Is a proud and discreet city, gradually opens its heart and it's not easy to know and love its streets at the first sight. But once enters in your mind is forever. The Porto Antico (ancient port) is Genoa heart, a door that opens wide towards that world beyond the horizon and that Mediterranean so well-known to be an historic and cultural link amongst people, ideas, faiths, religions and goods. The hills enclose the bay, making this centre on of most vertical cities of the world, a natural theatre on the sea, with narrow lanes (carruggi) in the old civic centre, full of life, history and stories. Genoa has got an irregular geography, with 34 km of length and several district centres, where hinterland hamlets conserve their identity and character of fishing towns. Famous is the light of its Riviera, land of sun and wind, coloured in every seasons by mimosas and brooms yellow, mandarins orange, oleanders red, olive trees silver green. 2004 is the year of Genoa – Europe Culture Capital. But this is not a first case, cause there always have been links between Genoa and culture. Here were born Colombo, Paganini, Mazzini, Montale, De André, Luzzati and Piano. Infinite works of art: the magnificence of palaces, the churces, the villas, the museums where are conserved paintings of Van Dick, Rubens, Perin del Vaga, Grechetto, Valerio Castello, Alessandro Magnasco, Bernardo Strozzi.

Nowadays Genoa produces culture in its University, in modern centres of research and in the theatres. It is a musical centre too: the “Genovese” school of singer-songwriters is in the Italian music story and there is plenty of clubs dedicated to music. Theatre and music are not only art and culture, but also fun occasions for Genovesi and tourists who crowd the centre by night, in searching of good restaurants, special aperitifs, last movies and summer shows in the wonderful scenario of parks of Nervi right by the sea.