The Carignano church (Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta in Carignano), whose dome with bell towers stands on top of the hill of Carignano and dominates the Old Town and the port, is one of the most emblematic religious buildings in Genoa. A few minutes walk from Piazza Dante and Porta Soprana and a few steps from Piazza Sarzano in the Old Town (go to route 3), the Carignano church houses paintings by Luca Cambiaso, Domenico Fiasella, Guercino, works in marble by the French sculptor Pierre Puget and by Diego Carlone and the imposing organ of Willem Hermans.
Designed by Galeazzo Alessi for the powerful Genoese family of Sauli, the construction work began in 1552 and ended in 1602 with the construction of the majestic dome. But considering the subsequent interventions and the changes to the initial project, to arrive at the current appearance of the Carignano church will have to wait until the nineteenth century.
In 1718 the “Carignano bridge” was built, connecting the Basilica to the Old Town in Piazza Sarzano. The bridge until the 70s overlooked the houses of Via Madre di Dio, ancient village of the Historical Center of Genoa demolished between 1969 and 1973 to make room for the management center and the new road to the port. A controversial urban choice that still generates regrets among the Genoese, an open wound in the heart of the Old Town (go to the historical insight).
