A cold wind blows under blue skies, chilling me even on what is probably the clearest and prettiest day I’ve had in Genoa, Italy. Legs a bit tired from the climb, I nevertheless smile as I stare out at the view from more than 100 feet up a truly remarkable structure. Sitting atop a rock, the entire building rises nearly 400 feet into the sky, about half of that still above me on the observation deck. Genoa’s lighthouse, the Lanterna, is sort of what I imagine the Lighthouse of Alexandria to be. Tall, sturdily built, in its current form it dates to 1543, but is similarly sized and shaped to the 1128 original. It is a wonder of the city, representative of the maritime power of Genoa.

It is easy to see why Genoa and the sea would be forever linked. The city is built between a natural harbor at the point the coastline of the Ligurian Sea turns from running north-south to east-west and tall mountains parallel to the water. The area just adjacent to the harbor provided the original city layout, now called the Porta Antica, while today’s city stretches for miles along the water. It is a setting that seems a perfect fit for a maritime power.

The lighthouse guards the western side of the harbor mouth, where the rock it stands atop was once an island at high tide and is now a little ways inland of some fill that has expanded Italy’s largest container port. Still running today – with a single minder living in the complex – it is powered by a system of lenses that take an ordinary lightbulb (once just a candle) and sends the beacon miles into the darkness of the sea. Visitors can marvel at the stone tower with the emblem of Genoa on one side, enter a museum about both the structure and the city, and climb steep stairs to this platform about halfway up for remarkable views over the port and harbor to the city beyond.

We have traced much of the history of that city and the republic surrounding it over the course of three articles here (click here for part one, here for part two, and here for part three) so I’m not going to go into as much detail here. Suffice to say that from the time of the founding of the city-state in the 11th century to even modern times, the most important industry here has been its port. From a trading empire, to building and crewing mercenary fleets for the mightiest European kingdoms, to being a modern port both for cargo and people, Genoa cannot be separated out from its maritime past and present.

The best way to experience that is at the Galata Maritime Museum. Here, a thousand years of Genoese trade, seamanship, and shipbuilding can be traced over several floors and numerous exhibits. It is – in my opinion – the most impressive museum in the city, and an even better visitor experience than the mighty Rolli palaces that top most visitor wish lists.

It is too much to try to walk you through all of the museum’s stories here. The first floor is the most historically relevant, with the exhibition tracing the history of maritime Genoa via Christopher Columbus (click here to read about his childhood in Genoa), the famed admiral Andrea Doria, and others who built the city’s golden age. You’ll lean the history of Genoese ship building, marvel at artwork and models depicting some of the more famous sea battles and ships, and even be able to explore a life-sized replica galley, a low ship meant to be rowed rather than sailed (those sailing ships are called galleons).

Visitors work their way slowly up the museum’s floors, through exhibits dedicated to pleasure craft or navigation, ultimately winding up at a history of Italian emigration. For much of the 19th and early 20th century, Italy was a nation of net emigration, more people leaving (mainly for the Americas) than arriving. And Genoa was the largest exodus point for those who would cram themselves into packed vessels to seek better lives elsewhere.

The exhibit continues to modern times, where more people are arriving in Italy as refugees. The museum traces their harrowing journeys searching for better lives in Italy, and focuses on how much richer Italian society is – especially here in Genoa – for their arrivals. (I realize immigration is an issue that is a complex one. And while I agree that it needs to be done with care, I absolutely agree with the museum’s take. The fabric of modern society is better for its diversity, and you will never convince me otherwise. My neighbors come from all over, and they are all welcome in my life.)

It is worth climbing to the top of the Galata Maritime Museum. Through an exhibit to the SS Andrea Doria and its 1956 sinking after a collision with another ship (fortunately only 46 people perished and the remaining 1660 were rescued), one reaches a stunning observation platform with some of the best views of the city and its modern waterfront.

That modern section is the Porta Antica, which has been totally redesigned in recent decades although it still uses the same piers that the Genoese fleet once did. Today, it anchors around a large aquarium and community spaces. The biga, a replica of an old marine crane, hoists an observation deck and holds the roof up atop what is in the winter an ice skating rink.

Ferries take day-trippers down the coast to Portofino, fishing boats offer excursions, and old warehouses now host restaurants and upscale apartments. An old gatehouse is now a small Egyptian museum, and the city’s waterfront walls have been fortified with a skate park beneath them. It is a lovely place to stroll, with quality signage pointing out the history of the area.

It is impossible to separate the city of Genoa from its maritime past and present. Genoa is the sea, and the sea is Genoa. Whether visiting the mighty lighthouse, touring the impressive Galata Maritime Museum, or just strolling along the Porta Antica, the old port, maritime Genoa still beckons to visitors and locals today.

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