Magazzini del Cotone
A 300-metre wall of brick and iron built to hold raw cotton, now the engine room of Genoa’s reborn old harbour.
At a glance
The Magazzini del Cotone are the long warehouses that line the Molo Vecchio of Genoa’s Porto Antico. Raised at the turn of the twentieth century to store raw cotton and goods, they were converted in 1992 — during Renzo Piano’s redesign of the old harbour for the Columbus celebrations — into a convention centre, cinema and exhibition complex.
Key facts
- Period: North building 1889–1901; south building 1926
- Builder (south): Società anonima Magazzini Generali
- Original use: Cotton and goods warehouses
- 1992 conversion: Porto Antico redevelopment led by Renzo Piano (Colombo ’92)
- Current use: Convention centre, cinema multiplex, shops, exhibitions
- Coordinates: 44.4083, 8.9213 — Google Maps
History
Construction of the northern building began on 19 December 1889 and finished, for that block, in January 1901. The southern building followed in 1926, raised by the Società anonima Magazzini Generali.
The warehouses handled the cotton and bulk cargo that fed the Ligurian textile trade. As the port modernised, the old basin fell idle. In 1992 the Esposizione Internazionale “Colombo ’92” — marking five centuries since Columbus’s voyage — brought Renzo Piano’s redesign of the Porto Antico, and the Magazzini were converted to public use.
What you see
The northern block is a single immense volume — about 310 metres long and 30 metres wide, four floors high, divided internally into nine compartments. The rhythm of repeated bays along the quay is the building’s signature, industrial architecture scaled to the sea.
Inside the congress hall, Renzo Piano added a suspended ceiling that curves like the hull of a ship, run without expansion joints and studded with aligned points of light — a modern gesture that answers the old cargo halls.
Practical information
- Open as the Centro Congressi, with cinema, shops, bars and restaurants; hours vary by venue and event.
- Free to walk around the quay and arcades; ticketed for cinema and events.
- Combine with the Aquarium and the Bigo panoramic lift next door.
Getting there
The Magazzini stand on the Molo Vecchio of the Porto Antico, a short walk from Genova Piazza Principe station and the city centre. Metro and buses serve the San Giorgio and Darsena stops.
Nearby
- Aquarium of Genoa on the same waterfront
- Galata Museo del Mare — the sea museum
- Lantern of Genoa
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Magazzini del Cotone”
- Renzo Piano Building Workshop / Expo Genova 1992 documentation
- Comune di Genova, Porto Antico
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