Everyone knows that Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa. But perhaps not everyone knows that in Genoa you can visit Casa di Colombo, where the navigator lived between 1455 and 1470.

Most likely it is a reconstruction, carried out at the end of the 17th century after the original house was damaged by a French bombardment. Located in the heart of the city, the house is spread over two levels: the ground floor was used as the workshop of his father, Domenico, who was involved in wool weaving and trade, while the family's residence was on the upper floor.

The monumental complex to which Casa di Colombo belongs extends into the garden behind it with the cloister of S. Andrea, the only remains of a monastery dating back to the 12th century that stood nearby.

A short distance away is Porta Soprana, part of the walls built by the Genoese around 1155 to face a possible arrival of Barbarossa: its two tall towers frame it as one of the most important entrances to the city, a mandatory passage for those coming from the east.