Genoa is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. Located 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 second-busiest in Italy, after the port of Gioia Tauro in Calabria, and twelfth-busiest in the European Union. Genoa has been nicknamed la Superba (“the Proud one”) due to its glorious past and impressive landmarks Part of the old town of Genoa was inscribed on the World Heritage List (UNESCO) in 2006. The city’s rich cultural history in art, music and cuisine allowed it to become the 2004 European Capital of Culture. It is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, Niccolò Paganini, Giuseppe Mazzini, and Grimaldo Canella, founder of the House of Grimaldi, among others.
Genoa, which forms the southern corner of the Milan-Turin-Genoa industrial triangle of north-west Italy, is one of the country’s major economic centres. The city has hosted massive shipyards and steelworks since the 19th century, and its solid financial sector dates back to the Middle Ages. The Bank of Saint George, founded in 1407, is among the oldest in the world and has played an important role in the city’s prosperity since the middle of the 15th century. Today a number of leading Italian companies are based in the city, including Fincantieri, Selex ES, Ansaldo Energia, Ansaldo STS, Edoardo Raffinerie Garrone, Piaggio Aerospace and Costa Cruises.
Population: 594,733(2015)
Area: 94.05 mi²
Currency
The official currency is the Euro (€). The Euro is divided into 100 cents (centimes, centesimi), with two decimals after the comma (not decimal point, comma). So, a price will often be displayed as €10,00 (ten euros); or €2,14 (two euro and 14 cents).
Euro paper money comes into different colors and sizes depending on the face value. 500 Euro bills are violet, 200 Euro ones are yellow, 100 Euro bills are green, 50 are orange, 20 are blue, 10 are red(dish) and 5 are grey(ish). Consider that small denomination Euro bills are a little smaller than a dollar bill. There are also coins: 2 and 1 Euro (both are made with two different metals – golden and silver – and the value is printed big on one side), 50, 20, 10 cents (golden material) and 5, 2 and 1 cents (bronze material). The bigger coin has bigger value… the 1 cent coin is very small.
Language
The Genoese dialect (Zeneize) is the most important dialect of the Ligurian language, and is commonly spoken in Genoa alongside Italian. Ligurian is listed by Ethnologue as a language in its own right, of the Romance branch, the Ligurian Romance language, and not to be confused with the ancient Ligurian language. Like the languages of Lombardy, Piedmont, and surrounding regions, it is of Gallo-Italic derivation.
Climate
Genoa has a borderline humid subtropical (Cfa) and Mediterranean climate (Csa) in the Köppen climate classification, since only one summer month has less than 40 millimetres (1.57 in) of rainfall, preventing it from being classified as solely humid subtropical or Mediterranean; with a special note for the Genoa low.
The average yearly temperature is around 19 °C (66 °F) during the day and 13 °C (55 °F) at night. In the coldest months: December, January and February, the average temperature is 12 °C (54 °F) during the day and 6 °C (43 °F) at night. In the warmest months – July and August – the average temperature is 27.5 °C (82 °F) during the day and 21 °C (70 °F) at night. The daily temperature range is limited, with an average range of about 6 °C (11 °F) between high and low temperatures. Genoa also sees significant moderation from the sea, in stark contrast to areas behind the Ligurian mountains such as Parma, where summers are hotter and winter are quite cold.
Annually, the average 2.9 of nights recorded temperatures of ≤0 °C (32 °F) (mainly in January). The coldest temperature ever recorded was −8 °C (18 °F) on the night of February 2012; the highest temperature ever recorded during the day is 38.5 °C (101 °F) on the August 2015. Average annual number of days with temperatures of ≥30 °C (86 °F) is about 8, average four days in July and August.
Average annual temperature of the sea is 17.5 °C (64 °F), from 13 °C (55 °F) in the period January–March to 25 °C (77 °F) in August. In the period from June to October, the average sea temperature exceeds 19 °C (66 °F).
Genoa is also a windy city, especially during winter when northern winds often bring cool air from the Po Valley (usually accompanied by lower temperatures, high pressure and clear skies). Another typical wind blows from southeast, mostly as a consequence of atlantic disturbances and storms, bringing humid and warmer air from the sea. Snowfall is sporadic, but does occur almost every year, albeit big amounts in the city centre are rare.
Safety
Streets in Genoa are usually quite safe, especially in the main tourist areas and residential areas. Downtown, Castelletto, Albaro, Carignano, Sturla, Quarto dei Mille, Quinto del Mare and Nervi are all safe districts during the day as well as the evening and night.
