CIV
Borgo di Pré

On foot: the main access points are Via Balbi and Via Gramsci

By metro: Darsena and Principe metro stations

By train: closest railway station is Genova Piazza Principe

By bus: Piazza Acquaverde/ Principe bus stops – Via Balbi – Via Gramsci

By car: the nearest car parks are in the Darsena/Porto Antico area or at the Principe station car park. The nearest motorway exit is Genova Ovest reachable from Via Gramsci

CIV BORGO DI PRÈ
Address: Via Balbi, 38b – 16123 Genova
CIV President: Marco Bergaglio

Here is a list of places of interest related to this CIV, which you can explore further on the map above by looking for the icons of reference:

THINGS TO SEE

​ Royal Palace:
In Via Balbi, parallel to Via Pré, home to several buildings of the University of Genoa, the gardens of this Royal Palace once offered a splendid view of the harbor, now obscured by the causeway. Today, the contrast between the palace’s luxurious interiors and the lively, multi-ethnic atmosphere of the University halls is   palpable.

​ The Commenda di San Giovanni di Pré:
The Commenda, consisting of two Romanesque-style churches and a three-story building, once served as a station on the routes to the Holy Land and as a hospital for pilgrims, and later for the poor.

​ Via Balbi:
Via Balbi is one of the main streets in the center of Genoa, named after the aristocratic Balbi family of bankers. Featuring several noble palaces, it exemplifies a ‘new street,’ distinct from the medieval streets that characterize Genoa. Via Balbi has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006.

Here is a list of places of interest related to this CIV, which you can explore further on the map above by looking for the icons of reference:

CURIOSITIES

​ Hooks for oars:
On the walls of the buildings, you can still see the hooks once used by fishermen to hang their wooden oars. Finding them is quite a challenge!

​ The oldest pillar of shame in the city:
At the eastern end of Via Pré stands the oldest pillar of shame in Genoa, marking the spot where Julius Caesar Vachero was beheaded as a traitor to the Republic. To hide the shame of their ancestor, his heirs later built a fountain, which still stands today. It is said that his ghost still haunts the area.

​ Multiethnic shops in Via Pré:
If you are in Genoa and are looking for the rarest spices, the most extravagant teas, or unexpected soaps – like lettuce soap, for example – or if you want to taste ethnic food from all over the world, don’t miss the vibrant and noisy little alleys of the historical center. You’ll find much more than you could ever expect.

Here is a list of places of interest related to this CIV, which you can explore further on the map above by looking for the icons of reference:

“LIGHTING FOR GENOA” SQUARES

​ Piazza Don Gallo:
“PARTICIPATION, CULTURE, COMMUNITY, INCLUSION, RESPECT, RIGHTS, SUSTAINABILITY, SQUARE, LIVE, NATURE, LIVABILITY” – project by Stefania Toro

The installation emerged after a long process of listening to the local area and aims to represent, through light, the values that surfaced and were shared with the residents and those who currently use the square’s spaces. It seeks to enhance the square scenographically, ideally connecting it with the main arteries of the historic center, highlighting its foundational values – such as inclusion, respect, and a sense of community – and emphasizing the importance of the vegetation within the square (vegetation that is present today thanks to the spontaneous actions of the residents).
The installation – designed by Genoese lighting designer Stefania Toro, with illustrations by Cristiano Ghirlanda and Marie-Caroline Courbet, and created by Condiviso – features a seating area placed at the center of the square around the symbolic tree planted in 2014 in memory of Don Andrea Gallo. During the day, this area creates opportunities for gathering and socializing, and at night, it transforms into a luminous lantern that projects evocative words onto the ground in different languages, testifying to the intercultural and inclusive spirit that characterizes the place. The projection on the facade of the building to the east of the square reproduces out-of-scale illustrations of plants and vegetation, representing the desires and actions undertaken by the citizens over the years. Meanwhile, the lighting systems installed at the main entrances to the square create luminous signage on the ground, aiming to guide visitors to the center of the square where the “seating-lantern” is located.

