Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the
Italian region
The regions of Italy ( it, regioni d'Italia) are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, constituting its second NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, five of which have higher autonomy than the rest. U ...
of
Liguria
it, Ligure
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
and the
sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the
Province of Genoa, which in 2015 became the
Metropolitan City of Genoa, had 855,834 resident persons. Over 1.5 million people live in the wider metropolitan area stretching along the
Italian Riviera
The Italian Riviera or Ligurian Riviera ( it, Riviera ligure; lij, Rivêa lìgure) is the narrow coastal strip in Italy which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines. Longitudinall ...
.
On the
Gulf of Genoa
The Gulf of Genoa (''Golfo di Genova'') is the northernmost part of the Ligurian Sea. This Italian gulf is about wide from the city of Imperia in the west to La Spezia in the east. The largest city on its coast is Genoa, which has an importan ...
in the
Ligurian Sea
The Ligurian Sea ( it, Mar Ligure; french: Mer Ligurienne; lij, Mâ Ligure) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. It lies between the Italian Riviera (Liguria) and the island of Corsica. The sea is thought to have been named after the ancient ...
, Genoa has historically been one of the most important ports on the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
: it is currently the busiest in Italy and in the Mediterranean Sea and twelfth-busiest in the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
.
Genoa was the capital of
one of the most powerful maritime republics for over seven centuries, from the 11th century to 1797. Particularly from the 12th century to the 15th century, the city played a leading role in the commercial trade in Europe, becoming one of the largest naval powers of the continent and considered among the wealthiest cities in the world. It was also nicknamed ''la Superba'' ("the proud one") by
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists.
Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited ...
due to its glories on the seas and impressive landmarks. The city has hosted massive shipyards and steelworks since the 19th century, and its solid financial sector dates back to the Middle Ages. The
Bank of Saint George
The Bank of Saint George ( it, Casa delle compere e dei banchi di San Giorgio or informally as ''Ufficio di San Giorgio'' or ''Banco'') was a financial institution of the Republic of Genoa. It was founded in 1407 to consolidate the public debt ...
, founded in 1407, is the oldest known state deposit bank in the world and has played an important role in the city's prosperity since the middle of the 15th century.
The historical centre, also known as old town, of Genoa is one of the largest and most-densely populated in Europe. Part of it was also inscribed on the World Heritage List (UNESCO) in 2006 as
Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli. Genoa's historical city centre is also known for its narrow lanes and streets that the locals call "caruggi". Genoa is also home to the
University of Genoa
The University of Genoa, known also with the acronym UniGe ( it, Università di Genova), is one of the largest universities in Italy. It is located in the city of Genoa and regional Metropolitan City of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera in the Liguri ...
, which has a history going back to the 15th century, when it was known as Genuense Athenaeum. The city's rich cultural history in
art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
,
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
and
cuisine allowed it to become the 2004
European Capital of Culture. It is the birthplace of
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 ...
,
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
,
Andrea Doria
Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; lij, Drîa Döia ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was a Genoese statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime.
As the ruler of Genoa, Doria reformed the Re ...
,
Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices fo ...
,
Giuseppe Mazzini
Giuseppe Mazzini (, , ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the in ...
,
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City ( ...
and
Grimaldo Canella
Grimaldo Canella (d. ''c.'' 1184) was the youngest son of Otto Canella and Consul of Genoa in 1162, 1170, and 1184. Grimaldo is considered the progenitor and eponym of the House of Grimaldi.
Origins
Canella was probably born in Genoa around 1 ...
, founder of the
House of Grimaldi, among others.
Genoa, which forms the southern corner of the Milan-Turin-Genoa industrial triangle of
Northwest Italy
Northwest Italy ( it, Italia nord-occidentale or just ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first level NUTS region and a European Parliament constituency. Northwes ...
, is one of the country's major economic centers. A number of leading Italian companies are based in the city, including
Fincantieri
Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (2014 ...
