Historic Shops

One of the most charming surprises of the Historic Centre and other areas of Genoa is to be able to explore the “botteghe storiche”: these are shops and artisans workshops that have been active for at least seventy years (but in many cases it’s more than 200!). These shops are considered a treasure of the city of Genoa and to discover them during a stroll through its streets is a unique and authentic experience.
Among them you can find refined confectioneries and chocolateries, but also fabric storess and clothes shops.

There is a fashion house, where tailors create handmade ties which have been purchased even by the British Royal House. There are drug stores, chip shops and triperies with typical perfumes and flavors of Genoese street food, or workshops where artisans keep alive traditional techniques to work with glass, create stamps or corks. All these stores are located in historic buildings, they belong to the fabric of the Historic Centre and own antique furniture and equipment, which treasure an old-time knowledge.

In order to preserve this enormous patrimony it was established the “Albo delle botteghe storiche”. In this register you can find those shops and stores that have been active for at least seventy years and which respond to at least three of the five requirements listed: architectural elements conservation, original antique furniture and still functioning equipment, documentation that proves the history of the shop and the environmental context in which they operate.

There are 53 “botteghe” already registered in the Albo managed by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici, the Municipality of Genoa and the Chamber of Commerce of Genoa. Many others are witing for an evaluation to join the prestigious club of  Genoese commercial excellence and shopping. To read the updated list of the botteghe storiche and other news and information please visit the website Botteghe Storiche di Genova.