However, some limited areas in the historical centre off the main alleys might be subject to petty crime or just be uncomfortable for the general tourist. Especially north of Piazza Caricamento/via Banchi/via Luccoli, around the Via Pré and in the Stazione Principe area, it is advisable to exercise extra caution and follow your common sense, e.g. avoid walking into narrower, darker, deserted alleys off the main paths unless you know where you are going. Pay special attention to your surroundings, avoid displaying flashy items and do not carry large amounts of cash or valuables.
Muggings or violence towards tourists are practically unheard of, however deft pickpockets are not seldom. Be particularly careful in the via San Lorenzo/via San Bernardo/via San Donato area and also on city buses.
When walking, you should not expect motorists to be particularly disciplined. At unsignalized crosswalks, you might need to insist on your right of way by just starting to cross the road, as Italian pedestrians normally do, rather than waiting for motorists to stop. If a car, van or truck has stopped to let you cross, be very careful and always assume there might be a scooter passing that vehicle at high speed without seeing you.
Virtually all beaches in Genoa and surroundings are made of cobbles, rocks and cliffs. The sea floor is normally very steep and you won’t be able to touch the ground just some meters away from the shore, hence beware if your swimming skills are not good. When bathing, be extremely cautious as stones under water are mostly covered with vegetation and very slippery. Avoid bathing at all if the sea is not calm: waves that may seem innocent from the shore might be strong enough to turn getting out of the sea into a quite dangerous and scary undertaking, running the risk of being smashed into the shore or into a rock. There is normally no lifeguard service on free public beaches.
Beware of paid parking lot scams. Car drives up to a parking lot, with the typical “push button to receive ticket to enter” deal. Before the driver can push the button, the scammer pushes the button and grabs the ticket for him “to be helpful”. But then, in order for the driver to get the ticket — since he’ll need it later on to pay and to exit — he has to give the “helpful” scammer a few Euro. In essence, the scammer holds the ticket ransom until he gets a few euro as compensation for “helping the driver park”.
Economy
The Genoa metropolitan area had a GDP amounting to $30.1 billion in 2011, or $33,003 per capita.
Ligurian agriculture has increased its specialisation pattern in high-quality products (flowers, wine, olive oil) and has thus managed to maintain the gross value-added per worker at a level much higher than the national average (the difference was about 42{4e31e06bec64151f635dc913a632eab35a2f247203dc7cf3c724f08a8a96b449} in 1999). The value of flower production represents over 75{4e31e06bec64151f635dc913a632eab35a2f247203dc7cf3c724f08a8a96b449} of the agriculture sector turnover, followed by animal farming (11.2{4e31e06bec64151f635dc913a632eab35a2f247203dc7cf3c724f08a8a96b449}) and vegetable growing (6.4{4e31e06bec64151f635dc913a632eab35a2f247203dc7cf3c724f08a8a96b449}).
Steel, once a major industry during the booming 1950s and 1960s, phased out after the late 1980s crisis, as Italy moved away from the heavy industry to pursue more technologically advanced and less polluting productions. So the Ligurian industry has turned towards a widely diversified range of high-quality and high-tech products (food, shipbuilding (in Sestri Ponente and in metropolitan area – Sestri Levante), electrical engineering and electronics, petrochemicals, aerospace etc.). Nonetheless, the regions still maintains a flourishing shipbuilding sector (yacht construction and maintenance, cruise liner building, military shipyards). In the services sector, the gross value-added per worker in Liguria is 4{4e31e06bec64151f635dc913a632eab35a2f247203dc7cf3c724f08a8a96b449} above the national average. This is due to the increasing diffusion of modern technologies, particularly in commerce and tourism. A good motorway network (376 km (234 mi) in 2000) makes communications with the border regions relatively easy. The main motorway is located along the coastline, connecting the main ports of Nice (in France), Savona, Genoa and La Spezia. The number of passenger cars per 1000 inhabitants (524 in 2001) is below the national average (584). On average, about 17 million tonnes of cargo are shipped from the main ports of the region and about 57 million tonnes enter the region. The Port of Genoa, with a trade volume of 58.6 million tonnes ranks first in Italy, second in terms of twenty-foot equivalent units after the transshipment port of Gioia Tauro, with a trade volume of over 2 million TEUs. The main destinations for the cargo-passenger traffic are Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands.
