Genoa is a city and a significant seaport in the northern Italy. It is a capital of the Province of Genoa and also of the region of Liguria. The city of Genoa has 610,000 of population and is also called as la Superba which means the superb one due to its magnificent past. Some areas of the old city of Genoa were listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city is rich in art, music, gastronomy, archiotecture and history. Hence, a tourist has so much to explore the major attractions of the city. All tourists need to travel by a cruise and dock at the famous port of Genoa which is a door to some major attractions.
The Porto Antico which is often called as “old harbour” in Italian is the ancient part of the port of Genoa. You can see the historical buildings such as the Cotton warehouses and also new landmarks which include the Aquarium, the Bigo and the Bolla which is known as the Sphere. The major tourist attractions here are the well-known Aquarium and the Museum of the Sea called as MuMA. Some 1.7 million tourists visit these mind-boggling attractions. The port has a trade volume of 58.6 million tonnes and and is the first port of Italy that offers world class attractions to the tourists who throng here from all over the world.
Nearly 3.2 million passengers travel to this port every year where some cruise and ferry lines are actually serving the passenger terminals right in the old port. The passenger terminals cover an area of about 250 thousand square metres. Out of these, five equipped berths are available for cruise vessels and 13 are there for ferries. Every year the berths hold capacity of some 4 million ferry passengers, 1.5 million cars and 250,000 trucks.
The ancient maritime station of Ponte dei Mille is now recognized as a technologically advanced cruise terminal. One more cruise terminal is at present under progress in the redesigned area of Ponte Parodi. Normally, cruise ships dock at marine terminal which is located close to the charming Porto Antico. From there you can start walking for 10 to 20 minutes to reach to the historic centre of Genoa. The port has its own website called www.stazionimarittimegenova.com.
To enjoy all the attractions you should explore the city in a clockwise or in counterclockwise method. Make some time to spend the well-known Genoese cuisine. Once you leave the Genoa port, you can start visiting various interesting sites. Try shopping at the Old Town where you will get rows of specialty shops. The city is popular for gold and silver jewelry, ceramic pottery and marble items. Head towards the central Genoa where you can buy clothes and Italian shoes from some of the major Italian department stores.
Once you arrive at the Genoa cruise port do not miss the Aquarium of Genoa which is among the most popular destinations. Tourists simply head to this site first and then visit some other sites. It is the major aquarium in Italy and is among the most well-known of all others in Europe. Here you can experience a number of animals and aquatic life. Besides this, the Galleria di Palazzo Bianco which is often considered as the White Palace is among the most beautiful palaces in Genoa. Also save some of your energy to explore the nightlife scenes in the city. Restaurants and bars are simply awesome.
As the language spoken here is Italian you will get major religions here as Roman Catholic with Muslim and Protestant minorities. People enjoy republic government and the currency is Euro. So accordingly you need to make yourself up to date like wearing smart and remember smoking is prohibited in almost all the public places. If you get some time then take a bus or taxi and head to the well-known nearby resort of Portofino which is an excellent experience.
Some major highlights of the city are Cathedral of San Lorenzo, Acuario di Genova, Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Rosso, Museo dell’Architectura, Church of Sant’Agostino and Galata Museum of the Sea, it is the largest maritime history museum in the Mediterranean. Besides these, you have many architectural treasures, museums and galleries to explore. Visit through the Porta Soprana, which is the old stone entrance gate to the city and also the Piazza de Ferrari with Opera House and Palace of the Doges.
Cruises never fail to give pleasure to its passengers. So enjoy as much as you could while traveling and when you dock at the port start exploring the key attractions of the city. For accommodation you will get plenty of hotels to stay and rest. Try Pesto, cima genovese and pandolce which is the famous cuisines of the city. All you need to visit the city at right time. Genoa enjoys typical Mediterranean climate with hot summer and mild winter. This place never gets too crowded so you can explore this place the way you want.