The largest medieval centre in Europe
Between the harbour and the hills, the historic centre of Genoa is considered one of the largest medieval centres in Europe: a dense, fascinating labyrinth of narrow lanes, the "caruggi", so narrow that the sun barely reaches the ground, flanked by tall houses of six or seven floors, palaces, churches, small squares, shrines with Madonnas at the corners, workshops and shops. Walking through the caruggi is like going back in time, among the smells of focaccia and fried food, the voices of the inhabitants and the sudden appearance of marble portals and frescoed atriums of noble palaces.
Among the places not to be missed are the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, with its façade of black and white stripes, Gothic portals, lions at the entrance and, inside, a British naval shell that hit the church in 1941 without exploding, and the treasure with the legendary "Sacro Catino"; the Palazzo Ducale, seat of the doges of the Republic, today a cultural centre; the small Piazza San Matteo, the square of the Doria family, with its striped houses and church; the Porta Soprana, a medieval gate with two towers, near which stands the house where tradition says Christopher Columbus grew up; and the Sottoripa, the long medieval arcades along the old port, with friggitorie selling fried fish and farinata, a chickpea flour pancake. The singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André dedicated some of his most famous songs, such as "Via del Campo", to the caruggi and their people.
Tip: explore the caruggi during the day; taste farinata and fried fish under the arcades of Sottoripa.
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