

City Stories Index · Italy · 2026 edition
Genoa vs Venice
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Genoa leads 3–2. Character is a different question: Genoa is the maritime republic; Venice is the floating republic.
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| What we measure | Genoa | Venice | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 36 | 32 | Genoa |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 220 | 258 | Genoa |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 2 | 6 | Venice |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | — | 46 | Venice |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 16 | 9 | Genoa |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 87 | 97 | Venice |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: Genoa in orange, Venice in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
GenoaVenice
15 places
royalty & nobility9 places
4 places
crime & dark history11 places
9 places
faith & churches10 places
9 places
guilds & trade5 places
7 places
legends & myths8 places
6 places
arts & culture7 places
6 places
industry & modern era1 place
Genoa scorecard →
The maritime republic
Venice scorecard →
The floating republic