University of Genoa

The University of Genoa was founded in 1471 as a college of theology, and over the following centuries it has grown to become one of Italy’s largest universities.

Today the university has 22 departments that are organised into five schools, with most teaching and research being undertaken in the university buildings that are dotted around the city of Genoa although there are also some regional campuses in the Liguria region of northern Italy. The University of Genoa also shares a branch campus with Florida International University which both universities use to host their respective architecture schools.

Among the facilities and programs offered by the University of Genoa are a fully equipped sports centre, free Italian language courses for non-native speakers and a number of libraries.

As well as having multiple campuses the University of Genoa is also home to 53 research departments, and since 2005 it has worked closely with the Genoa-based Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and together they have made significant progress in the field of robotics with the development of iCub, a humanoid robot, and a prosthetic hand able to replace a missing arm.

Graduates of the University of Genoa include some key figures in Italian history, such as Franco Malerba, the first Italian astronaut, former Italian president Sandro Pertini and former Fiat chairman Paolo Fresco.