The work highlights the growth of Liguria and especially the city of Genoa in the Middle Ages , within the Mediterranean landscape. I have tried to emphasize the special features of a port and merchant city that acquires many peculiarities from the southeast coasts of the Mediterranean. In particular, the early reintro-duction of masonry in square work in Genoa, probably linked to the presence of the Genoese in the First Crusade, seems to be one of the most important legacies in the relationship between East and West. In addition, from an archaeological point of view, the cultural ties that interweave in the Mediterranean scenery are very visible. Architectural decorations with walled basins and ceramic fragments from excavations show us the wide range of Mediterra-nean routes and contacts of the Genoese, which lead to Persia and China. Even in the modern era, before the city's definitive crisis following the movement of trade in the Atlantic, the city records relations-which are still vital-with the western Mediterranean area (Spain) and the Ottoman Empire.