Today is our next-to-last shore port of this fabulous cruise. Today we are in the city of Genoa Italy. Genoa is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. On the Gulf of Genoa in the Ligurian Sea, Genoa has historically been one of the most important ports on the Mediterranean. It is currently the busiest in Italy and in the Mediterranean Sea. Genoa was the capital of one of the most powerful maritime republics for over seven centuries, from the 11th century to 1797. Particularly from the 12th century to the 15th century, the city played a leading role in the commercial trade in Europe, becoming one of the largest naval powers of the continent and considered among the wealthiest cities in the world.
Debarking the ship, we walked through the Old Art Nouveau Maritime Station Building which now serves as the information and services terminal for cruise ships. In the past, many emigrants departed from here to America. A fountain with a sculpture of a ship's propeller sits in front of the terminal center.
Our day was riding the double-decker tour bus of the city. We got to see most of the highlights of Genoa. The tour included two routes, The Historical and The Coastline.
We came to our first monument in Genoa, that of Raffaele Rubattino. He was an Italian entrepreneur and colonialist who started a shipping company that ran merchant ships on the routes to the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. He was also a founder of the Italian Navy, quite a person to be.
A few of the architectural buildings of Genoa Italy
Piazza De Ferrari is the main square of Genoa. Situated in the heart of the city between the historical and the modern center, Piazza De Ferrari is renowned for its fountain, which was restored in recent years along with a major restyling of the square. Today next to Piazza De Ferrari are numerous office buildings, headquarters of banks, insurances and other private companies, making of this district the financial and business center of Genoa. At the center of the square, in 1936, a bronze fountain was built and it soon became one of the main symbols of the city.
One of the buildings in the Piazza De Ferrari that stands out is the Genoa Stock Exchange. With the dome and rounded architecture highlights, it is really stunning!
The Arco della Vittoria (Victory Arch), also known as Monumento ai Caduti or Arco dei Caduti (Arch of the Fallen), is a memorial arch located in Piazza della Vittoria. It is dedicated to the Genoese who died during World War I. This magnificent arch was inaugurated on May 31, 1931.
The Staircase of the Unknown Soldier, popularly known as the staircase of the three Caravels by virtue of the characteristic floral furnishings of the flowerbeds, is a monumental urban work in the center of Genoa.
The walls of Genoa protected and defended the city, former capital of the homonymous republic. To this day, large portions of these walls remain, and Genoa has more and longer walls than any other city in Italy. The walls and so many of the reliefs and sculptures on the buildings just blow us away. Great to see so much that is different from us at home in the States!
Genoa also has a detailed monument to Christopher Columbus.
The train station in Genoa is a spectacular building to view!
More streets of Genoa!
The Giacomo Doria Museum of Natural History
Wonderful black and white bricks of a Church in Genoa.
The walls of Genoa still stand in many area. In this picture, some of the large surviving towers are magnificent to see.
Giuseppe was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the independent and unified Italy in place of the several separate states, many dominated by foreign powers, that existed until the 19th century. Italy and Genoa honor him with this memorial.
And at the end of the day, we were back to The Port of Genoa and our ship. We took this opportunity to have a few pictures by the glorious fountain when we started this
blog entry!
Tomorrow will be our last port for this cruise. Looking forward to another exciting day! We have a marvelous time Genoa! The full photo album is at this link.
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