No sign, no name, nothing inviting you onboard and yet once you find out about this place you enter a world like no other.
Wandering around the bookshop you will find books of all kinds, from the great classics to travel essays, immersed in a suggestive context made unique by the numerous drawings scattered everywhere and by the original position in direct connection with the sea and with the port of Genoa.
The sea with its infinite horizons has always stimulated the desire for freedom and inspired the creativity of poets and writers, from whose pen stories of intrepid journeys under and above the salty surface have come to life. After all, it is well known that reading a good book is a bit like untying the ropes of the mind and sailing in the open sea of imagination.
The choice of the children's section is particularly vast and well looked after considering the limited space and once they arrive here children cannot help it but be fascinated by both the colors of the books designed for them and the charming location.
Another prominent section is the one dedicated to books on Genoa and the surrounding areas or more generally on the sea. Having been born and raised by the sea (at various latitudes), I could not remain indifferent to such wonder and to the travel section neither.
Raise your hand if at least once, in this very complicated historical period, you haven't thought about casting off the moorings and setting sail on an adventure, leaving behind the mainland with its problems, in search of new experiences to live and tell.
There is another bookshop dedicated to the sea in the beautiful village of Camogli, in the Genoa province.
It is a place where books not only live on the shelves on the walls, but also find a place in a building with a typically Genoese charm.
Here you can mostly find second-hand or out-of-print books. Among the sections, a large part is reserved for the city of Camogli and Genoa, their history and their wonders. Among the most photographed corners of the bookshop, the open window surrounded by books and overlooking the open sea.
Gorgeous bookshop on water
In Liguria, east of Genoa, in the city of La Spezia, there is also a romantic schooner, a private library dedicated to the sea, which remains available to the children who participate in educational cruises you can sign up for. Between readings on board, meetings with writers and a sailing bookshop open to the public, many initiatives have been carried out over the years to introduce young and old alike to the love of reading and the sea.
Among the titles are fables, essays, documentary-books, textbooks and technical books.
The proceeds from the sale of the books is used to support the charitable and educational sailing activities carried out by the association who runs the place.
The sea has always been very important for Ligurians and Genoese people as our region has always benefited from international trade first and tourism next.
Still today Liguria boasts important commercial ports as well as famous passenger ports for ferry services and cruise ships.
