Giardini Luzzati: the rediscovered heart of Genoa's old town
Amid Roman remains and the alleys of the old town, a hidden square where Genoa breathes without crowds, far from the well-worn tourist caruggi.
gnuckx, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Those who visit Genoa in a rush stop at Via del Campo, at Porta Soprana, at Columbus's house. Few walk down Via Ravecca and turn towards the Giardini Luzzati, a square sunk into the maze of the caruggi, at the crossing of sightlines between the church of San Donato, the broad street of Sant'Agostino and Piazza delle Erbe. Here the noise of the tourist flows subsides and what remains is the slower sound of a city that truly lives.
The Roman amphitheatre
The name recalls Emanuele Luzzati (1921-2007), a Genoese set designer and illustrator among the most beloved of the twentieth century. But beneath your feet lies something far older. During excavations for an underground car park in the early 1990s, the remains of a first-century Roman amphitheatre came to light, now visible in an open-air archaeological area. Layered stones that tell two thousand years of history in a few square metres, with no crowded ticket office, no queues.
Among the caruggi
All around opens one of the least-told districts of the old town: alleys that have passed through centuries of history, from the Roman age to the dense medieval fabric of cellars and cisterns. They are narrow caruggi, where the light arrives at a slant and the signs are still those of the trades of long ago. It's worth getting lost without a map, looking up towards the tall façades and the arches that seem to hold back the sky.
The Giardini Luzzati today are above all a shared space: an urban regeneration project born to give the square back to its residents. Children playing, the elderly on benches, a small vegetable garden, a little pitch, tables where you eat Ligurian food at honest prices. It's the face of slow tourism, in which the visitor doesn't consume the place but sits down alongside it.
When to go
Come in the morning or in the late afternoon, outside the hottest and most congested months. Spring and early autumn offer the best light and the caruggi almost empty. A corner of authentic Genoa, where you can stop and breathe instead of photographing and leaving.
Related guides: Instead of the Cinque Terre: colourful Ligurian villages without the crush.
How to get there
The Giardini Luzzati are in the heart of Genoa's old town, in the Sarzano and Porta Soprana area, among the caruggi. They are reached on foot or by the city metro, whose Sarzano/Sant'Agostino stop is just steps away. The reference railway stations are Genova Brignole and Genova Piazza Principe, both connected to the centre; the airport is Genoa-Cristoforo Colombo. The maze of alleys can only be explored on foot, so it's best to leave the car in the car parks in the area.
Practical guides
Practical info
When's the best time to go to Giardini Luzzati?
We recommend April, May, June, September and October, the period with the smallest crowds.
How touristy is Giardini Luzzati?
Giardini Luzzati is very quiet compared to the more visited destinations.
What's the location of Giardini Luzzati?
Giardini Luzzati is found in the area of Genoa, Liguria, Italy.
Suggested as an alternative to
If you're looking for crowd-free destinations like this one, also see:
Inhabitants at each census (source ISTAT, historical series via Wikipedia).
How to get there
- 🚆 Nearest station: Sarzano/Sant'Agostino ~0 km as the crow flies
- ✈️ Nearest airport: Aeroporto Internazionale di Genova - Cristoforo Colombo GOA ~7 km as the crow flies
Nearest points as the crow flies (source OpenStreetMap): actual times depend on the roads, often mountain ones.
