Porto Antico

The Porto Antico, in Genoa

The Porto Antico, the old port of Genoa, is the historic and living heart of the maritime city, redeveloped by the architect Renzo Piano. The Genoa audio-guided tour stops here to evoke these quays once bubbling with spices and goods, transformed in the 1990s for the five hundred years of the discovery of America, with their reconverted warehouses, the panoramic lift of the Bigo and the famous aquarium.

History

To discover Genoa without a halt by its port is like skipping the first chapter of a novel. Backed against the hill but turned towards the Mediterranean, the Ligurian capital has always been at the crossroads of the worlds, land of great explorers and fine traders of maritime commerce. In the sixteenth century, it is on these quays that the pulse of Genoese activity beat, in a coming and going of boats filled with spices, gold and precious stones. But business has changed a lot. Left abandoned for decades, the port was the object of colossal works in the 1990s: for the five hundred years of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, the local architect Renzo Piano, to whom is owed the Pompidou Centre, restored it. The warehouses were reconverted into shops, a panoramic lift with white arms, the Bigo, was created, and the unmissable aquarium of the city, recognisable by its steel biosphere, came into being. Today, the Porto Antico is a place of promenade and leisure, where history and modernity mingle facing the sea.

What to see

Here you stroll on the quays of the old port, once beating heart of Genoese maritime commerce, redeveloped in the 1990s by Renzo Piano for the five hundred years of the discovery of America; reconverted warehouses, panoramic lift of the Bigo and famous aquarium with its steel biosphere make it a lively place of promenade. The Porto Antico is the maritime heart of Genoa. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Porto Antico lies at the seaside, at the foot of the historic centre of Genoa, reachable on foot. It is a space in free access, animated by shops and attractions like the aquarium and the Bigo, whose access and hours vary. It is best to enquire before coming.

Who redeveloped the Porto Antico of Genoa?

The Genoese architect Renzo Piano, to whom is owed the Pompidou Centre, restored it in the 1990s for the five hundred years of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus; the warehouses were reconverted into shops, the panoramic lift of the Bigo was created and the aquarium with its steel biosphere came into being, making the old port a lively place of promenade.

Where is the Porto Antico in Genoa?

At the seaside, at the foot of the historic centre of Genoa, in Italy.