The topic of perception of space plays a major part in our understanding of room, as our sub-conscience deals permanently with it. Every room we enter affects us. Size, lightness, view and standpoint influence our perception. With the Italian city of Genoa as an example, we want to consciously understand our unconscious perception, and explore the mechanisms. The old city of Genoa is perfectly suited for this purpose with its wide range of complex and very different situations on strongly condensed space. The variety reaches from elaborate settings in Via Balbli through less eye-catching places on the Castello up to the rooms that have grown over the years in Campo Pisano. Our investigations will be limited to the Castello area. The Castello is the original quarter of Genoa, above the old port on the original coast line. The quarter is limited by roads (beginning in the north and counting down clockwise): Via di Mascherona, Stradone di Sant‘agostino, Piazza di Sarzano, Piazza di Santa Croce, Via di
Santa Croce, Salita Santa Maria di Castello and Piazza Embriaci. The oldest church of Genoa, Santa Maria di Castello, stands in the heart of our quarter. At the eastern end we find the Castello, the oldest castle of Genoa. The quarter has quite a big height difference of 27m compared to the measures of approx. 284 m (NS) and 110 m (EW). The district is characterised by a circuit road and the ways descending from it, which meet on the square in front of the ruins of the church Santa Maria in Passione, the second church in our quarter.