The ancient harbor





Just a few minutes from Hotel Cantore is Genoa's Porto Antico: a large square on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It has a thousand years of history and twenty years of new life. It is the heart of the new Genoa and the site of numerous events. Here tourism, culture, shopping, entertainment, sports, dining and taste, and boating have been reborn. A city within a city, where people have fun, work, and meet, hosting:

  • THE GENOA AQUARIUM
  • THE BIOSPHERE
  • THE BIGO
  • THE CITY OF CHILDREN AND KIDS
  • THE ANTARCTICA MUSEUM
  • THE GALATA MUSEUM OF THE SEA
  • THE CONGRESS CENTER MAGAZZINI DEL COTONE
  • THE SEA ARENA PALACE
  • THE MULTISALA CINEMA THE SPACE and numerous restaurants, pizzerias, bars and pubs.

The Aquarium of Genoa





The Aquarium of Genoa is the Aquarium with the richest display of aquatic biodiversity in Europe. The exhibition itinerary shows more than 70 environments and about 12,000 specimens of 600 species, from all the seas of the world. From rare ones such as manatees, Marine Mammals that gave rise to the myth of the mermaids, to the better-known ones such as dolphins; from penguins, to the great predators of the sea: sharks.  And then jellyfish, seals and colorful tropical fish. The tour route (about 3 hours) winds scenically among a thousand panoramic views of the Old Port of Genoa against the inimitable backdrop of the Gulf of Genoa.

The biosphere





"A drop of steel and glass," the Biosphere is the scenic spherical glass-and-steel structure located in Genoa's Old Port, designed by architect Renzo Piano. It is the place to learn about the fauna and flora of tropical forests, delicate ecosystems threatened by human exploitation, observe more than 150 species up close, admire their beauty, and understand how fragile their survival is. Before your eyes, rare specimens of tropical plants: in addition to tree ferns, the tallest in the world grown in pots, there are plants traditionally used by humans, such as the bubble gum tree, coffee plant, banana tree, and cinnamon.

The Bigo





A symbol of the Old Port, beloved and iconic almost as much as the lantern, the Bigo is the panoramic elevator that offers you a unique vantage point over Genoa. Designed by Renzo Piano, the Bigo is reminiscent of the ancient cranes that moved goods in the harbor. Every day of the year, every 10 minutes, the circular structure gently takes you 40 meters up and offers a 360-degree horizon over the harbor and city.