Some companies based in Genoa include: Ansaldo STS, Ansaldo Energia, Edoardo Raffinerie Garrone, Registro Italiano Navale, Banca Carige, SLAM, Costa Cruises
Education
The first organised forms of higher education in Genoa date back to the 13th century when private colleges were entitled to award degrees in Medicine, Philosophy, Theology, Law, Arts. Today the University of Genoa, founded in the 15th century, is one of the largest in Italy, with 11 faculties, 51 departments and 14 libraries. In 2007–2008, the University had 41,000 students and 6,540 graduates.
The Italian Institute of Technology was established in 2003 jointly by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research and the Italian Minister of Economy and Finance, to promote excellence in basic and applied research. The main fields of research of the Institute are Neuroscience, Robotics, Nanotechnology, Drug discovery. The central research labs and headquarters are located in Morego, in the neighbourhood of Bolzaneto.
Clemson University, based in South Carolina, United States has a villa in Genoa where architecture students and students in related fields can attend for a semester or year-long study program.
Florida International University (FIU), based in Miami, Florida, United States also has a small campus in Genoa, with the University of Genoa, which offers classes within the FIU School of Architecture.
Getting Around
Locals will say driving around the city is somewhat faster than public transportation (traffic jams at rush hours notwithstanding), but once you have reached your destination you are faced with the nightmare and frustration of looking for a nonexistent parking spot. It is not just chance that most locals switched from cars to scooters – to the extent that even finding a spot for a scooter has become difficult too. All attractions within the center are in walking distance or well served by public transportation, therefore a car is of no use at all. If you still decide to drive into the city, don’t bet on available street parking go directly to a parking garage and hope not all of them are full. If you think of driving to the beach on a sunny weekend day within Genoa or in another town along the coast, forget it. Finding a parking spot in walking distance to your beach is an once-in-a-lifetime event. Use public transit instead.
Public transportation will probably be your best bet within the city. The bus network is operated by AMT and services the whole city from 4 AM until 2 AM at night. Be sure to check routes and timetables you need because the system can be somewhat confusing, e.g. some routes only travel at certain times and are replaced by other similar ones with different numbers at those times. There is also an underground line connecting the Brignole train station with the northwestern neighborhood of Rivarolo, serving the main square, piazza De Ferrari, the historical center, the Porto Antico touristic area, the Stazione Principe main train station and the ferry terminal at Dinegro along the route. As is common in Italy, tickets are not sold on board; you need to buy your ticket before boarding the bus at a newspaper kiosk or a tobacconist’s or an underground station, and validate it at a punching machine once you have boarded the bus. For trains, purchase a ticket from a machine at any underground station, and validate it at a punching machine before boarding. Single tickets cost 1,50 € and are valid for 100 minutes after validation for an unlimited number of travels in any direction. A daily pass costs 4,50 €, while a group daily pass valid for 4 persons costs 9,00 €. Those passes must be validated at the beginning of your first ride.
There are also a number of public elevators and cable railways connecting the center with the neighborhoods on the surrounding hills. The upper stations of the Ascensore di Castelletto elevator and of the Funicolare del righi railway offer an astonishing view of the city.
Trenitalia suburban and regional trains travel in east-west direction along the coast connecting all the coastal neighborhoods/suburbs with the city center. This is the most convenient means of transportation if you plan to see some peripheral districts or towns along the coastline. AMT tickets and passes are valid on Trenitalia trains within the city limits; single tickets only allow one train ride, and you will need to validate them again at the yellow punching machines at the stations – check for the correct validating space with the name “Trenitalia” on the back side of the ticket. If you are traveling outside the city limits to visit some outer towns, you will have to buy a ticket at a Trenitalia counter or machine. It is advisable to buy return tickets right away because there are usually no ticket counters at minor stations and chances are good that the ticket machines there won’t work, turning buying a ticket into a hassle.
The historic center of Genoa is serviced by bus only around some important squares and streets. Its caruggi alleys are so narrow that no vehicular traffic is physically possible, and they have to be visited on foot – distances are definitely not huge anyway.
AMT also operates a public boat service called Navebus connecting the Porto Antico to Pegli. It is a great and cheap way to have a look at the city from the sea; once in Pegli, you can pay a visit to the Villa Pallavicini public park.
Private boat services start from the Porto Antico and travel along the coast to Camogli, San Fruttuoso, Portofino, Chiavari and the Cinqueterre.
