Chiavari (; lij, Ciävai ) is a

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

(municipality) in the

Metropolitan City of Genoa The Metropolitan City of Genoa ( it, Città Metropolitana di Genova) is one of the fourteen Metropolitan cities of Italy, located in the region of Liguria. Its capital is the city of Genoa. It replaced the Province of Genoa. History It was first ...

, in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. It is situated near the river Entella.

History

Pre-Roman and Roman Era

A pre-Roman necropolis, which dates from the 8th to 7th century BC, has been uncovered in the area where Chiavari is located now.An advanced civilization and a cosmological city could be present at the time of the necropolis.
/ref> Chiavari grew up on the traces of a Roman camp on the

Via Aurelia The ''Via Aurelia'' (Latin for "Aurelian Way") is a Roman road in Italy constructed in approximately 241 BC. The project was undertaken by Gaius Aurelius Cotta, who at that time was censor.Hornblower, Simon, & Antony Spawforth. ''The Oxford Cl ...

Medieval Era

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

was constructed in 1147. The old town contains numerous arcades and buildings from the 13th century, including a castle, several mansions, and the nearby Church of San Salvatore di Lavagna, which was founded in 1224 by

Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV ( la, Innocentius IV; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universitie ...

. The cathedral was rebuilt in 1613. Known famously as a center of ancient humanistic tradition, Chiavari has a public library with a collection of manuscripts and incunabula. After the discovery of the conspiracy of the

Fieschi The Fieschi were a noble merchant family from Genoa, Italy, from whom descend the Fieschi Ravaschieri Princes of Belmonte. Of ancient origin, they took their name from the progenitor ''Ugo Fliscus'', descendants of the counts of Lavagna. The fam ...

, in 1542, and the capture of Chiavari by the Counts of

Lavagna Lavagna is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy. History and Culture The village, unlike nearby Chiavari which has pre- Roman evidence, seems to have developed in Roman times with the Latin name of ''Lavania''. ...

, the town suffered much, being associated with the conspirators. Among its illustrious citizens were: Luca Cantiano di Moneglia, founder of an Art Academy, and Giuseppe Gregorio Solari, translator of many Latin poets.

19th century

From 1805 to 1814, Chiavari served as the capital of the short-lived Apennins ''Departments of France'' of the First French Empire. Chiavari is the home of the

Chiavari chair The Chiavari chair, also known as the Chiavarina, or Tiffany chair, is a wooden chair of Ligurian design.F. Casoni, J. Casoni, Le sedie leggere di Chiavari, De Ferrari, Genova 2011. History The Chiavarina was created in 1807 by a cabinetmaker f ...

designed in 1807 by a local, Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi. The chair was a success and led to the opening of many factories in Chiavari and surrounding towns.

Chiavari railway station Chiavari railway station ( it, Stazione di Chiavari) serves the town and ''comune'' of Chiavari, in the Liguria region, northwestern Italy. Opened in 1868, it forms part of the Pisa–La Spezia–Genoa railway, and is situated between La Spezi ...

was opened in 1868; it is located in a passageway between the town centre and the beach-side.

20th century

Colonia Fara building was built in 1935 during the

Fascist regime Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

Sports

In 2014 the team football team

Virtus Entella Virtus Entella, commonly referred to as Entella, is an Italian professional football club based in Chiavari, Liguria. Founded in 1914, the club currently competes in the . History 1914: Foundation The club was founded in 1914 as Foot-Ball Club ...

was promoted in the Italian Serie B for the first time in history and was relegated back to the third division after 4 years in 2018.

Notable people

Nelson le Follet Nelson Le Follet, stage name of Bartolomeo Viganego, also known as Enrico or Enrichetto (14 May 1859 in San Fruttuoso – 20 September 1943 in Chiavari), was an Italian illusionist, impersonator and acrobat. Biography During Le Follet's yout ...

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Cities and towns in Liguria Coastal towns in Liguria