HISTORY OF GENOA:
The area of today’s Genoa was inhabited at first by the Etruscans, then by the Greeks, and starting with the 7th century BC by the Ligures. The Ligurian city was called Stalia and, because it had an alliance with Rome during the Second Punic War, it was destroyed by the Carthaginians in the year 209 BC. Read More [...]
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Genoa was occupied by the Ostrogoths and later, after the Gothic War, by the Byzantines. In 643, the city was conquered by the Lombards, under King Rothari, and in 773 the Lombard Kingdom was annexed by the Frankish Empire.
Genoa emerged as an independent city-state in the 11th century, as one of the four Maritime Republics, along with Venice, Pisa and Amalfi. In 1284, Genoa won the naval Battle of Meloria against its rival Republic of Pisa. In 1298, it defeated Venice in the Battle of Curzola. The wars with Venice continued during the 14th century, with the climax being the War of Chioggia held between 1378 and 1381.
Genoa was occupied by Austria in 1746 and was annexed by France in 1805. After the Congress of Vienna, the city was incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia and, starting with 1860, it became part of the newly created Kingdom of Italy.
GEOGRAPHY OF GENOA:
Genoa is today the sixth-largest city in Italy, with about 600,000 inhabitants, and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria. The city covers an area of about 243 square kilometers between the Ligurian Sea and the Apennine Mountains. Read More [...]
Genoa is located 150 kilometers south of Milan, 160 kilometers southeast of Turin, 170 kilometers northwest of Pisa, 235 kilometers northwest of Florence, 255 kilometers west of Bologna, 370 kilometers southwest of Venice, 380 kilometers northwest of Perugia, 490 kilometers northwest of Rome, and about 715 kilometers northwest of Naples.
TRANSPORT TO GENOA:
You can get to Genoa by plane, arriving at the Cristoforo Colombo Airport, also known as the Genova-Sestri Ponente Airport, located only a few kilometers away from the city. Read More [...]
To get from the airport to the city center, you can use the shuttle bus Volabus. The bus runs from 5.00 am in the morning, to 12.00 am at night. The trip takes about 30 minutes, and a ticket costs 5.00€ if purchased online, or 6.00€ if bought on board.
By train, you can get to Genoa from Milan in about one hour and a half, from Florence in about 3 hours, and from Rome in about 5 hours or more. The cheapest ticket from Milan costs 13.45€, from Florence is 20.30€, and from Rome is 35.40€.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN GENOA:
Genoa is known for the largest Aquarium in Europe, with over 15,000 specimens belonging to about 600 animal species. Read More [...]
Of the most important tourist attractions of the city, we can mention the Old Harbour (Porto Antico), the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, the Lantern (Lanterna) - the oldest lighthouse in Europe, the Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale), and the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale).
The city is also known for having the largest historical center in Europe, composed of many narrow streets and beautiful old buildings. In 2006, part of the historical center of Genoa was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, under the name of Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli.