In June 2008 Biava was sold to Genoa for €500,000, with Cesare Bovo moving the opposite way. At Genoa, he quickly established himself as a regular for the "rossoblu". In their 2008–09 Serie A campaign ending in fifth place he partnered with Salvatore Bocchetti and/or Matteo Ferrari. In the first half of 2009–10 season he often partnered with Bocchetti but in January faced competition in new signing Dario Dainelli while the team's coach preferred a 3–5–2 formation with 3 central defenders and 2 wing-backs.