Genoa's name is thought to have derived from Ligurian, meaning knee, an apt description of its location on the 'boot' of Italy: it is located on the country's northwest coast and is the capital of the region of Liguria. It is a thriving seaport, one of Italy's largest, and this is how it has made its money over the centuries - through colonial exploitation and piracy in the old days, to ongoing trade and industry today. Behind its busy seafront facade is a dense and intriguing warren of medieval alleyways, where the city's cosmpolitan streetlife goes about its daily business to the backdrop of magnificent art and architecture, a flashback to Genoa's illustrious past.
