In the early 1990s the area of the old dockyard, around which the city of Savona has grown over the centuries, was characterized by a state of neglect and dilapidation.
On the docks, occupied by old boats in disarmament, rusty sheds and falling-down factories, loomed the now inoperative industrial complex of the former Italsider and the grey and abandoned parking garage.
The first embryonic stage of the recovery plan dates back to 1996, when the port authority bought an old factory from the state railways company, turning it into a maritime station and offering itself to the world of cruises with a minimal and inexpensive solution yet highly functional and particularly appreciated by operators.
Costa Riviera was the first cruise ship to dock in Savona on 1 November 1996, a key date for the city's new direction.
Subsequently, redevelopment of the old dockyard began, the damaged buildings and wrecks were removed, while the wash-houses and the old cranes were restored, the hauling slipway was transformed into an enchanting little square by the sea, the piers were decorated with mosaics and coloured furniture and the stretch of water was transformed into a small tourist port set within the city and crossed by an unusual and practical blue drawbridge for reaching the cruise area.
In short, this area, until recently in derelict conditions, has become one of the most frequented areas of the city, full of pubs and restaurants, an attraction for the people of Savona and for many young people from the nearby Riviera.
The success of the initial operations gave the port authority and the Municipality of Savona the strength to rethink the seafront, through the so-called PRUSST of Savona, a plan of public and private initiatives with a total value of over 350 million euros, aimed at the urban and functional renewal of the area between the port and the city.
The basis of the Plan was the shift of the centre of gravity of merchant activities to port areas away from the city, around the Darsena Alti Fondali, to enhance the spaces closest to the city centre in tourism and urban terms.
The great Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill redesigned the area between the port and the city, with a very modern cruise terminal (later taken as an example for its beauty and functionality) and the demolition of the old car park, to create a district given over to services, commerce, housing and hotels. In place of the warehouses of the former Italsider stands the Crescent, a building in the shape of an amphitheatre, intended for housing and services.
The first piece of the mosaic was laid in 2003, with the inauguration of the Palacrociere, the maritime station built in close partnership between the Port Authority and Costa Crociere, which has made it the home port for its fleet in the Mediterranean.
The work continued in 2004 with the demolition of the old parking garage, replaced by the della Torre complex, consisting of a 19-storey building sixty metres high, towering over the buildings of the courtyard, which house a hotel, apartments and shops overlooking a square on two levels, all within walking distance of the sea and the Palacrociere.
This is the turning point for Savona. The development of cruise traffic, which rapidly rose to over 500,000 passengers, brought the city to the international forefront.
In the following years, several schemes were carried out to complete the regeneration plan and give continuity to the development of tourism. In 2008, the third dock for cruises was inaugurated; in 2009, the new access road to the port was completed; in 2010, the Palacrociere was equipped with a photovoltaic system capable of covering a large part of the terminal's electricity needs.
In order to improve the quality of the services offered to its guests, in 2013 Costa Crociere decided to expand its accommodation facilities by starting the construction of the new maritime station, which came into operation a year later.
2014 saw another crucial step: Savona joined the small circle of ports that have hosted more than a million cruise passengers.
Today, just over twenty years after the first steps towards change, the transformation of Savona, driven by the port and cruises, has been completed. Port and city have found a new balance between the merchant tradition and the activities related to tourism, opening up opportunities for development for the local area and job opportunities for the new generations
