Via Balbi is in the city centre, leading directly to the Principe railway station; moreover, it is very near the Old Harbour, the Ferry Terminal and the Underground. The Royal Palace and several University Faculties are also situated in this street. By train: [Genova Principe railway station] After walking out of the station, cross Piazza Acquaverde keeping to the left. Via Balbi is the first street in front of you and the Hotel Acquaverde is at number 29, just after the chemist's. There is another important railway station in Genoa [ Genova Brignole ], which is about 5 minutes from the hotel by car. It is worth mentioning that the Hotel Acquaverde is located near the following tourist sites: - The Aquarium, the Old Harbour and the Magazzini del Cotone Conference Centre [10 min. on foot] - The main Exhibition Hall ( Genoa Boat Show, Euroflora, etc.) [ 10 min. by public transport] - Palace of Prince Doria-Pamphili [ 5 min. on foot] - Via Garibaldi ( Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Rosso, Town Hall, etc.) [10 min. on foot] - Ducal Palace and Carlo Felice Theatre [ 20 min. on foot or 5 min. by bus] - 'L. Ferraris' Stadium [ 15 min. by bus] The famous Cinque Terre, as well as Santa Margherita and Portofino can be reached in a very short time, not only by train or car, but also by boat, with ferries leaving from the Old Harbour for beautiful trips along the coast. The 'Cristoforo Colombo' airport is only 5 km. away, and it is easily reachable by public transport. For all these reasons, the Hotel Acquaverde holds a strategic position for tourists as well as business people. - Via Garibaldi and its Palaces - It was built at the height of the Renaissance, between 1550 and 1570, by Bernardino Cantone from Cabio. It was first called Major Street, then New Street and finally Via Garibaldi. It is also known as ' The Golden Street' and 'The Road of Kings', a title given it by Mme de Stael. The creation of this street was part of a very important urban restructuring: it diverges a lot from the traditional Genoese street, with the rows of houses built right next to one another and intersected by alleyways descending towards the sea. The New Street resulted from a new conception of straight and wide street, pure expression of the straight line ideal; its width had to be proportionate to the height of the buildings, all standing at some distance from one another, while fabulous gardens were built behind the palaces. Palazzo Bianco (White Palace) It was designed by Girolamo Grimaldi in 1548. In the first half of the 17th century the palace was renovated according to plans drawn by Giacomo Viano. In 1889 it was donated by the Galliera family to the Genoese Town Council, which made it into a Museum-Art Gallery. Palazzo Rosso (Red Palace) Built between 1671 and 1677 by the architect Piero Antonio Corradi. The palace has three storeys. It currently hosts one of the best public collections of paintings in the city. - Sottoripa and Piazza Banchi (Banchi Square) - Sottoripa This is the ancient name of one of the most fascinating sights in Genoa. From here it is possible to wander through the old alleyways, listening to the sound of the Genoese dialect, following the scent of the sea. Sottoripa is a 900-metre-long arcade, but the most interesting part stretches from Caricamento Square to Raibetta Square. The area is also known because of its 'oriental', bazar-like feeling; there are several homely trattorias and fried-food shops offering fried stockfish, as well as shops specialising in foodstuffs from all over the world. The Italian poet Eugenio Montale loved Sottoripa so much that he dedicated it a poem in his collection 'Occasions': 'You know: I have to lose you again and I cannot. Every work moves me like a shot right to my heart, every cry and the saline breath too, which overflows the wharves and makes the obscure spring of Sottoripa.' - Piazza Banchi (Banchi Square) - The area of Banchi gets its name from the 'Banchieri' (Bankers) who until the 13th century exchanged currencies under the loggias of the medieval houses which surrounded the square. The Merchants' (or Bankers') Loggia has a great vault, built using a special wooden structure without any support in its internal part. After being the seat of the Stock Exchange, it later became the seat of the first Commodity Exchange. Today it is an exhibition hall belonging to the City Council. - The Cathedral of San Lorenzo - The Cathedral is dedicated to St. Lawrence. Whilst past archaeological excavations have revealed Roman floors and walls in the interior, ancient sarcophaguses have been found under the church's parvis. The first Christians built a basilica on this Roman site, which became Cathedral in the XI century, replacing the ancient Church of St. Siro as the bishop's seat. The new cathedral caused the urbanisation of this area which, with the building of the walls in 1155 and with the unification of the three ancient urban nucleuses - the castrum, the civitas and the burgus - became the heart of the city. The consecration of the church as a cathedral also meant the start of its restructuring in Romanesque style. After a fire in 1296, caused by the fight between Guelphs and Ghibellines, the building was partly renovated and partly rebuilt. Between 1307 and 1312 the facade was completed and the interior colonnade with the capitals and the fake women's gallery was also rebuilt, keeping those Romanesque structures and religious frescoes that had survived the fire. Between the XIV and the XV centuries several altars and chapels were erected. The small loggia on the north-eastern tower was built in 1455, whilst the opposite one in Mannerist style dates from 1522. In 1550 an architect from Perugia, Galeazzo Alessi, appointed by the town magistrates, planned a restructuring of the whole building, but he only managed to complete the covering of the nave and aisles, the floor and the vault, while the apse was finished during the XVII century. A complex renovation project carried out between 1894 and 1990 has allowed the preservation of the cathedral, so that its interesting medieval features can still be seen today. - The Old Harbour, Expo and Aquarium - The area has been built at the end of the Eighties, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Columbus' journey to America. The whole area, designed by the architect Renzo Piano, has been devoted to leisure and entertainment: there are restaurants, museums, bookshops, multi-screen cinemas and a lot more beside. The Expo area , especially in summer, hosts cultural, musical and theatrical events. An easy walk is all you need to discover picturesque corners of the harbour, which still retains some flavour of its past, with the ancient walls overlooking the sea and the old city gates. The aquarium of Genoa is the biggest in Europe and represents perhaps the greatest attraction of the whole area, drawing tourists from all over the world. The building is situated near the Spinola Bridge and it has its continuation in a ship-shaped edifice called Nave Italia. The Aquarium is formed by 48 tanks in which numerous species of sea animals live, such as seals and dolphins. On the right of the Aquarium we can find the area called Marina di Porto Antico (Old Harbour Marina), where recently some new dwellings have been built, complete with mooring facilities for private boats. On the left there is an imposing tensile structure which covers the whole pier, forming the Piazza delle Feste (Festivals' Square). On the left of the great marquee there is Palazzo Millo (Millo Palace) : inside you can find restaurants, cafés and bookshops. In front of it, stands a surreal structure called 'Bigo': this glass structure supported by white poles is a panoramic lift. To complete our visit to the Old Harbour, we must mention the Magazzini del Cotone (Cottone Storehouses) where there are more restaurants, shops, games arcades and the City of Children, the largest space in Italy entirely devoted to children aged between 3 and 14, where fun and knowledge are combined in an innovative didactic dimension.
Junction No.: Genova Ovest 3 km Airport Name: GOA 6 km Nearest Major Train Station: Genova Piazza Principe 0.03 km Nearest Underground Station: Genova Piazza Principe 0.03 km Nearest Coach/Bus Station: Genova Piazza Principe 0.03 km
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