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Genoa,
the capital of Liguria, stretches along the bay of the same name from
Voltri to the west as far as Nervi to the east, while the hinterland area
takes in the lower parts of the Polcevera and Bisagno Valleys.The
present-day urban conglomeration is the result of the merging of various
municipalities in 1926. The original nucleus of the city, which already
existed in pre-Roman times, developed around the Mandraccio wharf area and
on Castello Hill, which overlooks it. In the ninth century, the Genoese
built the first town walls and laid the foundations for the development of
shipping and sea-trading, which would eventually make the Republic of
Genoa a Mediterranean sea power and create a dominion stretching across
the entire region of Liguria. From the nineteenth century onwards, the
great city port was flanked by large industrial areas. The old town
district is one of the largest in Europe.
City
of art and metropolis looking onto the sea, Genoa has grown up around the
city's port - a natural cove that has always been the site of
thriving traffic and commerce. Its ancient heart, Europe's biggest
historic medieval center, is crisscrossed by a tight weave of alleys
that capture the multicultural soul that has always characterized the
city's history. Here, among workshops, eateries, and beautiful shops,
glimmers a glimpse of the noble past of Genoa, "La Superba",
consisting of sixteenth-century villas, Baroque votive aedicules,
and prestigious churches giving onto small squares nestled between the
buildings.
Modernity is a few steps away, in places returned to the people and
tourists by restoration and great urban renewal projects conducted over
the last decade.
The Expo with the Aquarium, Via San Lorenzo, the Palazzo
Ducale, and the splendid Via Garibaldi full of museums. The
city's charm can also be found in the numerous delegations from Nervi to
Voltri - autonomous cities until the 20's - where visitors can explore
villas surrounded by nineteenth-century parks, picturesque sea strolls,
and museums large and small.
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