What's to see in Genoa???

[wantocruisemore]

I think I have finally talked my DH into another Med cruise next summer, this time to Western Med. One of the stops is Genoa. Besides the Aquariun, what are some must sees? We do not want to spend time at the Aquarium. We've seen some of the best ones in the US and prefer to spend our time on something unique to Genoa.

 

We would like to do the port DIY if we can, so any info and recommendations about getting from the port to the sites would be helpful. It's on RCCL if that makes a difference in docks.

 

DH wants me to compile a list of things available in each port prior to booking. He's pushing for land tour of British Isles next summer if we do Europe again, girls and I want Med cruise again. He wants to see castles and ruins, without having to devote too much time in museums (I wore him out this summer at the Vatican Museum). He loves history, just more into medieval than ancient. He's not that into churches, but I love them.

[euro cruiser]

There's a lot to see and do in Genova and one the great aspects for a cruise passenger is that you can simply walk right from the ship to many interesting sites. Genova also has an excellent mass transit system so it's easy to get around to farther flung places.

 

The city has a good tourism web site here: http://turismo.comune.genova.it/spip.php?article406. Click on the "what to see" tab and you'll find more than you could possibly do in a day.

[ksps cruise fan]

One of the stops is Genoa. Besides the Aquariun, what are some must sees?

 

DH wants me to compile a list of things available in each port prior to booking. He's pushing for land tour of British Isles next summer if we do Europe again, girls and I want Med cruise again. He wants to see castles and ruins, without having to devote too much time in museums (I wore him out this summer at the Vatican Museum). He loves history, just more into medieval than ancient. He's not that into churches, but I love them.

 

Genoa. Medieval history. Castles. We have a winner! Here are the exact words from the ask.com article about Genoa: "a historic center said to be the largest medieval quarter in Europe, with a wealth of churches, palaces, and museums."

 

Now the details from that same article:

• The early 13th-century San Lorenzo Cathedral has a black and white striped marble facade.
  
• The Aquarium of Genoa, built for the EXPO 92, is the second largest in Europe.
  
• The National Gallery in the Palazzo Spinola has original furnishings from the 16th-18th centuries, frescoed ceiliings, and an excellent collection of art.
  
• Palazzo Reale, on Via Balbi, is a stunning mansion that's been turned into a museum with a collection of art and furniture from Genoa's sea exploration era.
  
• The Renaissance and Baroque Rolli Palaces, in Genoa's center, were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2006. About 80 Rolli palaces were built in the 16th century, when Genoa was one of Italy's four great maritime republics. Many of them were restored in 2004. You'll find them on the pedestrian street of Via Garibaldi, formerly Strada Nuova. The 16th-century Palazzo Bianco has a great collection of paintings by Genoese and other European artists.
  
• The carruggi, narrow alleys, are interesting to wander around (take a map, you can get lost easily).
  
• There's a walking path along the scenic spruced-up port area.
  
• From Piazza Castello there are fabulous views of the port and city (take the public elevator).
  

I came across the ask.com web site while I was searching online for an article about Genoa that appeared in one of my travel magazines a while back. The gist of the article pretty much supports answer.com 's opinion of Genoa. Unfortunately, I did not scan the article when it appeared and a quick search of both TRAVEL AND LEISURE's and CONDE NAST TRAVELER's web sites did not pull up the article. Hopefully, you can find this article. Perhaps the article appeared in 2006 after the Rolli palaces were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.

 

If the mention of medieval homes being converted to museums puts your husband off, I strongly recommend a visit to the medieval town of Portovenere, farther south along the coast. I can't praise a visit to this place enough. The town is dotted with as many, if not more, medieval tower homes as can be found in San Gimignano. The search engine seems to be working this a.m. as I pulled a lot of hits on Portovenere. (You'll run across some of my previous posts about this town in those threads.)

 

You don't list your other ports, but you're the one who might be medievaled-out given the number of medieval castles and churches throughout Italy.

[wantocruisemore]

Thanks, this sounds pretty good. We will skip the Aquarium and concentrate on the other sites. I will do some more research.

 

The other ports are Corsica, Palma de Malorca, Barcelona & Tunisia. Genoa is the only Italy cruise stop. The cruise starts in Civitavecchia where we will stay pre-cruise several days in Rome like we did this summer.