Genoa, capital of the Liguria region and sixth city in Italy by number of inhabitants, has a long history of maritime power and political struggle which, however, does not pretend to appear as a common tourist destination of our present, who knows if its relative geographical isolation makes it suspicious. The tourist data – less than three million visitors in 2023 – make it a perfect place both for its accessible prices and for the convenience of walking its intricate streets without crowds, which would transform them into a real nightmare and prevent you from enjoying all its beauty, not in vain its nickname is “La Soberbia”, a term deserved by the heritage accumulated over the centuries.
Among the characteristics of its urban center is the difficulty for hikers to orient themselves, especially in the most renowned areas, such as its Old Town, one of the most spectacular historic centers in Europe and, perhaps, the most chaotic if you do not have a good compass to master its interior with minimal guarantees. The route proposed below is made up of the crumbs of Hansel and Gretel so as not to get lost: a dozen churches, all valid for configuring a walk which, in addition to brightening the day due to the infinite aesthetic stimuli, makes us feel like good travelers to challenge the impossible of this labyrinth.
We can start from a very easy and recognizable point: the basilica of Nunziata del Vastato, a temple which, in a certain sense, is a crossroads between Principe Station, the most recommended to get to Genoa from the airport, and the nucleus, made up of the neighborhoods of the Old City and with the exception of Via Garibaldi, full of historic buildings, terraces and honest activities, either for the prices or for what they offer. to the customer, treated equally and without distinction with his neighbor. The Nunziata amazes with the colonnade of its late nineteenth-century façade, from which you can see a rich interior, sumptuous for its frescoes and the display of columns, normally guarded by volunteers, since in Genoa the absence of vocations has led to a citizen movement that allows the churches to be open to the faithful and the public.
After this start we will descend 150 meters along Via Lomellini to San Filippo Neri, completed in 1721. Its lowered frontispiece, typical of a narrow street, gives way to a diaphanous nave, advisable not only for the fresco in honor of the saint’s glory, signed by the Bolognese Marco Antonio Franceschini. From here, the Risorgimento museum, Giuseppe Mazzini’s birthplace, and a church without religious architecture, Piazza Don Andrea Gallo, are very close, a hymn to the multicultural community that recalls a partisan priest, loved for his humanitarian and humanistic work.
The next milestone is transcendental. At 120 meters, after a slight climb, the Church of San Siro awaits you, built according to tradition in the 4th century and the first Genoese cathedral before the primacy of San Lorenzo. San Siro, with double access, is a colossal museum to be observed slowly. Its three naves and multiple chapels are an avalanche of treasures from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century and every detail is significant, so much so that we recommend going there as often as possible, which is otherwise feasible since it is located in the midst of churches and buildings of great tradition.
From this cathedral relegated within its radius of action we will go to Piazza Banchi, one of the most unique in this port city, and as an interlude between it and San Siro we will stop for a moment in San Luca, dating back to 1650 and ideal as an excuse to stroll along its street of the same name, lively and with good places to eat. focacciaslocal pizza, cheap and great for recharging your batteries. With or without them, Piazza Banchi, with the kiosks and second-hand stalls, is like a box with an archetypal church in Genoa, where the most precious ones suddenly happen upon you by chance and so their memory remains stronger once the journey is over.
San Pietro in Banchi dates back to the end of the 16th century. The government of Genoa participated in the financing to raise a vote of thanks after the plague of 1579. This temple is accessed via a staircase, even more impressive for the surrounding space. Before climbing these, the best thing to do is to look closely at the frescoes on the facade, a polychrome and incomplete magic created by the painter Giovanni Battista Baiardo, which contribute to increasing the scenographic impact. The interior, made of white marble, is an explosion of light and a beautiful experience for how the volunteers welcome you, splendid in making the legacy they preserve familiar. After saying goodbye to them, our next objective is 240 meters along the Via di Canneto il Curto, marked by small parentheses in its route, such as the mysterious Piazza Cinque Lampadi, unmissable, almost no mention in the guides and many stories in every corner.
Canneto il Curto dies in Piazza San Giorgio. There are few of them in the world, also because of its two churches, the one of the same name, built in the Byzantine era and remodeled until its consecration in 1700, and San Torpete, which from a chapel of the Cattaneo family became, by their will, a place of liturgical celebration in 1733. The relative chronological proximity of both makes them semi-twins despite the fact that they differ in the color of the facades, a little obscured by the undulating shape of their shape and the imposing modesty of their respective domes.
The reference to San Giorgio and the Greeks would lead us to understand how this city had many commercial groups which increased the number of parishes. The square, one of the Roman forums, hosted the Genoese market and today constitutes an antechamber to the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, of which we could fill pages and pages because it is Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and an enormous illusion that can deceive us. The cause is its facade: Tuscan for its arcades, funny for its sad lions and an invitation not to sit on its stairs, but to enter and stroll along its sides, with flashes of art in every chapel.
After much wandering we ended up in the enclave par excellence. Since San Lorenzo is only the ninth church, the trip can be completed with two options. The Church of Jesus and Saints Ambrose and Andrew is a candy that attracts us from Via di San Lorenzo. It is located to the right of the Palazzo Ducale and acts as a preamble to Piazza De Ferrari, mecca of meccas and civil kilometer zero of the whole of Genoa. Those who prefer to immerse themselves once again in the unpredictability of the historic center should visit San Matteo, another trompe l’oeil of Tuscan air at the center of this jewel to be discovered, obviously, by getting lost inside to get to know it better.
