Liguria’s top tourist attractions of Portovenere, the Cinque Terre and the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997 for their cultural area of ​​exceptional value representing harmonious interactions between man and nature.

Portovenere and the legend of Venus

Portovenere probably owes its name to the presence of a small pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Venus. The location of the temple was probably chosen for the waves that break on the tip of the promontory creating a lot of sea foam, and legend has it that the goddess Venus was born from the foam of the sea. Portovenere was a fortress village until it was bombed and sacked by the Aragonese in 1494. Subsequently it entered a phase of long decline, and then entered a new period of splendour in the early decades of the 19th century, when the poets Byron and Shelley praised its beauty.

Five colourful little towns

The fabled Cinque Terre start to the west along the coast after Portovenere. The towns are: Riomaggiore, a fishing village, with tall and narrow pastel-coloured houses; Manarola, known not only for its beauty, but also for the production of an excellent olive oil; Corniglia, famous for its vine-clad terraces; Vernazza, a small village, dominated by the Doria Castle and which clusters around a small port, and finally Monterosso which is a famous tourist resort with elegant villas and the beautiful Fegina beach.

Two spectacular grottos

Liguria’s beauty spots also include the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto, currently uninhabited. The three islands have been declared a marine protection area. Palmaria, which is the largest and is covered by Mediterranean scrub, has ravines and caves on its west side. Two of these caves are of particular interest: the Blue Grotto, for its crystalline waters and the Grotto of the Doves which is interesting for the traces of Mesolithic human settlements that have been found there.

The Aquarium of Genoa, the Mediterranean’s largest maritime museum is in Ponte Spinola, Genoa's 16th-century ancient port, and was opened in 1992 on the occasion of the Colombiadi, the Expo commemorating the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America. It was later expanded several times.

Underwater fun and overnights for kids

Inside you can choose between the following routes: Planet Aquarium (the ticket includes the Aquarium and Tropical Garden, the National Antarctic Museum, and the Biosphere); GalatAcquario (a visit to the Aquarium and the Galata Museo del Mare, the largest maritime museum in the Mediterranean, as well as the S 518 Nazario Sauro submarine); Secret Aquarium (a behind-the-scenes peek to learn more about the tanks). Night with the sharks (to sleep in front of the shark tank and discover how the aquarium transforms itself at nightfall, only for children aged 7 to 13).

Genoa

There are over 70 tanks and dolphins

The aquarium visit lasts about two and a half hours and includes 70 tanks in addition to the four in the Cetacean Pavilion, which opened in the summer of 2013. In the four large tanks, which house manatees, sharks of various species, seals, and penguins, you can observe the animals from two different levels, and the dolphins can be seen from above and below, thanks to a large glass wall window and a 15-meter-long glass tunnel.

Better to book online

The public is welcome to attend the dolphin feeding times twice a day, with a trainer on hand to answer questions about the animals' biology and the daily work required for their care. Nemo's Aquarium, with the real fish that were the stars of the Disney film, is very popular with children. A tip: due to the extremely long lines, it is best to purchase tickets online; although there is a time on the ticket, it is not binding.

Genoa has a rich and fascinating history 

Genoa celebrates one of its greatest periods of splendour from March 27 to July 10, 2022 with the Superbarocco Project. 

The Baroque period, between the 17th and 18th centuries was when the Republic reached its apex o and experienced a moment of singular vivacity not only as an economic and financial power, but also as a cultural and artistic capital.

Genoa is also in the spotlight in Rome

The Superbarocco Project presents two major events for art and culture enthusiasts: the exhibition The Shape of Wonder at Palazzo Ducale and the The Protagonists of the Baroque in Genoa series of exhibitions spread throughout the city. All of this is in keeping with the Scuderie del Quirinale's major exhibition in Rome, which is a magnificent tribute to Genoa and its most glorious days.

Masterpieces by many of the world’s greatest artists

The Shape of Wonder - Masterpieces in Genoa between 1600 and 1750 focuses on a unique period in Genoa's history with works of extraordinary quality created by renowned foreign artists like Rubens, Van Dyck, and Puget, as well as brilliant local talents like Bernardo Strozzi, Valerio Castello, and Gregorio De Ferrari.

Paintings, sculptures, frescoes and majolica

The Protagonists of the Baroque exhibition in Genoa is ideally connected to the Roman exhibition and La Forma della Meraviglia to celebrate this extraordinary artistic season through its protagonists. Featuring renowned and successful artists like Gregorio De Ferrari and Filippo Parodi works of art from painting to sculpture and frescoes, and from design to fabric, and majolica are on display in the main museums and areas of Genoese Baroque, each of which devotes an in-depth study to an artist or a specific theme.

Gio. Maria delle Piane, il Mulinaretto, Il Doge Francesco Maria Imperiale, ©Genova, Musei di Strada Nuova, Palazzo Bianco

Genova Sessanta. The transformations of the city

There will be other openings and visits connecting the exhibitions on an ideal path that completely encompasses the city centre. From 14 April to 31 July at the Palazzo Reale it will be possible to admire the exhibition Genova Sessanta - Visual arts, architecture and society. The transformations of the city, creativity and customs in the years of the economic boom with architectural drawings, design, furnishings, advertising graphics, industrial objects, paintings and sculptures by leading artists from Lucio Fontana to Andy Warhol, Mimmo Rotella to Vico Magistretti, Gio Ponti to Franco Albini, Angelo Mangiarotti to Eugenio Carmi, and also the works of some of the great Genoese photographers.

Finale Ligure is making a fresh start with a new integrated tourism promotional plan.

