Piazza De Ferrari is Genoa's main square, the busy junction between the medieval old town and the 19th- and 20th-century city. In the middle stands a large bronze fountain from 1936, and around it are the opera house, the art academy, the old stock exchange and a side of the Doge's Palace. It is named after Raffaele De Ferrari, Duke of Galliera, one of the richest Genoese of the 19th century.
Piazza De Ferrari at a glance
- Where: at the top of Via XX Settembre and Via Roma, between the old town and the modern centre, with a metro station of the same name underneath.
- Created: the square took shape over the 19th and early 20th centuries, after the church and convent of San Domenico were demolished in the 1820s; the fountain was inaugurated in 1936.
- What it is today: a largely pedestrian square, Genoa's usual meeting point and the place where crowds gather for celebrations and demonstrations.
- Time needed: 15 minutes to walk around, longer if you look into the Doge's Palace courtyard or the stock exchange hall.
From a convent to the city's main square
Until the early 19th century this was a small, irregular space beside the Dominican church of San Domenico. After Genoa became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1815, the authorities decided to give the city a modern centre. The church was pulled down, and in its place the architect Carlo Barabino built the Teatro Carlo Felice, which opened on 7 April 1828, followed by the building of the Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti a few years later. In the following decades Via Roma and the Galleria Mazzini were opened up, and in the early 20th century the stock exchange and other large office palaces completed the square. In 1936 the fountain designed by the architect Giuseppe Crosa di Vergagni was put in the centre, paid for by the Piaggio family.
The square also saw some of the city's key political moments. On 25 April 1945 partisans fought German troops here, and the German commander in Genoa, General Günther Meinhold, signed the surrender of his forces to the Ligurian resistance that same day, a rare case of a German army surrendering to partisans rather than to Allied troops. The Carlo Felice, wrecked by bombing in the Second World War, reopened only in 1991 after a rebuilding led by Aldo Rossi. In the 1990s and early 2000s the square was repaved and made largely pedestrian, ahead of the Columbus celebrations of 1992 and the G8 summit of 2001.
What to look for
- The fountain: a single bronze basin weighing around 36 tonnes, set in rings of travertine. The original idea was a silent veil of water spilling over the rim; the lower jets were added in the 1990s.
- The Teatro Carlo Felice: Barabino's neoclassical portico survived the war, while the stage tower behind it belongs to the rebuilding of 1987–1991.
- The equestrian statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi in front of the theatre, by the sculptor Augusto Rivalta, unveiled in 1893.
- The Palazzo della Borsa, the former stock exchange opened in 1912, on the east side of the square.
- The side of the Doge's Palace that faces the square, with an entrance into its courtyards.
Who was Raffaele De Ferrari?
Raffaele De Ferrari (1803–1876), Duke of Galliera, was a banker and financier who made his fortune in railways and banking across Europe. His wife, Maria Brignole-Sale, Duchess of Galliera, was just as important for Genoa: she later left the family palace on Via Garibaldi, Palazzo Rosso, with its art collection to the city, and paid for the Galliera hospital. The square was named after the duke in the years after his death.
Tips for your visit
- Come in the evening, when office workers have gone home and the square fills with people meeting before dinner.
- Stand on the steps of the Carlo Felice portico for a view across the fountain to the stock exchange and the Doge's Palace.
- Use the square as your starting point: Via XX Settembre leads east for shopping, while the lanes of the old town and the cathedral are just a few minutes downhill.
Nearby
- Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale): the former seat of the Republic of Genoa, now a cultural centre with exhibitions and courtyards you can walk through.
- Cathedral of San Lorenzo: the striped black-and-white cathedral, where a British naval shell that failed to explode in 1941 is displayed inside.
- Porta Soprana and Columbus's House: the twin-towered medieval gate and the small house traditionally linked to Christopher Columbus's family.
- Via Garibaldi: the street of Renaissance and Baroque palaces, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Strade Nuove and the Palazzi dei Rolli.
See Genoa with World City Trail
Our Genoa scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 30 minutes of walking. Among the places it includes are the Basilica of San Siro, Palazzo Grimaldi della Meridiana and Piazza Fontane Marose.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Genoa.
Play the Genoa scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Genoa →
Play the outdoor escape game in Genoa →
Facts checked in October 2026.