Saturday, May 8, 2010

Renzo Piano, Genoa


As mentioned in a previous post I was inspired to visit Genoa by Ottagono Magazines featured 'Viaggio in Italia- Genoa' especially to see its Old Port (Porto Antico) and the success of its large scale redevelopment and restoration project.


Renzo Piano, a famous Italian Architect (He was one of the minds behind the Centre Pompidou in Paris) was involved in the Master Plan to reinvigorate the Port after WWII bomb damaged left it in a pretty dull state. Piano was successful in transforming the Old Port into a busy and thriving tourist attraction converting derelict warehouses into restaurants, shops and museums.


There is a recreation area that can be used for multi purposes, when I visited in April it was a skating rink! The public space is wide and spacious with large trees, benches, parks and look outs for the public to enjoy. Two main Piano structures are the Aquarium that resembles a container (like one on a cargo ship) and La Bolla (The Bubble) that is a massive glass sphere that houses a greenhouse with a large collection of tropical plants and animals.


It has proven to be packed with both locals and tourists and was very user friendly! I great place to wander on a sunny day in Genoa!











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