Via Garibaldi

Via Garibaldi: Genoa, Italy

Via Garibaldi was on of the first landmarks I used to begin navigating the city, the bright flags and huge palaces make it one of the most recognizable and easily distinguished roads in a city filled with repetitive and fairly homogenous mazes.

The Via Garibaldi is also known as Strada Neuova and is set to be recognized for its significance in international heritage. The street was once the perimeter between the old medieval city and the Castelletto. It is the first street to be designed following an architectural/urban plan and its straight path was a novel orientation in Genoa.

But while the history is interesting, perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Strada Neuova is the opportunity for exploration. Most of the palaces feature an inner courtyard which can hold gardens, statues, fountains, and even grottoes. And while it is typical to see a beautiful garden through locked iron gates from the street, many of the courtyards of the palaces on Via Garibaldi are open actually open to the public. At the time of my exploration I was unsure as to whether visitors were welcome into the inner courtyards, so wandering into semi-private arcades and hesitantly sneaking up marble stair cases made for a particularly thrilling experience, especially when I discovered the statues, and grotto's with miniature waterfalls.

Sarah Wade