
Genova Nervi: 3 things to see absolutely!
✅ Before starting the reading, we put below some really interesting things, about Genova and Liguria. Take a look! 😉
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Welcome to our guide on the wonderful Genova Nervi, one of the most beautiful districts of Genoa:
Here you will find the 3 things you absolutely must see, in this characteristic and splendid seaside village.
Are you ready? Let’s start with the 3 things to see absolutely in Genova Nervi! 👇
1️⃣ The Marina
At the western end of Nervi, there is the small port: the silhouette of the Castle on the upper left, and the Collegio degli Emiliani on the right, that surround the landing place and its small beach.
The colorful facades of the houses, overlook the harbor, while, the fishermen’s boats rest on the square.
In 2021, the marina underwent a decisive and controversial restyling. The ancient Nervi swimming pool, set between the pier and the boats, was demolished to make room for a large “relaxation” area right by the sea. (in the photo below, you can see it on the left)

Going towards Levante, you’ll arrive at the church of San Siro, which preserves the profile of the typical medieval Basilica.
Continuing towards Capolungo, we find the road that goes up to Sant’Ilario, place famous for the song of De Andrè “Bocca di Rosa” and for the many villas, which rise on this hill.

Finally, we arrive at Capolungo, the last remnant of Genova Nervi, a micro-village with few and characteristic houses, all around the beach.
2️⃣ The Anita Garibaldi Promenade
The sea promenade Anita Garibaldi, known more simply by locals as “the promenade of Nervi”, is considered one of the most beautiful promenades in the world.
Two kilometers long, a few meters from the sea, with a view that sweeps from Mount Portofino to France, the sensation of walking on the waves, with the surf and the foam of the sea touching us.

The promenade, was built in 1862 thanks to the Marquis Gaetano Gropallo, who decided to make easier a pre-existing path that, until then, was used by fishermen and farmers, to move along the cliff.

The first part of the walk, joins the small port of Nervi with the Gropallo Tower.
From the small beach, it climbs steeply for a few tens of meters and reaches the Castle, now home to a club and area for exhibitions and conferences, to reach the Gropallo Tower
📜Torre Gropallo too, owes its name to the Marquis Gropallo, who bought it in the nineteenth century. It was also known by the name of Torre del Fieno: in ancient times the wet hay was burned on the top, for alarm signals.
The second part of the walk, up to Capolungo, dates back to 1872. Here too, after a long, almost flat stretch, the road descends steeply towards the capital and its alleys.

The walk is amazing even in winter.
Thanks to its particular position, Nervi has its own and very favorable micro-climate. It is well protected by the mountains behind it and, even in the coldest months, a little sun is enough to find yourself walking in light clothes.
✅ Not surprisingly, Genova Nervi was, in ancient times (early 900’s), one of the favorite and most famous destinations in all of Europe, for winter tourism.
3️⃣ The Parks of Nervi
The Parks of Genova Nervi, with over 10 hectares of greenery, trees of monumental interest and exotic plants from all over the world, were born from the union of the gardens of several historic villas: Villa Groppallo, Villa Saluzzo Serra, Villa Grimaldi Fassio and Villa Luxoro.
▶ They are an ideal destination for walks and relaxation, beloved by the Genoese, who fill them in all seasons, even for picnics on the lawns and play area for the little ones.
Starting from the station, you will first come across Villa Gropallo, an eighteenth-century one that hosted, among others, Gabriele D’Annunzio and Eleonora Duse.

The second is Villa Saluzzo Serra, with its exotic and Mediterranean species. The Gallery of Modern Art is located here, with over 2700 works of Ligurian artistic production from the last two centuries.
Villa Grimaldi Fassio, a seventeenth-century Villa, is very famous for its 🌹rose garden, which came to count about 800 varieties of roses, coming from all over the world.

Here, is kept the Frugone collection, named after the merchant brothers who put together paintings, engravings and sculptures from 1860 to 1930.
The most recent of the residences is Villa Luxoro, from 1903.
Inside, there is the homonymous museum, which houses a very special collection, made up of clocks dating back to between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, but also ceramics and paintings from the eighteenth century.