Via XX Settembre (20th September Street), Genoa

Commonly called the "Street Twenty" (Via Venti), there are many Via XXs around Italy, and with good reason. It is named for the 20th of September 1870, the day revolutionaries stormed the Pia Gate (Porta Pia) of the Vatican. It marked the end of the temporal power of the Church, the "Risorgimento," which ushered in the unification of Italy.

20th September Street of Genoa was formerly Giulia Street. It was redesigned and modernized from 1892 to 1912. There was a lot of resistance to modernization. Some buildings would have to be demolished. Appeals from building owners and churches had stalled progress.

The street was built on the old route of Giulia Street, which was extended from Ferrari Square to the Monumental Bridge and the Street of Consolation (Via della Consolazione) to Pila Gate (Porta Pila).

The Monumental Bridge crosses 20th September Street longitudinally in the middle. The bridge is supported by marble arches. Its function is to connect two road systems. The lower one is 20th September Street. The upper one is Andrea Podesta Course (Corso Andrea Podesta).

It is a ten to fifteen-minute walk from Ferrari Square to Vittoria Square. 20th September Street is the go-to place for shopping in Genoa. Buses from every part of town pass on this street, dropping off shoppers and picking them up. The street is lined with shops of all kinds and majestic-looking buildings.

The street has a lot of Art Nouveau decorations, smooth pavements, and fabulous architecture and colonnades offering protection from the weather. There are about three miles of shops, usually high-end chain stores. It might be a good idea to pedestrianize a major shopping street, but 20th September Street is the main artery across the city.