The Torre Embriaci, also called Torre degli Embriaci, located in the oldest area of

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

, where the Castello o Castrum stood.
It is the only one of the numerous towers that were located in the current historic center of

to have been spared by the edict of 1196 which wanted to cut all the city towers to 80 palms.

History

The construction of the tower is linked to the name of the famous

Guglielmo Embriaco Guglielmo Embriaco (Latin ''Guillermus Embriacus'', Genoese ''Ghigærmo de ri Embrieghi'', English ''William the Drunkard''; born c. 1040), was a Genoese merchant and military leader who came to the assistance of the Crusader States in the afterm ...

who, together with his brother Primo di Castello's fleet, distinguished himself in the Christian conquest of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

in 1099, during

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...

. The construction of the tower dates back to the early 12th century. The massive structure in large blocks of rusticated stone, 41 meters high, has slits in the curtain walls for lighting and at the top is crowned by a triple frame of increasingly projecting hanging arches. The motif of the hanging arches on stone shelves, surmounted by the sawtooth frame, is found in almost all the churches of the time, but its repetition in overlapping orders is undoubtedly original.
It is assumed that the material used comes from the remains of the first

walls of Genoa The walls of Genoa (''mura di Genova'' in Italian, ''miage de Zena'' in Ligurian) constitute in their whole the several circles of walls that protected and defended the city of Genoa, former capital of the homonymous republic. To this day, large ...

(864), now abandoned, which ran not far away, while the technique was always the normal one used in the

early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

on the model of the late Roman period.
In the following centuries the ownership of the tower passed from the

Embriaco family The Embriaco were a prominent Genoese family, who played an important role in the history of the Crusader states. It also gave consuls, admirals and ambassadors to the Republic of Genoa. The family ruled the city of Byblos (in present-day Leba ...

to the

Cattaneo family The Cattaneo family is a Genoese noble family, that had an important role in the history of the Republic of Genoa, giving five Doges to the Republic. Origins In 1309 the Della Volta family, with the families Mallone, Bustarino, Marchione, St ...

and then to the Brignole Sale family. Image:Torre Embriaci 1.JPG, Image:Torre Embriaci 2.JPG, Image:Torre Embriaci 3.JPG,

Palazzo Giulio Sale

Palazzo Giulio Sale, also known as Palazzo Brignole Sale, is today divided into a housing units in Piazza Embriaci n.5, was originally identified as a domus with a tower of the

, the palace was ceded to the Cattaneo family in

1514 Year 1514 (Roman numerals, MDXIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 10 – A great fire breaks out, in the Rialto of Venice. * Marc ...

. In 1583 it was bought by Giulio Sale who restructured it two years later. In

1607 Events January–June * January 13 – The Bank of Genoa fails, after the announcement of national bankruptcy in Spain. * January 19 – San Agustin Church, Manila, is officially completed; by the 21st century it will be the ...

the ownership of the palace passed to

Giovanni Francesco I Brignole Sale Giovanni Francesco Brignole (Genoa, 1582 - Genoa, 1637) was the 102nd Doge of the Republic of Genoa and the first king of Corsica. Biography During his dogal two-year period he preferred to start a situation of impartiality and economic neutr ...

(

Doge of Genoa The Doge of Genoa ( lij, Dûxe, ; la, Januensium dux et populi defensor, "Commander of the Genoese and Defender of the People") was the ruler of the Republic of Genoa, a city-state and soon afterwards a maritime republic, from 1339 until the s ...

in 1635 - 1637). He had some architectural modifications to the palace made which are currently not very visible and some frescoes attributed to

Giovanni Andrea Ansaldo Giovanni Andrea Ansaldo (1584 – August 18, 1638) was an Italian painter active mainly in Genoa. Life Ansaldo was born in Voltri, now part of the ''comune'' of Genoa, the son of a merchant. He trained under Orazio Cambiasi and possibly collabo ...

, still present today. The palace remains of the Brignole Sale family until 1869.

References

{{Authority control Genoa Buildings and structures in Genoa 12th-century establishments in Italy 12th-century establishments in the Republic of Genoa

History

Palazzo Giulio Sale

See also

References