Of the several scenic viewpoints over the centre of Genoa, the esplanade Spianata di Castelletto is by far the most famous. This large esplanade, shaded by maritime pine-trees and open on three sides, stands 80 metres above sea-level. On the horizon lies the profile of the Maritime Alps, the coastline of western Liguria, the Ligurian Sea, as well as Mount Fasce to the east; in the background lies one of the city’s most elegant residential districts, a few famous ice-cream parlours and people strolling on cool summer evenings or in the warm winter sunshine. A sea of roof-tops, houses, palaces and bell towers lie quite literally at one’s very feet. Genoese singer-songwriter Gino Paoli called the old city centre the ‘big grey-scale turtle’. The two bell towers of Santa Maria delle Vigne and San Lorenzo stand out among the roof-tops and spires, as does the profile of the university complex atop the Castello hill, the palaces in Strada Nuova (Via Garibaldi) and the prominent features of the Old Harbour Area. If one looks a little farther afield to the west, one will easily spot the Lighthouse and the giant harbour-cranes of the modern port. The best way to reach the esplanade is the one that poet Giorgio Caproni wanted to use to go to heaven: the lift raising from Piazza del Portello into the light of the Spianata from inside its glass tower – one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau design in town. When returning into town, we suggest you use one of the former brick mule-tracks that descend among small ancient houses and the backs of large patrician buildings.
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