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 Tourist info
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The city of Genova
The town and its port:
Ever since its birth, Genoa's vocation has been closely tied to the sea. Its port has always been at the center of economic and industrial affairs. Indeed, the seaport supplies a vast industrial and commercial area and its importance pushes far beyond the regional confines of Liguria.
The growth of the town which sprang up around the ancient landing place has always been a function of the port: from trade center to maritime republic with dominion over all the Mediterranean, from base for the galleys of the great admiral Andrea Doria to terminus for passenger lines.
Over the port, amid the cranes and the masts of the merchant and passenger ships, towers the mass of the "Lanterna", considered one of the most beautiful lighthouses in the world.
The "Lanterna", seen from any direction of arrival by any means of transport, is a traditional landmark of Genoa. It is set on an ancient tower built by the Genoese in the first half of the 12th century; fires were lit atop it to indicate the mouth of the harbour to the incoming ships. To this day, the old pier and the porticoes of Sottoripa, with their medieval structures still in evidence, have that fascination of the original mercantile center.
From Columbus to Andrea Doria
Genoa is also known as the town of Christopher Columbus, but, before and after him, it was the birthplace of a whole "race" of illustrious navigators: from Antoniotto Usodimare, who, in 1455, arrived at the mouth of the Gambia river, to the Lanzarotto Maloncello, who was the first to reach the Canary Islands. To Nicolosio da Recco, who discovered the Azores, to John Cabot (even if some claim Cabot was born at Chioggia).
Christopher Columbus, born in Genoa between 1450 and 1451, sailed for a time in the Mediterranean until, in 1492, he left on his historic undertaking. Then, in the wake of the discovery of the New World, Genoa continued to take on increasing importance on the high seas.
Later, in 1512, after decades of political and civil struggle, and also domination by foreign powers, the followers of Giano Fregoso succeeded in driving the French out of Genoa.
In the battles that followed, the man who later would be called the "King of the Seas", Andrea Doria, was to distinguish himself. Doria even managed to make Spain sign a unique treaty, in which he obtained the full independence of Genoa, the sovereignty of Savona, and the right to trade in all Spanish territories. With him, Genoa reached its greatest splendour.
Faithfulness and traditions
The Culture of a city is also measured by what it succeeds in absorbing and defending of its past and its history. And the story of Genoa is so rich and varied as to offer a truly many-faceted, variegated picture.
It is a story of warriors, popes, sailors, traders, craftsmen, nobles, artists, and peasants. It is above all a story that recounts and relives that Nature that the Genovese have sometimes suffered, often fought, but always loved.
In this "humus" are rooted the traditions that the town still defends today. The regatta of the maritime republics, the historical parade, the fairs, the carrousels, the spring festivals, the processions, the songs and dances represent only the most conspicuous aspect, certainly the most seductive, of a desire to look back that the Genoese carry within themselves - without ever admitting it - almost shyly. And perhaps the charm of the town lies in this very contrast, which is difficult, at the town lies in this very contrast, which is difficult, at the first go, to understand and accept.
Genoa grows, becomes a metropolis, but remains true to its image: a city redolent of antiquity without being old, which has the class of a noblewoman without being an aristocrat, that knows who to be simple, but not poor, is genuine yet complex.
Genoa, city of art
Genoa has almost never made a show of its collections born in the secret of the Mediterranean warehouses or in Flanders and Burgundy. It is a city to discover. It has painted its buildings with rose and decorated them with frescoes and historical scenes; architecture, an exemplary late Renaissance, is sovereign, and frescoes harmonize the interiors embellished with illustrious "signatures": Rubens, Van Dyck, Bernardo Strozzi, and the names of Cambiaso's followers of the Ligurian school.
From Piazza delle Fontane Marose, down the Via Luccoli to the palace of the Bank of St. George, glimpses of Genoa can be in a simple Madonna shrine, or in a series of vaults of the many anonymous porticoes. The, near St. Lawrence's Cathedral, the vision changes and is of Gothic architecture spanning five centuries, from the 12th to the 16th. Following an ideal zigzag itinerary from Piazza Matteotti (Ducal Palace) to the Church of Jesus (at least one Rubens), to the church of St. Donatus (the octagonal bell tower and a Flemish "Adoration"), the majolica-tiled peak of St. Augustine's, which indicates a new museum, and by the "Canneto" to the Domenican center of Santa Maria di castello, a stupendous jewel from the 15th Century, one can concretely share the affirmation "Genoa, city of art". Just a little farther from the center a "pole" of sedateness is the "Commenda" of the Knights of St. John, at Principe, as is a suggestion to follow: in Val Bisagno, the abbey of San Siro di Struppa, early Romanesque.
International Appointments
One of the best known is the "Festival del Balletto", which has succeeded in attracting such acclaim that the most refined connoisserus and lovers of dancing cannot fail to insert the appointment at the "Parco dei Nervi" in their agendas. The Festival's younger brother is the "Stage Internazionale di Danza", to which hundreds of students from all parts of the world flock every year. Then there are the "Manifestazioni Colombiane", feauturing among other things the international prize for violin "Niccolò Paganini". And for those in love with that most delicate expression of nature - the flower - every 4 years Genoa organizes "Euroflora", the international exhibition of flowers and plants that transforms the exhibition grounds into one whole body of greenhouses and lawns. Still more, for the sports-minded or not, there is the "Salone Nautico", which has become the world's biggest and most complete boat show.
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Portofino
Portofino is a small Italian fishing village, comune and tourist resort located in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town crowded round its small harbour is considered to be among the most beautiful Mediterranean ports. It is also a popular yachting destination.
The Portofino harbor is surrounded by restaurants, each serving their own unique versions of the regional specialties.
It is possible to visit Castello Brown, a 16th century castle/fort, once used for the area's defense, but now primarily a museum with a fantastic view of the harbor and the
Mediterranean Sea or the church of St. Martin (Divo Martino),a quaint, stylish little chiesa from the 11th century, around the corner from the harbor.
There are several posh boutiques from some of the world's most famous designers like Armani, Gucci Ferragamo and many others.
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Cinque Terre
The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast of the Riviera to the west of the city of La Spezia, in the province of La Spezia in the Liguria region of Italy comprising five villages, "The Five Lands": Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.
The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all encapsulated in the Cinque Terre national park. The Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Cinque Terre, due to the geographical and anthropomorphic features of the territory in which they are found, represent one of the main tourist attractions of the Riviera of La Spezia and in general of the Liguria region. The orographic context is a naturally rugged, hilly territory, attenuated by the presence of terraces for crops, which degrade towards the seafront in steep slopes.
Man's action over the centuries has modelled the territory without altering its delicate ecological balance by terracing the slopes, an agricultural technique intended to exploit as much as possible the heavily sloping soils which degrade towards the sea, thereby making it one of the most characteristic landscapes of Liguria.
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