Wandering the Streets of Genoa Old Town

Wandering The Old Streets of Genoa

by gabrielelagona | January 20th, 2009

Genoa Old Town claims to be the largest medieval quarter remaining in Europe. Its narrow streets provided occasional surprises, beautiful murals and fake building facades, and we also appreciated that it is still very much a vibrant part of a commercial city.

View of old Genoa from above

We approached Old Genoa from the newer commercial area around Via XX Settembre and the Ferrari Fountain. Approaching the restored Porta Soprana that marks the edge of the area, we passed the low-key (and closed) Columbus House and a medieval cloister in a slightly overgrown small park - somewhat underwhelming.

Heading into Old Genoa proper through the Porta Soprana, we had the first wall mural sighting of our visit. These murals are a special feature of Old Genoa, and some of them are very intricate. This was of Jesus, and other popular themes include the Nativity and St. George slaying the dragon. Some of these murals are quite high up on the wall and a good reason to look up occasionally. (St. George is the patron saint of Genoa)

Although not all of Old Genoa is pedestrianised, the streets are narrow and walkers outnumber cars by some margin. This makes it much easier to hear street sounds, and the operatic busker we heard near Piazza Banchi was a real highlight. We were admiring the surprisingly ornate interior of S. Pietro on Piazza Banchi when we heard the beautiful singing drifting in. We sat and enjoyed the singing for a while – it really was a wonderfully calm and serene experience (and one we were to experience again later at Genoa’s cathedral, S. Lorenzo).

Another feature of Old Genoa architecture is the trompe d’oiel fake facades on several of the older buildings. We saw some beautiful examples of fake window portals at the square of S. Matteo. This small square is possibly the architectural highlight of Old Genoa, with the fake facades, some beautifully carved wall murals, and some distinctive zebra-striped architecture.

Old Genoa is definitely still part of an active port city. Some of the narrow streets are dark (and smelly) and should be avoided. This is easy to do, and the various small businesses catering to sailors and other visitors, grocery stores, phone booths, Internet points, help to keep the area vibrant. Although the area has been gentrified a bit in recent years, there are still streets where prostitutes stand throughout the day.

old-genoa-sea-view-from-sea Wandering The Old Streets of Genoa

We loved wandering around Old Genoa at random. The narrow and winding streets threw up occasional surprises, and the experience of being in a “real” medieval city quarter still almost totally unscathed by mass tourism was most enjoyable. With a little bit of caution, it is totally safe - and an experience that is highly recommend.