Private Tour and Lunch in a typical restaurant in old town

Sarzano Square is located in the area that is said to be Genoa’s or rather “Ianua”‘s original nucleus.

Walking along Via Garibaldi you savour the ancient beauty of this wonderful city through the stately and elegant dwellings of its wealthy merchants. From the mid-1500s onwards Genoa was enriched with magnificent facades in stucco, marble or painted decorations, grandiose atriums, splendid gardens with fountains and nymphaeums; and inside, large frescoed halls, sumptuous furnishings, precious art collections and rich picture galleries. These luxurious residences did not escape the eye of refined artists such as the great Flemish painter Pieter Paul Rubens who, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, published his book of drawings of the buildings, which he proposed as a model for the residences of the aristocracy of the whole Europe.

A short distance from Porta Soprana, just outside the ancient medieval walls, is the so-called Casa di Colombo. It is probably a reconstruction, dating back to the 18th century, of the original medieval building in which the discoverer of the Americas lived in his youth. The house was probably destroyed during the bombardment of the French fleet of King Louis XIV which hit Genoa in 1684. The building is spread over two floors: the ground floor was used as a workshop by his father, Domenico Colombo, who dealt with wool weaving and of commerce. Upstairs was the family home. According to written sources, the navigator lived here in a period of time included - approximately - between 1455 and 1470.

Located just off one of the most important docks in the city, this was once the site of Genoa’s old grain market, and was known as piazza "dei banchi" in the 12th century due to the money-changers' stalls located under the porticoes of the various buildings.

The square was destroyed by a terrible fire in 1398 and, it was not until the 16th century that restoration work was completed on the buildings; this work also included the construction of a Loggia dei Mercanti (merchant's loggia) designed by Andrea Ceresola, known as il Vannone, to provide a covered location for bankers and money-changers working in the area.

The most important church in Genoa is the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo. The Genoese cathedral and the artistic representations on its walls gave rise to many legends and curiosities.

It was built around the year 1098 to support and then replce a basilica, which dated back to the 5th or the 6th century, and was later enlarged with solemn and precious forms. The cathedral is dedicated to San Lorenzo Martire and guards the ashes of the patron saint of the city San Giovanni Battista, brought to Genoa at the end of the First Crusade.

The Luzzati Gardens are located in the "heart" of the historic center of Genoa and are a wonderful and rare case of recovery that is attentive not only to the architectural and urban aspects, but above all to the well-being of the community.

The space contains a set of activities intended for the livability and revitalization of the neighborhood but which open with cultural initiatives and events especially towards the outside, to the citizens, with the project of becoming a multicultural and multiethnic pole.

Genoa's main square, a meeting and gathering place for important city events, is dedicated to Raffaele De Ferrari, the Duke of Galliera, a generous benefactor who donated a considerable sum of money in 1875 towards projects to expand the port.

In the centre is a monumental bronze fountain, crafted by the architect Cesare Crosa of Vergagni in 1936. The Teatro Carlo Felice and the building of the Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti (Ligurian Academy of Fine Arts) that look onto the square were both designed by Carlo Barabino. Piazza De Ferrari is also bordered by the side façade of Palazzo Ducale (the main entrance of which is on the adjacent Piazza Matteotti), Palazzo della Regione Liguria (the offices of the Liguria region, built in 1920), and Palazzo della Nuova Borsa (the new stock exchange), one of the finest examples of Genoese Art Nouveau (1912).

Palazzo San Giorgio is one of the most relevant and well-known historic buildings in Genoa. Nowadays it hosts the headquarters of the Autorità di Sistema Portuale del Mar Ligure Occidentale. The palace is located in the docks area and is formed by two different parts: the ancient one, a typical example of medieval architecture, front pointed towards the Sottoripa portico, and the Renaissance one, oriented south. The main entrance is located on this side in front of the Porto Antico, facing via della Mercanzia, a small alley that links piazza Caricamento to piazza Cavour.

The ancient portual area was redesigned by Renzo Piano in 1992 for the celebrations of the quincentenary of the discovery of America celebrations, it became a touristic centre of the city where you can have a drink, dine, go shopping, watch a movie, skate of dive in the swimming pool.

At the end of the dock lies the Magazzini del Cotone complex, from this point of view you can admire the Lanterna, which is very close, and Genoa and its Gulf in all their beauty. In the background the hills are full of colours in the light of day and lit at night.

Spianata Castelletto

A fabulous "balcony" suspended over the Historic Centre with a 360° view out over the city and the port. Riding up to it in the Art Nouveau lift is an enchanting experience.

"When I decide

to go to heaven

I'll go in the elevator

of Castelletto…"

(Giorgio Caproni, from "The Elevator")

From here visitors can admire the rooftops made of slate, a traditional local material, as well as mediaeval towers and Baroque domes; in the distance, the sea comes alive with both modern ships and ancient memories

The high grounds form a backdrop dotted with parks, villas and sanctuaries and crowned with the city’s forts.

Until 1849, the fortress of Castelletto stood in the place of this magnificent overlook, before being razed to the ground by public demand, as it was deemed a menace to the city below in the event of enemy occupation.

In 1910, when Alinari photographs popularised its beauty, the esplanade/overlook of Castelletto joined the list of Genoa's must-see wonders.

Riding up to Spianata Castelletto in the Art Nouveau lift is an enchanting experience.

This is the lift to which the poet Caproni dedicated a poem:

"When I decide

to go to heaven

I'll go in the elevator

of Castelletto…"

(Giorgio Caproni, from "The Elevator")