Thanks to its eighteenth-century palaces and its monumental fountain, Piazza De Ferrari can be defined as the core of Genoa. Several alleys start from here linking with other streets of the historical centre; here, there are even the most important Genoan palaces: Palazzo Ducale, the Carlo Felice's theatre (one of the most important one of the city), the Region's Palace, the Ligustic Academy of Fine Arts, the palace of the Exchange and the palace that was the Duke of Galliera's home. There are also two important arterial streets of Genoa that start from here: the elegant Via Roma (Roma Street), near the Mazzini's Gallery, and Via XX Settembre (September XXth Street), rich in stores and renowned boutiques. The piazza is a meeting point for young people; festive parties take place here and people plunge into the fountain when the two local football teams or the national team win.

Born at the end of the Nineteenth century this famous piazza has been the centre of the great part of the Genoan events, becoming the core of the associative and cultural point of the town. It's been the centre of fights and popular revolutions since 1960, becoming an important point of the trade-union fights and other important historical events. It looks like that some important people such as Gino Paoli, Fabrizio De André and Umberto Bindi met in a haunt famous in those days, called la cripta (the crypt); it looks also like that the famous Genoan singer Fabrizio De André frequented this haunt to meet Gianni Tassio in order to write the famous song Via del Campo.
Nowadays, Piazza De Ferrari is the social, economic and commercial core of the city; moreover, a lot of important events of the Ligurian region capital often take place here.