“Genoa’s token, as we know, is the Lanterna, and not much is even asked of it to play this role: at least, no more than a minimum of photogenicity. At the foot of the Lanterna, which is the monumental lighthouse that has watched over its harbour since the twelfth century, Genoa can be as disorderly as it wishes. ”—Valter Scelsi

The protagonist of this new book by Giovanna Silva is the city of Genoa. From spontaneous walks through Genoa, in search of its contemporary architecture—hidden between causeways, sea, and steep hills—Silva moves to Franco Albini’s interiors. Albini, called to design and rethink the city’s museum system by the legendary figure of Caterina Marcenaro—the first historian of Italian art, thwarted by the entire male clan of the time—builds and perfects pieces of Genoa making it a more modern city. Silva’s book is a look at these places that combine the past of historic buildings with the contemporaneity of the first modern museums. Her photos are in dialogue with those of Paolo Monti, who instead photographed Albini’s work during construction at the end of the forties.

Text by: Valter Scelsi