Genoa ‘the Superba’ old city - Unesco World site - geomorphological heritage

The coastal city of Genoa is an increasingly popular tourist destination due to its landscape and cultural aspects. Between 1099 and 1815, Genoa was a maritime republic with naval power and it is today the largest harbour in Italy and the second in the Mediterranean. There are, however, some less known aspects of Genoa cultural heritage connected to urban geomorphology and geo-diversity; in addition to the existing landscape and artistic values, these could constitute another element of interest for tourists and residents. Due to historical and recent urban sprawl, the former morphology of Genoa (the ‘Superba’) which contributed to the city military and economic success, is today largely invisible. The stratification of urban sprawl phases characterises many ancient cities in the Mediterranean: despite centuries of human intervention, however, the original features of the territory can still be recognized in present-day landscapes. This study shows the results of long-standing geomorphological surveys carried out in Genoa which allowed a detailed reconstruction of the geomorphological setting of the historical centre, a Unesco World Heritage site since 2006 In addition, this investigation allowed us to identify some sites of geological-environmental and geomorphological interest which are worth of being conserved and promoted for tourism. In particular, we identified three thematic urban trails on the hydro-geomorphological evolution of Genoa historical centre and the environmental-geological settings which conditioned the development of the city: the ‘vertical Genoa trail’, on the funicular Zecca-Righi and along the old ‘creuze’, in order to underline the slopes’ verticality; the ‘Waterways trail’, along the final stretch of the old aqueduct and many historical fountains; the ‘Genoa zero trail’, which develops from east to west across the old centre, looking for traces of the city’s old morphology under the current urban cover. These three trails show how history, urbanisation and geomorphological features of the area are strictly connected. Their promotion for tourism purposes aims to facilitate the understanding and divulgation of what we know about Genoa’s geomorphology, alongside with other important features of interests such as the coastal landscape and the cultural and historical heritage.