Genoa is the capital of the province and region of Liguria of the same name. The city stretches for 30 kilometres along the shores of the Ligurian Sea. Few people know that Genoa is the birthplace of pesto sauce, a city of palaces and the main port of the Mediterranean in the 16th century. Here literally flowed wealth from the New World. The history of Genoa is closely connected with navigation and trade. The local harbour is still one of the most important in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. Time has stopped here. Local shops have a history of 100 years or more, they follow old traditions and recipes. The labyrinths of streets, “carruggi” start their history from the XII century. It is the largest historical centre in Europe that has remained intact. Genoa is also a centre of heavy industry and shipbuilding, and is part of Italy’s main industrial triangle, which also includes Milan and Turin. Nowadays, Genoa is a city of universities as well as a scientific centre.
On the tour you will visit:
Palazzo San Giorgio, the world’s first bank from the 13th-16th centuries;
Doge’s Palace, a ducal palace, now a museum from the 13th-16th centuries;
Central Piazza De Ferrari – with graceful and incredible fountains;
Gothic Cathedral of San Lorenzo (XII-XIV century) with the Chapel of John the Baptist, where the relics of the saint are kept. Visit to the Museum of the Treasury, rich in relics such as – the cup of the Holy Grail (1st century) used by Christ on the day of the last supper (Last Supper). The cup on which the head of John the Baptist fell after it was cut off by King Herod; the reliquary which contains the hair of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ, and a thorn from the crown of thorns of Jesus; numerous Byzantine jewellery;
The church of the Romanesque style of the Jesuit order of Saints Ambrogio and Andrew – XIII century with altars made by the hand of the most talented P. П.
The gateway of medieval Genoa – Porta Soprana XII century, which is the symbol of the city;
House – in which according to legend grew up the famous navigator – Christopher Columbus;
The most beautiful street of Genoa – Garibaldi (formerly Via Aurea – Golden Street) laid in the XIV century by the architect Galeazzo Alessi, a student of Michelangelo;
And in the end – a walk through the narrow medieval streets with an enticing story about the mores of life of the Genoese aristocracy of that period, the first bank in the world, about the secrets of financial savvy and intelligence, about insurance companies and notaries in the role of chroniclers. About the first crusaders, who were exactly the Genoese.
