Our Blog - Genoa, Italy

This was our first trip to Genoa and I think the first time in the Liguria region of Italy. Genoa is the 6th largest city in Italy, with over 1.5 million people living in the wider metropolitan area stretching along the Italian Riviera (which extends along the coast to the border with France). Our main reason for making the trip at this time was to attend the baptism of the daughter of a couple of friends who live in Toulouse. It had originally been scheduled in April, when we would have been in the US. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Thankfully, when the baptism was rescheduled, we were able to make the trip.

One of the first tourist-things we saw was the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato. It is named Vastato because the area where it was built was outside the walls of the city, in an area where houses had been demolished for defensive reasons. The church was begun in 1520 and the rich Baroque decoration was added in the early 17th century. The current Neoclassicist façade dates to 1830-1840s. The interior, large and bright, was restored after the serious damage of the World War II, enriched by frescoes, paintings, inlaid marble, and gold stucco.

Near our apartment for the visit was the Chiesa di San Pietro in Banchi. We walked by it many times and I grabbed exterior pictures both during the day and evening. The church in its current structure dates back to the end of the 16th century. The façade, characterized by a three-arched portico with frescoed cross vaults and two small bell towers on the sides, is connected to the square by a spectacular staircase. The facade decoration, never completed, was replaced by frescoed architectural motifs around the middle of the 17th century. The remaining façades are totally devoid of decorations and retain the rustic plaster, colored with neutral shades. There is a large octagonal dome covered with slate shingles and a bell tower on the top.

As you walk around, you see some amazing buildings. Look at this one, with such elaborate carvings for decoration!

You also see lots of religious statues in niches built into the corners or walls of buildings. In fact, the way we knew were to turn to get to our apartment was based on seeing a niche at the corner.

There are also many examples of carved scenes over doors, like this one.

This is the Loggia dei Banchi, the Lodge of the Banks, which is in the Piazza Banchi. The origins of this building date back to the Middle Ages, when goods and currencies were traded in the area adjacent to the port. A first building intended to house the negotiations of merchants and bankers was built in 1415. This burned down in a fire in 1455, and was replaced by this building, built between 1589 and 1595. It was a single rectangular room with the vault supported by a series of Doric columns along the perimeter. The arches on via and piazza Banchi have windows. The space above the arches is decorated with a series of bas-reliefs depicting trophies of arms, made by Taddeo Carlone.

I have spoken a bit about the trompe-l'œil's that are sprinkled around the city. Piazza Banchi has a great example of this .... This building, which looks like it has carvings and Ionic columns, is actually almost totally flat on the façade, with only the balconies with each window being "real". Everything else is a painted trompe-l'œil. Then the building directly to the left of it ... these are "real" moldings around the windows. Buildings in Genoa and along the Ligurian coast are famous for their painted façades incorporating trompe l'œil details such as false windows with shutters and curtains and even flowering window-boxes. Architectural details such as arches, sills, capitals and pediments, pilasters and porticos are all rendered to dazzle and fool the eye.

We then headed to Piazza de Ferrari, which sits just outside the historic center. It has a circular fountain in the middle of the plaza, surrounded by some of the city’s most majestic buildings, including the Palazzo Ducale and the Palazzo della Nuova Borsa (the "new" stock exchange). In this first picture, you can see the Palazzo Ducale behind the fountain on the right side and the Palazzo della Regione Liguria (regional government offices) on the left. The Palazzo della Nuova Borsa, the 2nd picture, was built in 1912. The monumental facade with ashlar pillars has a rounded form in neo-cinquecentesco style. The façade is covered in Red Verona Marble and red stone from Filettole. Towards Piazza De Ferrari, the building has a gigantic pediment with the word "Borsa". It an amazing architectural feat, having the one side of the building round.

Now at night .... the main fountain light with multiple colors and the smaller fountains that circle the entire square. Lucy decided she wanted to pose for a picture here!

Chiesa di Santo Stefano sits up on a hill overlooking one of the main roads coming out of the Piazza de Ferrari, and it is one of the most outstanding examples of Romanesque architecture in the city. The current building was built on the remains of a small 5th century church dedicated to San Michele Arcangelo. The oldest document that mentions it is a deed of donation dating back to April, 965. The arcade below the church, which incorporates the typical black and white bands of Genoese architecture, was built between the 19th and 20th centuries during the construction of the large avenue, Via XX Settembre.

This is an example of re-use! On the outside, you have these amazing columns and a highly decorated doorway. Inside ... a Carrefour Express (for the US people ... maybe like a 7-11 ... it is a very small grocery store) and there are still huge columns and a vaulted ceiling.

La Madonna delle Vigne, or Santa Maria delle Vigne is a Roman Catholic Basilica. It was built in the 10th century, making it one of the oldest Catholic basilicas in Genoa. The name comes from being built on land that was part of the king's vineyards. The exterior is pretty bland (so I didn't take any pictures) but the interior was nice, with lots of paintings. The main altar was completed in 1730 and the paintings and other interior decorations date from 1304 (a sarcophagus) up until the 19th century (a couple from 1820).

Porta Soprana, also called the Towers of Sant'Andrea, was the entrance to the medieval city from the west after the city walls went up in 1155. On the left side, you an see the only existing part of these walls. The first pictures show the back-side of the gate, from inside of the walls. Here, the towers have a square shape. But from the other side, starting with the 3rd picture, the towers are round.

