Log book

Syusy visits the Maritime Station in Genoa together with Edoardo Monzani. It’s a very evocative place, a big harbour, an arrival and departure point, restructured and given back its original splendour in 2001 when Genoa hosted the G8 here. From here in the last century emigrants set out for North America and South America, tens of millions of Italians that went prevalently to Argentina, Brazil and the United States. Then too, for those that could afford it, there was a first class, with a big and elegant reception room, and then a second and a third class that embarked elsewhere. After the epoch of the big emigrations, there was that of the big ocean liners – like the Michelangelo and the Raffaello – and then a long period of calm until today, with the phenomenon of cruises, which have repopulated the maritime station and the city. About one million cruise passengers go through here every year, with embarkations of even two thousand people at a time, and for this reason big tidy spaces are required, organized like airport check-ins!

Syusy then goes round the outside terraces, which afford a wonderful view of all Genoa. When the work for implementing the new embarkation terraces is completed, the maritime station will also be able to take ships 300 metres long! Stimulating cruise tourism is fundamental, because it generates wealth for all sectors, from taxi drivers to shops, and for the whole city! Unlike the national administrators, who fail to understand the crucial importance of big port projects to sustain tourism in our country, explains Edoardo, the local administrators of Genoa have understood this and they are investing a lot for relaunching the city through cruises too.