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Genoa city of urban and socio – economic regeneration, Genoa an open and multiethnic city, Genoa a new cultural destination, Genoa a city to visit, but above all to experience. The Genoa of the third millennium is all this and more. Genoa is a city with a glorious past as a maritime republic. The home of the great explorers, the city was at the heart of an era in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries which has gone down in history as “the century of the Genoese”.
Genoa, today, in the third millennium, is a completely transformed city. This is a city that has undergone the most radical transformation of ay Italian city over the last decade. It has changed its face, remaining a lively and economically competitive city in the international scenery. The city has also established itself as a first class logistical base for both land and sea traffic and as attractive area for investors, due to its excellent connections both with over major international ports and continental Europe.
This new city of the third millennium has undergone a cultural renewal which can be seen in the transformation of the Porto Antico area, the renovation of the Centro Storico, the newly refurbished museums and the many important cultural events taking palce in the city, from exhibition to conferences, music festivals, scientific projects and theatre shows. All of these reflect the process of renewal which the city has undergone over the last decade and the destination of Genoa as European Capital of Cultural confirms the city’s cultural rebirth.
The removal of customs barriers, the renovation and predestrianisation of the Porto Antico and the refurbishment of a number of the magnificent buildings along the quays has served to reconnect the Centro Storico with the traditional lifeblood of the city. Thanks to a series of projects Ranzo Piano was a key figure, the Porto Antico has became one of the main attractions for both tourists and locals with bars, restaurants, cinemas and public gardens transforming the area into an important public space.
A vast range of initiatives such as a construction of the conference centre in the Magazzini del Cotone and the restructuring of the Millo have changed the face of the city’s waterfront. Amongst the new symbols of the Porto Antico are the Bigo and the Bolla. The Bigo offers a unique view of the city from the sea. A whole host of international events such the Salone Nautico boat show, Euroflora and the Paganini exhibition bring millions of tourist to Genoa each year. The number of cultural events and shows is constantly increasing and many of these have become established fixtures in the calendar.
The activity of Palazzo Ducale, at the centre of Genoese cultural life, is mirrored across the city in numerous localities hosting important event. Genoa is a dynamic city, not just because of its quality of life and excellent climate, but due to its wealth of official and impromptu cultural activities to rival other European cities. You can sample the lively nightlife of the Centro Storico where many of the hostelries in the famous narrow street are filled with revellers until the small hours. In short, Genoa is not merely a city to visit, but one that must be experienced.
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