​ Piazza Inferiore del Roso:
“IL CIELO SOPRA GENOVA” – project by Liliana ladeluca

Surrounded by tall buildings, in most of the historic centre we find ourselves “trapped” in narrow alleys. We are in Genoa, but we don’t see it. If we gaze up, we notice a framed sky that takes up the shape of the lanes and squares. A vertical city, but impermeable and sometimes its own prisoner. In those places we cannot enjoy the landscape and the colours of the sea that our city gives us. The concept of the project wants to throw the heart and the eye beyond the walls to find at our feet some architectural projects projected onto the ground, fixed or animated, that re-propose the city in the form of a skyline in a game of discovery and discovery. But from down here we can also see the clouds which, as Fabrizio De Andrè wrote “Vanno, vengono, a volte si fermano” (They come, they go, sometimes they stop).

​ Piazza San Pancrazio:
“LE ACCIUGHE FANNO IL PALLONE” – project by Elettra Bordonaro e Argun Paragamyan

The proposal fits into the urban context of Piazza San Pancrazio, an area connecting the old port and the narrow streets (caruggi) of the historic center of Genoa. Currently, the square is a pass-through space, a connection zone that does not capture the attention of visitors. The layout of the square, the slope of the alley from the port side, and the facades of the buildings do not highlight its role as a connecting hub between the port and the historic center. The square appears anonymous and degraded, failing to exploit the potential of an urban space that opens up within a fabric characterized by narrow and winding paths. In this context, the installation aims to capture the visitor’s attention by enhancing both the vertical and horizontal surfaces in the evening hours. Projections on vertical surfaces can be seen from different visual angles, inviting visitors to enter and linger in the square, thus giving new centrality to this space.
The intervention in Piazza San Pancrazio aims to create a sense of surprise for visitors arriving in the square through projections on vertical and horizontal planes. The project, with a strong evocative and emotional impact, intends to reflect the identity of the context.
The installation is inspired by the song “Le acciughe fanno il pallone” by Fabrizio De André and the proximity to the port. The contrasts and tensions characterizing our world make it necessary to seek a place that can welcome and protect. Just as the anchovies in the Genoese artist’s song form a ball to protect themselves from predator attacks, the square becomes a safe harbor, a haven to reach (in time and space) capable of mitigating our fears, anxieties, disappointments, or persecutions.

​ Piazza San Marcellino:
“IN_transito” – project by Simona Cosentino

The project, conceived by lighting designer Simona Cosentino, stems from a deep analysis of the context both in physical and emotional terms. Piazza San Marcellino is in the Ghetto district, between Via del Campo and Via Gramsci, in an area that connects the old port with the carruggi (alleyways) of the historic center of Genoa. The square is accessible through the passages of Sottoripa. Currently, the square is not used as a real resting space but rather as a passageway, a connection area: there are no notable artistic attractions or urban furnishings, no benches, no natural landscape elements, no commercial activities. However, San Marcellino has a deep, lived-in soul, with a very important center in the San Marcellino Association and its namesake church, and a lively, dynamic neighborhood.
Since its beginning during medieval times, the church aimed to help the poor, refugees, displaced persons, and generally all the marginalized. Throughout different historical phases, the pastors have changed, but the original spirit has not. Today, the San Marcellino Association, a social work of the Jesuits founded in 1945, provides services to promote human dignity and welcome homeless people, aiming to restore personal skills and full enjoyment of their rights. Along with all the volunteers, the Association is a point of reference in a fragmented and complex social fabric.
The association also organizes social sharing moments, bringing the neighborhood to life and creating a festive atmosphere where the church is the vital center. San Marcellino should be experienced deeply, at all hours and on all days of the week. Hence the concept of the installation, which aims to tell the story, the present, and the future of this neighborhood through light. To make this narrative effective, the lighting designer chose to communicate through color, which becomes symbolic and strategic in evoking emotion. The intent is to offer the viewer a 360-degree experience: the visitor should not just look at or admire a piece of work but should walk across and live the spaces.
The colored light, softened by thin beams of white light ensuring safety, will make the square’s entrances suggestive and vibrant. The various colors, symbolizing diversity, will converge in the center of the square to form white: a symbol of unity and rebirth. On some buildings, light flashes will appear, like the natural reflections created by the church roof on sunny days, symbolizing social redemption: light wings taking flight towards a new sky. The evocative and emotional impact aims to bear witness to the context’s identity and increase the sense of belonging for those who daily live in the neighborhood, while newcomers will be drawn into a narrative that invites them to pause and appreciate the place for its specific identity.