Genoa is one of the largest cities in Italy and the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. It is often shadowed by other cities like Florence or Venice but is totally worth visit it. It has a long history, it was a main naval center so it is famous for the old port and it has been a European Capital of Culture in 2004. So, what to see in Genoa in just one day? Let's start!
As usual i will start from the train station. Take via De Amicis (then via Serra) and you will arrive at Doria Spinola Palace, a palace built in 1624 which is now the seat of Genoa prefecture. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site and inside there is the Galleria Nazionale, a museum with paintings by artists such as Tintoretto, Perugino and Van Dyke. The ticket costs 4 euros.
We take now via Roma, then via Ceba that will lead us to the Columbus' house, that was partially rebuilt in the 1700s due to a bombing in 1684 which destroyed part of it.
Proceed now in via del Porta and reach the Doge's Palace. Built in 1275 it was the home of the Doges of Genoa and is now a museum which also hosts exhibitions. You can visit the Doge's Chapel and the jail and the ticket is around 12 euros but it can change according to the exhibitions. For more information here's the official website with their contacts info.
Proceed in via San Lorenzo and you will reach the Old Port a part of the Genoa harbor used as touristic and cultural center Aquarium, one of the biggest in Europe with 33,000-square-foot. The aquarium is very big, so now you can do 2 things: visit the aquarium and spend the rest of the day visiting it (the ticket only for the aquarium is 24 euros, if you want to visit all the other attractions too it would be 48. So you are going to spend several hours in there) or proceed and visit the Palazzo Reale and the Sea Museum. Here you can admire some 1600 buildings.
If you want to visit the Aquarium, keep in mind that you will spend several hours in there: there are different areas and you can find info in the official site .
If you want to see the the Royal Palace just follow the road along the harbor and you will see the Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale) and the Sea Museum. The Palazzo Reale was built in 1618 and contains canvas by Tintoretto, van Dyke and Guercino among others. The Sea Museum is one of the most modern museums in Italy and it was opened in 2004 when Genova was a European Capital of Culture. It is very interesting with many different areas dedicated to different theme, for example one is dedicated to the journey that our ancestors did to go to America and one hall contains the reduction of a Genoan galley.
Hope you enjoyed your stay in Genoa, i will post soon a 2 and 3 days itinerary to let you discovers all the treasures of this amazing city!
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