A Walking Tour through Genoa's Historic Caruggi
- Will Gerson
- Aug 28, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 18
Venture through the beautiful and historical streets of Genoa with our comprehensive walking tour. The tour can take anywhere from 2-6 hours, depending on your preferred walking pace.
Overview
Nestled between the Ligurian Sea and the Apennine Mountains, Genoa is an oft-overlooked destination for travelers to Italy. However, those who venture there will find a city offering fascinating history, a delicious local cuisine, and grand architecture in one of Europe’s largest and most densely populated historic centers. As the capital of one of the world’s foremost maritime republics for more than seven centuries, Genoa collected enormous wealth that is reflected in its majestic palaces. Today, the city called la Superba (‘the proud one’) by Petrarch maintains its importance as Italy’s busiest port, and it offers visitors a rich cultural history without the hordes of tourists that dominate many other Italian cities in spring and summer.
Read on for a walking tour to guide you on your journey through the winding narrow streets of the old city, known to the locals as caruggi.
Walking Tour of Genoa
Begin in the Piazza De Ferrari, Genoa’s main square. From here, venture southeast on Via Dante and enter the old city through the Porta Soprana, the principal gate of the city walls constructed to defend the city in the 12th century.
Just outside the gate stands an 18th-century reconstruction of the childhood home of Genoa’s most famous native son, Christopher Columbus. Continue through the Piazza delle Erbe on your way to the Chiesa di San Donato, a 12th-century Romanesque church with well-preserved Renaissance paintings inside.
Constructed in the 13th century with an interior prison that held the legendary Venetian merchant and explorer Marco Polo, the palace’s most important function was as the seat of the Bank of Saint George, arguably the world’s first modern bank. Founded in 1407 to consolidate the republic’s mounting debt in the face of its war with Venice for control of the Mediterranean’s maritime trade, it was the world’s first state deposit bank, and it helped the city maintain its wealth and financial dominance for centuries.
After meandering through the port, re-enter the old city along Via San Lorenzo, which will take you past two of Genoa’s most monumental buildings: the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, the city’s cathedral, and the Palazzo Ducale, former residence of the Doge of Genoa that now houses an art museum and a venue for cultural events.
Behind the Palazzo Ducale sits the Piazza San Matteo, a lovely little square that contains the palaces of the powerful House of Doria (among them the statesman and admiral Andrea Doria), as well as the family’s private chapel, the Chiesa di San Matteo, which dates to 1125.
The palaces and the chapel are prime examples of the medieval Genoese style that can be seen throughout the old city, with its distinctive white-and-black horizontal stripes crafted from marble and slate.
Continue on to the Piazza di Soziglia and stop in for a pastry at the iconic Confetteria Romanengo, opened in 1780. Specialties include candied fruit, chocolate cream meringues, and chestnut cream pastries. Circle back toward Vico del Ferro and exit the narrow caruggi onto the city’s most famous street, Via Garibaldi.
One of the Strade Nuove (new streets) constructed during the Renaissance, the Via Garibaldi was the centerpiece of an ambitious urban planning project undertaken by the Genoese aristocracy to expand upon the existing medieval city with a series of new, majestic palaces, financed by large sums of money that the wealthy ruling class had accrued by bankrolling states around Europe, chiefly the Spanish royal family. In addition to housing the city’s aristocratic families, these palaces also hosted important guests visiting the capital of the Republic in an official capacity. As you stroll along Via Garibaldi, be sure to look up at the ornate facades that tower above you.
After admiring the palaces, make your way to the Ascensore Castelletto Levante, a century-old elevator that will take you up to the Spianata di Castelletto, which offers a spectacular panoramic view of the old city below. Time your visit for sunset and it will be especially memorable.
Finish your day with a stroll through the leafy neighborhood, stopping in for a glass of wine or a bite to eat at one of the area’s many lovely bars or restaurants.