The town in the province of Savona, traditionally a mix of seaside, outdoors, culture and gastronomic traditions, is reacting to the crisis by actively proposing an innovative tourism marketing strategy aimed at enhancing its resources and the synergies between players to promot the destination. 

The objective is to become an all-round destination

"In November, we launched a plan together with agencies and professionals, and now, grappling with the serious consequences of the Covid-19 emergency, we are ready to start afresh. We are counting on a recovery from mid-June - said tourism councillor Claudio Casanova, adding - of course we are waiting for precise indications from the government and the region.” The plan, which will be supported by revenue from the tourist tax, sees the region offering all-round holidays. “From 2014 to 2017 the growth in overnights was impressive. Then unfortunately Covid-19 was a major setback, but we are gearing up again to welcome tourists back." 

Honing in on domestic and neighbouring European markets

Among the objectives, the plan aims at increasing the visibility of the destination, concentrating this year on the home market and then the DACH markets (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Among the priorities is the creation of a DMO to guarantee governance of tourism and integrate the multiple players involved at various levels in the creation of the product and services and in the promotion of the territory. The next move will then be the creation of a DMS to boost the integrated communications and marketing activities.

Targeting consumers and supporting local players 

The contribution of local organizations is very important, from Finale’s Mudif Museum to Finale’s Consortium for tourism promotion For, and the Finale Ligure and Varigotti hotel and tourism association. The Cea Finale Natura environmental education centre, the Bagni Marini association, and the Slow Food convivium are other players being involved. The effectiveness of the project, coordinated and financed by the municipality of Finale Ligure, is largely based on the working group's ability to carry out continuous, integrated, and holistic actions featuring Finale’s wide range of tourism products. The plan initially envisages implementing communications and promotions, followed by re-positioning and directly selling the destination on the market. This is being done in two directions: on the one hand towards consumers by intercepting the demand and gaining the trust of users through useful and valuable content and bringing them to the destination for the first time, or bringing them back to Finale Ligure again.  On the other hand support is being given to local players such as travel agencies and tour operators, providing them with information and tools that are indispensable for promoting and selling Finale Ligure. 

A website and social channels 

The www.visitfinaleligure.it website will gather all the communications and promotional activities implemented by the Municipality of Finale Ligure, but also act as a gateway for users to the vertical sites already available in the dedicated area. The social channels @visitfinaleligure will get new content aimed at the different types of potential targets, providing added visibility to what is already being done to promote the destination. 

Running up to 9 January 2022 the Villa Croce Museum in Genoa dedicates a large exhibition to Gaetano Pesce, an internationally celebrated master of contemporary design and architecture. Artist, architect, sculptor and designer and born in La Spezia, Pesce now lives permanently in New York.  A distinguished, eccentric and eclectic author he is an advocate of the most innovative and radical wing of Italian 1960s Design.

Democracy must protect diversity, says Pesce

Pesce’s works are unique pieces with their own individuality, each one distinct from the other because, according to Pesce "democracy must guarantee and protect diversity, not equality". Variation and multidiscipline are fundamental elements in how this artist approaches and creates art that aims at making a positive change to contemporary society.

From iconic sculptures to lamps, tables and chairs  

The exhibition blends historical and revisited works on the two floors of the villa, from the iconic Up5 & 6 armchair with its anthropomorphic forms in the space that welcomes visitors on the ground floor, to the Goddess of Fertility which denounces the condition of women who are still victims of violence, or the 1972 Moloch, a macro version of the famous L1 Table Lamp of 1937.  There are also more recent works such as the Pelli (Industrial Skin) in thin resin that looks like a layer of skin hanging from the ceiling of the large decorated room on the first floor,  vases that seem to drip like melted coloured wax, tables and chairs - some of which are the Pratt chair series of the 80s - lamps and the Pulcinella and the Woman applique in papier maché covered with polyurethane resin.

Pesce’s works can also be found around the city of Genoa

The project is also on display outdoors, with four oversized sculptures around the center of Genoa. From Piazza Fontane Marose with Betrayed Majesty to Piazza De Ferrari with the Up made of giant rags, to the Picture Frame Chair in Piazza Matteotti. The final exhibit in the Villa Croce park is the Crucifixion of Manual Skills, created by Pesce during the 2020  lockdown and exhibited for the first time at the Genoa exhibition.

In museums around the world: from Milan to New York, London and Montreal 

Pesce’s works are in the collections of prestigious national and international museums such as the Triennale Design Museum in Milan, the MoMA in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Center Pompidou in Pargi, the Canadian Center for Architecture in Montreal and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

VisitCanavese.it is the portal dedicated to the Canavese - the area that lies within the metropolitan city of Turin - with suggestions and ideas for discovering this delightful part of north-west Italy.  Created by CanaveseLab3.0, the site is a restyling of the former CanaveseLab.it and provides potential travellers with a platform in which to find an overview of the region’s historical and cultural attractions, main events, foods and wines, and activities for the different seasons.

UNESCO sites, ancient monuments and quality wines 

The idea is to provide a structured and continuously updated source of reference for such attractions as the region’s four UNESO Heritage sites, the spectacular natural amphitheater of Ivrea, the many castles, medieval and baroque churches, and winemaking traditions that produce local wines like Caluso Docg, Carema Doc and Canavese Doc.

Revealing the potential of one of Piedmont’s gems

“We strongly believe in the potential of the Canavese area and this is why we decided to invest in updating and expanding the previous portal,” says founder Sonia Scagnolari. “This new tool is easy to use and explains in a direct, emotional and authentic way what makes this area of ​​Piedmont so unique. We took 90% percent of the images ourselves and the copy with the exception of the Stories section, is written by our team”.