Genoa is home to one of the busiest ports in Italy, and besides its cargo and passenger terminals it also has several marinas that are dedicated to mooring yacht transport. The port is located south of Genoa and it stretches some 22 kilometers along the coast of the Mediterranean, covering the entire shore of the city’s coastline. This large maritime activity is largely the legacy of a city that rose from obscurity to become one of the most powerful cities in Europe. Genoa has been a maritime trading power ever since the middle ages, when they were a vibrant independent maritime republic with links all over Europe and the Middle East, and even to this day Genoa carries out that heritage by remaining the principal sea gateway to Italy.
There’s something very special about Genoa’s port. Maybe it’s the way how the sea and the city live so close by that you can’t tell where one finishes and the other one starts. Whatever the reason may be there is no doubt that Genoa still is one of the leading ports in Italy, with thousands of ships reaching it’s docks every year from all over the world. The neighborhood around Porto Antico is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city, and it’s a center for sightseeing, sailing clubs, and even the imposing aquarium. But Porto Antico is more than a place to sightseeing, it is also the heart of the new Genoa thanks to the many shopping centers, restaurants, entertainment venues, and boating activities available. With Porto Antico being used mostly by yacht and other medium-sized ships, it is in the outlying western terminals where the majority of the commercial ships more. Most of this terminals are intended for oil and container ships, but there are also large facilities available for passenger ships.
