Sampierdarena - The Forgotten Villas of Genoa

As your bus or transfer drives west from the port, you enter Sampierdarena. Today, it looks gritty and industrial.

The Surprise

In the 16th century, this was the holiday resort for the nobility. It had beaches and massive gardens.

• The Twist: The industrial revolution turned the gardens into factories (Ansaldo) and the beaches into port docks.
• Hidden Beauty: Villa Scassi (La Bellezza) still exists with its park, a green survivor in a concrete jungle.