| | Overview (Source: Frommers) |
142km (88 miles) S of Milan, 501km (311 miles) N of Rome, 194km (120 miles) E of Nice With its dizzying mix of the old and the new, of sophistication and squalor, Genoa (Genova) is as multilayered as the hills it clings to. It was and is, first and foremost, a port city: an important maritime center for the Roman Empire, boyhood home of Christopher Columbus (whose much-restored house still stands near a section of the medieval walls), and, fueled by seafaring commerce that stretched all the way to the Middle East, one of the largest and wealthiest cities of Renaissance Europe. Genoa began as a port of the ancient Ligurian people at least by the 6th century B.C., when it traded with the Greeks and Phoenicians. Genoa threw in its lot with Rome against Carthage and was destroyed for its loyalty in 205 B.C., but Rome rebuilt it. By the early Middle Ages, Genoa had become a formidable maritime power, conquering the surrounding coast and the mighty outlying islands of Corsica and Sardinia. Though all Mediterranean ports competed, the rivalry was particularly strident between neighbors Genoa and Pisa. After countless battles, Genoa soundly trounced its enemies at Meloria in 1284 (Pisa would never truly recover), after which Genoa's growth knew few bounds. She established colonies throughout North Africa and the Middle East, and made massive gains during the Crusades. With bigger success came new, bigger rivals, and Genoa locked commercial and military horns with Venice,
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| History (Source: WCities) | Top | The name Genoa is believed to derive from Genua, founded by the two headed Giano, protector of ships and coins. This was a city of two faces, which looks both inland and towards the sea. Genoa, as well as being full of mythical origins, has always been a crossroads of traffic and culture, between continental Europe and the Mediterranean, thanks to it natural position and the initiative of its inhabitants. After the conquest of the Padana plain in 569, Genoa became the main, Byzantine stronghold with its own fleet, uniting the commercial and seafaring sides of the city. Conquered and plundered by the Rotari from 641 to 643 and then by Saracen pirates, the city only began to develop again after the tenth century, thanks to help from the monasteries and abbey and the first wall that finally surrounded the city. The great, powerful and prosperous, sea commerce of Genoa started in the eleventh century and, the city rivaled Pisa and Venice. Genoa’s participation in the Eastern Crusades, as well as responding to religious needs and the aspirations of the Genoan soldiers, made the city a valued importer of riches and new products. In 1098, the merchants took over the commercial district of Antiochia, and the Compagna was set up the next year, as the first communal associative institution, giving life to a mixed, ruling class of aristocratic, feudal and mercantile origin. The historic center was divided into eight districts and the houses had to have porticoes to show the limits of ea
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| How To Get There (Source: WCities) | Top | Getting There: By Air: The Genoa International Airport ( Cristoforo Colombo ) ( GOA ): ( +39 010 60151; http://www.airport.genova.it/eng/index.php ) provides service to Genoa. Airlines include: Air Dolomiti: ( http://www.airdolomiti.it; +39 45 2886140 ) Air France: ( http://www.airfrance.it; +39 848 884466 ) Air One: ( http://www.flyairone.it; +39 199 207080 ) Albatross Airways: ( +39 02 6101448 ) Alitalia: ( http://www.alitalia.it; +39 06-2222 ) Club Air: ( http://www.clubair.it; +39 02 42101020 ) Condor ( +1 800 524 6975; http://www7.condor.com ) Hapag-Lloyd Express ( +180 509 3 509/ http://www.hlx.com ) Lufthansa: ( http://www.lufthansa.com; +39 199 400044 ) Ryan Air: ( http://www.ryanair.com; +39 899 678910 ) Transavia: ( http://www.transavia.com; +39 02 69682615 ) By Rail : Trenitalia: ( http://www.trenitalia.it ) By Sea : Genoa Maritime Station: http://www.stazionimarittimegenova.com/default_eng.htm Ucina: ( http://www.boating-italy.it/ ) Ferries include: Grandi Navi Veloci: ( http://www1.gnv.it/English/Default.asp ) Moby Lines: ( http://www.moby.it ) Enermar: ( http://www.enermar.it/index.php ) Tirrenia: ( http://www.gruppotirrenia.it/tirrenia_en/html/mainframe.htm ) By Coach: AMT: ( http://www.amt.genova.it/; +39 010 5582414 ) ACI: ( http://www.acigenova.it/index2.html ) By Car: Motorways: A7, A12
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| What To Do (Source: WCities) | Top | Entertainment Genoa is a beautiful city that can also be an immense amount of fun. Far from the trendy, overwhelming, Milan scene and different from the atmosphere of Rome, Genoa offers its visitors a more underground scene where they have to make an effort to enter into the fun. The heart of this understated city's nightlife can be found in the historic center, where the underground culture can be discovered in the alleyways surrounding historic palaces and monuments. It is not always easy to find what you are looking for, but this is all part of the game, and the style of the city. Most of the nighttime haunts are concentrated in area between Piazza Sarzana and Via San Lorenzo. During the day it is nice to wander around the backstreets here in search of some of the more hidden places in the city. There are some sophisticated wine bars to be discovered here such as Le Cantine Squarciafico , or tapas bars that are open until late, such as La Lepre . The scene changes on the weekends, when the usually peaceful alleyways are taken over by lively crowds on their way to Cafè Latino in piazza Delle Erbe, Le Corbousier in piazza San Donato and the Moretti inn in Via San Bernardo. These places are always packed and the neighbouring areas are full of cocktail and wine bars. This is a veritable epicentre of nightlife, where you can barhop all night or go on to one of the clubs in the area such as Dueseiuno or Lukrezia, or even go along to a disco which are usually ful
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