Explore Genoa

Piazza De Ferrari is the main square of Genoa, named after the banker Raffaele De Ferrari, Duke of Galliera. At its centre is a bronze fountain designed by Giuseppe Crosa di Vergagni in 1936. The Teatro Carlo Felice, the Accademia Ligustica, a side of the Doge's Palace and early 20th-century bank buildings frame it.

Genoa Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Lawrence and consecrated in 1118, is the seat of the Archbishop of Genoa. Its Gothic west front of the early 13th century is banded in black and white stone, and the dome is by Galeazzo Alessi. Inside lies a British naval shell that struck the nave in February 1941 and did not explode.

Palazzo San Giorgio, by the old harbour, was built from 1257 to 1260 as the seat of Genoa's civil government and later housed the Bank of Saint George. Marco Polo was held prisoner here after 1298. Its sea-facing front is painted with Saint George and Genoese notables; the port authority works inside, so visitors see the exterior.