemporary art
Lovers of classical music cannot miss the appointment on Sunday, March 22 at Teatro Auditorium E. Montale with “France and England between the 19th and 20th centuries”. Mezzo-soprano Paola Gardina and pianist Claudio Marino Moretti guide the audience through the chamber masterpieces of Herbert Howells, Roger Quilter, Gabriel Fauré and the delicate Chansons grises by Reynaldo Hahn.
It is a musical journey that explores the richness of French and English vocal traditions between the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a refined repertoire that reveals the elegance and emotional depth of two musical schools that profoundly influenced European culture. The perfect acoustics of the Montale theatre enhance every nuance of this intimate and sophisticated repertoire.
For those seeking more experimental art, on Friday, March 20 at the GAM Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Nervi, the meeting “Knowledge, Words and Public Space” takes place, dedicated to the role of contemporary sculpture with artist Stefano Boccalini. An opportunity to reflect on how sculptural art dialogues with the urban and social spaces of our time.
A weekend between tradition and discovery
Those wishing to explore the surroundings can participate in the excursion on Saturday, March 21 to Axou, the ghost village of the Genoese Apennines. Starting from the Creto pass, environmental guide Davide Costa leads participants along the Ligurian-Padanian watershed ridge, among woods and breathtaking views, until reaching this mysterious and fascinating place, a testimony to a rural past now disappeared.
It is an experience that allows you to discover wilder and more authentic Genoa, away from traditional tourist circuits. The trails of the Ligurian Apennines hide stories of mountain communities, pastoral traditions and landscapes of rare beauty, easily reached from the city in less than an hour by car.
For those who prefer to stay in the centre, a walk through the caruggi lanes of the historic centre can hold pleasant surprises. It is the perfect time to discover small artisanal workshops preparing for the tourist season, historic shops that preserve ancient knowledge, palaces opening for the FAI Spring Days on March 21-22.
Genoa knows how to welcome its visitors, especially during this weekend that marks the transition to the beautiful season. Between art, music, gastronomy and nature, every moment of the day offers an authentic experience, far from mass tourism but rich in genuine emotions. If this weekend is calling you, our residences in the heart of the city are waiting for you to experience Genoa as true temporary citizens, with the comfort of home and the magic of a city that always knows how to surprise.
