Genoa
is a famous, historical port city located in the northwest region of Italy. It is the capital city of the Liguria region, the coastal area that begins at the French border and ends in Tuscany, and which is referred to as the Italian Riviera. One of Italy’s largest cities, and the main commercial seaport, Genoa offers culture, history and romance to the yachting enthusiast. It was selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2004, and many important historical figures were born in Genoa, including Christopher Columbus. Many regard this powerful seaport center as having the largest historic city center in all of Europe. Take time to stroll down the city’s many narrow medieval alleyways and see Romanesque and Baroque churches and dozens of museums inside former palaces. Another of Genoa’s main tourist attractions is its’ Aquarium housed inside a building on the Spinola Bridge. It has a total water surface of 12,000 square meters, with fifty tanks home to over 500 different species of fish, reptiles, amphibians and mammals from the Mediterranean Sea. A well-known symbol of the city is the magnificent lighthouse (known as “Lanterna”) built in 1543 on a rocky outcrop in the harbor of Genoa. The lighthouse is open for guided tours, and if you can climb the 375 steps to the top, you will be treated to a breathtaking view of the port of Genoa.
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