Remains of the cloister of the 12th century monastery of Sant'Andrea (St Andrew). It was disassembled in 1095 when the monastery was demolished (as well as most of the Saint Andrew neighborhood). The pieces sat at a nearby church for almost 20 years until it was returned and rebuilt in the current location in 1922.

The former Church of Sant'Agostino (today deconsecrated) was begun by the Augustinians in 1260. It is one of the few Gothic buildings remaining in the city, after the numerous demolitions in the 19th century. It has a typical façade with bi-chrome stripes in white marble and blue stone, with a large rose window in the middle. Notable is the ogival portal with, in the lunette, a fresco depicting St Augustine. On each side of the door are two double mullioned windows.

Palazzo San Giorgio was built in 1260 and is probably the most striking palace in the city. It has frescoes depicting some of Genoa’s hometown heroes, including Christopher Columbus (second from the right). It was also the birthplace of the first bank in the city, which opened here in 1407. The purpose of such a grand building was to differentiate the civic power from the religious power, which was installed in the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo around the corner. It was once used as a prison that allegedly held Marco Polo for a time.

Vascello Neptune is a floating, climb-aboard replica of a 17th-century Spanish galleon, built for the 1986 Roman Polanski film, "Pirates." Don't feel bad if you have never heard of the movie ... it had a $15 million budget, spent $40 million on the film, and grossed only $6.3 million worldwide .... quite a flop!

Porta di Vacca was part of the fortifications from the 12th century. It consists of two medieval twin towers (only one is shown as the other is having work done), and a very tall door.

Along Via Garibaldi are a set of huge mansions, many of which were part of the Palazzi dei Rolli. The Palazzi dei Rolli (Italian for "Palaces of the Lists") were a group of 163 palaces, most of which date from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. These palaces were selected to host notable guests on state visits to Italy on behalf of the State.

Palazzo Doria Spinola is one of those Palazzi dei Rolli. When his former residence was demolished to make way for construction of new city walls, Antonio Doria had this house built. The palace was entirely decorated with frescoes by Lazzaro and Pantaleo Calvi and at the end of the 16th century, the façade was completed with the marble portal at the main entrance. In the 18th century, the frescoes from the 16th century were completely covered by plaster. In 1930, the Calvi frescoes were "found again" in bad shape and they can be somewhat seen on the façade.

At #7 Via Garibaldi is the Palazzo Podestà. It was built between 1559 and 1565 and is named for the last private owner, Andrea Podestà, several times mayor of Genoa between 1866 and 1895. The façade has rich stucco decoration, with winged female statues, ribbons and drapes, trophies of arms, garlands and masks crowning the windows, with classic figures within oval medallions.

Probably the most impressive mansion on the street is Palazzo Bianco, or White Palace. It was built between 1530 and 1540 by a member of the House of Grimaldi, one of the most important Genoese families. It has huge open galleries on each side of the main building, and how houses one of the main museums in the city.

This was a mediocre attempt to show how big these mansions are, since it is really hard to get a good picture of them with my camera. This is Palazzo Rosso, or Red Palace, built in 1675. This was *not* one of the 163 Palazzi dei Rolli, since the list was completed in 1664, 10 years before the construction of this building.

The Genoa Cathedral or Cattedrale di San Lorenzo is an iconic black-and-white cathedral that dates back to the 1100's. Above the main entrance, you can see San Lorenzo (St Lawrence), who the cathedral is dedicated to, being roasted over coals. The cathedral was consecrated in 1118 and was built between the 12th and 14th centuries as fundamentally a medieval building, with some later additions. Secondary naves and side covers are of Romanesque style and the main facade is Gothic from the early 13th century. The capitals and columns with interior corridors date from the early 14th century and the bell tower and dome were built in the 16th century.

Excavations under the pavement have found walls and pavements from the Roman age as well as pre-Christian sarcophagi, suggesting the existence of a burial ground in the site. Later, a church devoted to the Twelve Apostles was built, which was in turn flanked and replaced by the new cathedral.

Inside the cathedral, the space is separated into 3 sections, with the arched vaults separating the space having the same black-and-white structure. Above the central entrance door is a 14th-century fresco, and then up at the top, a nice rose window (although the picture is a little blurry).

The chapel of San Giovanni Battista was commissioned starting in 1448 to house the relics of the patron saint of the city, which, according to tradition, had been brought from Asia Minor to Genoa in 1099. The dome of the chapel is decorated with medallions of the evangelists.

This is the chapel of Giuliano Cybo, which has some amazing statues.

The main altar, with its Baroque decoration in marble, stucco, and gilding, was done in the 17th century.

In the right aisle, there is the fresco of the Last Supper, made in 1626. It was originally done for a hospital but was removed and relocated here when the hospital was demolished.

We headed up to the Belvedere Castelletto, although we ended up getting there NOT in the way I had planned. I was attempting to catch a funicular up, but the funicular was closed (I assume for the summer but I couldn't read the Italian sign), so we ended up just walking there. We ate some ice cream and a couple HUGE cannoli, and then caught a nice view of the port and the hills that go up from the port, covered with buildings.

And, lastly, the main purpose of the trip ... the baptism of Anna! Our friends, Valentina and Olivier, had invited us to attend the baptism of their little girl and we were very happy to make the trip over to Italy to celebrate with them. They had the baptism in 3 languages: Italian (for Valentina's friends and family), French (for Olivier's friends and family), and English (for us and 1 young lady from London).