GENOA

Your first encounter with Genoa is always an emotional experience, especially when you arrive by air or sea and you look at the fabulous panorama of this urban amphitheatre rising from the water, silhouetted against the mountains. The old town conserves the city's remarkable history as one of the great Maritime Republics, with churches and buildings from the medieval, renaissance and baroque periods providing tangible evidence of its glorious past. In 2004 Genoa was European Capital of Culture and in 2006 "Le Strade Nuove and the Systems of the Palazzi dei Rolli" were recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage List. Genoa has so many different facets to discover: nineteenth century neighbourhoods, fishing ports and seaside resorts to the east and west, with their picturesque parks and sumptuous villas, and towns and village inland, nestling in the hills, permeate with a rich heritage of local tradition. The city's stunning features, often used as a cinemas set, offer the perfect backdrop for a lively social and cultural life, which includes unique museums collections, music shows, international art exhibitions and major international fairs including Euroflora and the Great Boat Show. Genoa, the site of one of the largest European aquariums, is of course the perfect destination for sun and sea lovers too, offering beach resorts and water sports to cater for every possible taste.

Palazzo Ducale, the congress site, is located in the old town centre and this offers you many opportunities. In fact, Genoa's historical centre is almost perfectly preserved and it is nothing else than ancient Genoa, the town that once was the capital of Mediterranean. Strolling about the "carruggi" (alleys) you'll find wonders such as sculpted doors and portals, small votive chapels, painted facades, age old shops, masterpieces of architecture, a pomegranade growing on a balcony and even a real medieval "piazza" (i.e. Piazza San Matteo, once private space of the powerful Doria family) untouched by the ages. But the historical centre is not an open air museum; on the contrary it is a lively part of the town, full of shops, cafes, art galleries, or, better still, it is the true Mediterranean side of Genoa.

Via Garibaldi, the grand Renaissance street which fascinated artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, is still an open air delight. Within its extraordinary contest, that has recently been added to the World heritage List by UNESCO , are situated some of the most magnificent palaces: Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Tursi. Built mainly between 1558 and 1565, the elegant mansions are distinguished by the ornamentation of their facades, their entrances, the frescoed interiors and by the exuberance of their hanging gardens. The palaces house important collections of European, Italian and Genoese paintings made by artists such as: Caravaggio, Veronese, Rubens, van Dyck, Cambiaso, Strozzi, etc