Tightly squeezed between the mountains and the sea, Genoa is a compact city, and its concentrated city center provides an oasis for pedestrians and a multitude of intriguing walking tours.

Leaving the Porto Antico, visitors are greeted by the Palazzo San Giorgio (XV C.) which once housed the famous Bank of St. George and now serves as the Genoa Port Authority headquarters.

The present building incorporates a section of the original Medieval structure, built in 1260 by People’s Capitain Guglielmo Boccanegra and designed by the famous Cistercian monk, Friar Oliverio. Marco Polo dictated the account of his journey to China known as Il Milione in this very place, where he was imprisoned by the Genoese during the Battle of Curzola in 1298.