An Albergo (Alberghi in plural) was a term used during the
Renaissance to indicate an organizational structure in which several families linked by blood or a common interest banded together. The different families derived economic, political, or military support from each other.
[Kirk (2005), pg. 24] They usually lived near each other and attended the same churches.
Alberghi developed among noble families in
Genoa during the 13th and 14th centuries in response to economic difficulty and financial strife.
[Neel, (2004), pg. 132] Alberghi are first mentioned in 1383 by
Giorgio Stella Giorgio may refer to:
* Castel Giorgio, ''comune'' in Umbria, Italy
* Giorgio (name), an Italian given name and surname
* Giorgio Moroder, or Giorgio, Italian record producer
** ''Giorgio'' (album), an album by Giorgio Moroder
* "Giorgio" (song), ...
and
Agostino Giustiniani on the occasion of the crowning of
John of Lusignan
John of Lusignan ( French: ''Jean de Lusignan''; c. 1329 or 1329/1330 – 1375) was a regent of the Kingdom of Cyprus and titular Prince of Antioch. He was son of King Hugh IV of Cyprus and his second wife Alix of Ibelin. He was a member of the Hou ...
as King of
Cyprus by the
Doge Leonardo Montaldo
Leonardo Montaldo or di Montaldo (1319 – 14 June 1384) was a statesman who became the 7th doge of the Republic of Genoa.
Leonardo was born in San Martino di Paravanico, near modern-day Ceranesi in the Polcevera valley. His family was from ...
. Neither mentions the number of alberghi, though one 15th century source says there are 35 and a later source says there were 74 by the year 1414.
The 28 alberghi that formed this new ruling class included the
Cybo,
Doria,
Fieschi,
Giustiniani,
Grimaldi,
Imperiale
''Imperiale'' ( el, Βυζαντινή Ραψωδία, translit. Vyzantini rapsodia) is a 1968 Greek drama film directed by George Skalenakis. The film was selected as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 41st Academy ...
,
Pallavicino, and
Spinola Spinola is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Agostino Spinola (d. 1537), Italian cardinal
* Alberto Spinola (born 1943), Italian water polo player
* Ambrogio Spinola, 1st Marquis of the Balbases (1569–1630), Genoese banker an ...
families.
Alberghi mainly developed in
Piedmont and
Liguria. Alberghi are also mentioned as having formed in
Chieri
Chieri (; pms, Cher) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont (Italy), located about southeast of Turin, by rail and by road. It borders the following municipalities: Baldissero Torinese, Pavarolo, Montaldo Torine ...
,
Asti
Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a ''comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deemed t ...
,
Savigliano, and
Borgo San Sepolcro
Sansepolcro, formerly Borgo Santo Sepolcro, is a town and ''comune'' founded in the 11th century, located in the Italian Province of Arezzo in the eastern part of the region of Tuscany.
Situated on the upper reaches of the Tiber river, the town ...
; and to a lesser extent in
Milan,
Torino, and
Moncalieri. By the 15th century, merchants and artisans were also forming alberghi, but this only affected a few of the more powerful families.
[Neel (2004), pg. 135] Even freed slaves joined alberghi.
[Kirk (2005), pg. 25] Sometimes, these alberghi bonded together several branches of the same family. At other times, unrelated families with common interests banded together, typically taking a common surname. An example of the latter is the
Giustiniani, which was composed of shareholders of a company formed to colonize the Greek island of
Chios.
In 1528, after ousting the French and restoring Genoese independence,
Andrea Doria reformed the constitution of the
Republic of Genoa, attempting to unite the ‘nobili’ and ‘popularii’ factions into a single ruling class as formally recognized alberghi. Before this, alberghi had been strictly private institutions.
This plan provided more political stability than before, but the old divisions reappeared.
[Kirk (2005), pg. 27] The alberghi were abolished in 1576 and noble families assumed their original surnames.
In Renaissance
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, the term albergo originally referred to the building in which a
Scuola Grande confraternity met. The term later applied only to a small meeting room within the building.
Today, ''albergo'' is the Italian word for a hotel. Both senses of the word are ultimately derived from a
Germanic root, reconstructed as ''harjabergu'' meaning "barracks" or "lodging". The French word
auberge shares the same origin.
[Orlandi, Giuseppe, "Il Piccolo Orlandi", Carlo Signorelli, Milano, 1964. p. 16.]
References
Sources
*Kirk, Thomas Allison. ''Genoa and the sea : policy and power in an early modern maritime republic, 1559-1684''. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005.
*Neel, Carol. ''Medieval families: perspectives on marriage, household, and children''. The Medieval Academy of America, 2004, {{ISBN, 0-8020-3606-6
Italian noble families