Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato (Basilica of the Most Holy Annunciation of Vastato), Genoa

The word "vastato” comes from the Latin vastinium, which sounds dramatic because it is. It meant a strip of land outside the city walls, deliberately cleared, so enemies had nowhere to hide. Not exactly prime real estate...

And yet, this is precisely where the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata del Vastato decided to rise—outside the walls, on the former site of the Church of Santa Maria del Prato. The Franciscans got things started in 1520, then history did what it does best: interrupted everything. Work stalled in 1537 and only picked up again in 1591, when the wealthy Lomellini family took charge and hired architect Taddeo Carlone to move things along.

By the 17th century, restraint was firmly off the table. Painter Andrea Ansaldo oversaw a wave of full-blown Baroque decoration, turning the interior into something closer to a visual spectacle than a quiet church. Then, just to keep the timeline interesting, the 19th century added another layer. Between 1830 and 1840, architect Carlo Barabino designed the Neoclassical façade you see today—one more sign that this basilica never really stopped reinventing itself.

Now, take a look at the front. A classical portico stretches across the façade, topped with a triangular pediment and supported by six Ionic stone columns, plus two pilasters for good measure. Above the porch, two lunette windows stack neatly, the smaller perched above the larger, while twin bell towers frame the whole composition like architectural bookends.

Inside, the layout follows a Latin cross plan, with three naves lined by rows of lateral altars. Corinthian columns rise between the naves, linked by arches that guide your eye forward. And then the decoration hits.

Indeed, this is less a church interior and more a 17th-century art gallery in ecclesiastical form. Inlaid marble, gilded stucco, and frescoes cover nearly every surface, created by an impressive lineup of 23 local painters and 13 sculptors. Take your time here—this is one of those places where Genoa’s love of grandeur is not whispered, but confidently announced.