Boccadasse is an ancient fishing village in Genoa, located between the eastern end of Corso Italia and Capo di Santa Chiara, a very exclusive area and panoramic point that divides the area of Albaro from that of Sturla. The village, with its pastel-colored houses, leaning against each other and crowded around a small bay, has remained almost unchanged over time, as it would have been seen one or two centuries ago, a circumstance that has made it one of the most famous tourist attractions in Genoa. The great charm of this place is also due to the fact that it is not a simple preservation of the past for tourist use, but a lively and vital village, where fishermen still continue their ancient activity today.
Boccadasse is the traditional arrival point of walks along Corso Italia, the popular promenade that from Foce crosses the Albaro district. The village is usually accessed from the steps of Belvedere Firpo or from via Aurora, a typical Ligurian "crêuza". To the east of the square another crêuza goes up to the cape of Santa Chiara and then back down to Vernazzola. There are several hypotheses about the origin of the name Boccadasse. According to the most cited, it derives from the shape of the bay: Boccadasse means "donkey's mouth" (bocca d'âze in Genoese dialect). Other possible origins of the name refer to the stream (asse) that once flowed feeding the wash houses and the fountain before flowing into the sea.
According to a legend, the village was founded around the year 1000 by some Spanish fishermen who, caught in a storm, found refuge in this inlet. The village of Boccadasse has always been an integral part of the territory of San Francesco d'Albaro, on which it depended administratively, both as a municipality and as a parish. Until the 19th century, San Francesco d'Albaro was a rural municipality, made up of scattered houses, vegetable gardens and stately villas on the hills overlooking the sea: Boccadasse was a small peripheral appendix, one of the few compact nuclei of this territory and the only one on the seashore.
The building expansion of the 20th century profoundly changed the appearance of this area, transforming it into one of the most elegant residential neighborhoods of Genoa, but at the same time erasing the pre-existing historical fabric. In this context, the village of Boccadasse, due to its peripheral position, but above all due to the will of its inhabitants, has managed to preserve its original urban structure.