,
Selex ES
Selex ES was a subsidiary of Finmeccanica S.p.A., active in the electronics and information technology business, based in Italy and the United Kingdom, UK, and formed in January 2013, following Finmeccanica's decision to combine its existing SE ...
,
Ansaldo Energia,
Ansaldo STS
Hitachi Rail STS SpA (from ''Hitachi Rail Signalling and Transportation Systems'') or Hitachi Rail STS (previously Ansaldo STS) is a transportation company owned by Hitachi with a global presence in the field of railway signalling and integrated t ...
,
Edoardo Raffinerie Garrone,
Piaggio Aerospace,
Mediterranean Shipping Company
Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC) is an international shipping line founded by Gianluigi Aponte in Italy in 1970, with headquarters in Switzerland since 1978. The privately held company is owned by the Aponte family. It has been the lar ...
and
Costa Cruises.
Name
The city's modern name may derive from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
word meaning "knee" (''genu''; plural, ''genua'') but there are other theories. It could derive from the god
Janus, because Genoa, like him, has two faces: a face that looks at the sea and another turned to the mountains. Or it could come from the Latin word ''ianua'', also related to the name of the God Janus, and meaning "door", or "passage." Besides that, it may refer to its geographical position at the centre of the Ligurian coastal arch. The Latin name, ''oppidum Genua'', is recorded by
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...
(''
Nat. Hist.'' 3.48) as part of the
Augustean ''
Regio IX Liguria''.
Another theory traces the name to the
Etruscan word ''Kainua'' which means "New City", based on an inscription on a pottery sherd reading ''Kainua'', which suggests that the Latin name may be a corruption of an older Etruscan one with an original meaning of "new town".
History
Prehistory and Roman times
The city's area has been inhabited since the fifth or fourth millennium BC, making it one of the
oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. In the fifth century BC the first town, or
oppidum
An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...
, was founded probably by the
ancient Ligures (which gave the name to the modern region of
Liguria
it, Ligure
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
) at the top of the hill today called Castello (Castle), which is now inside the medieval old town. In this period the Genoese town, inhabited by the "Genuati" (a group of Ligure peoples), was considered "the emporium of the Ligurians", given its strong commercial character.
The "Genoese oppidum" had an alliance with
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
through a ''foedus aequum'' (equal pact) in the course of the
Second Punic War. The
Carthaginians
The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of the ...
accordingly destroyed it in 209 BC. The town was rebuilt and, after the
Carthaginian Wars ended in 146 BC, it received municipal rights. The original ''castrum'' then expanded towards the current areas of Santa Maria di Castello and the San Lorenzo promontory. Trade goods included skins, timber, and honey. Goods were moved to and from Genoa's hinterland, including major cities like
Tortona and
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
. An amphitheater was also found there among other archaeological remains from the Roman period.
Middle Ages to early modern period
5th to 10th centuries
After the fall of the
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period ...
, the
Ostrogoths
The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the large Gothic populations who ...
occupied Genoa. After the
Gothic War, the
Byzantines made it the seat of their
vicar
A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...
. When the
Lombards
The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774.
The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...
invaded Italy in 568, Bishop Honoratus of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
fled and held his seat in Genoa. During this time and in the following century Genoa was little more than a small centre, slowly building its merchant fleet, which was to become the leading commercial carrier of the Western Mediterranean. In 934–35 the town was
thoroughly sacked and burned by a
Fatimid fleet under
Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Tamimi.
Rise of the Genoese Republic
Genoa started expanding during the
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 r ...
. At the time the city had a population of about 10,000. Twelve
galleys, one ship and 1,200 soldiers from Genoa joined the crusade. The Genoese troops, led by noblemen de Insula and Avvocato, set sail in July 1097.
The Genoese fleet transported and provided naval support to the crusaders, mainly during the
siege of Antioch
The siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098, on the crusaders' way to Jerusalem through Syria (region), Syria. Two sieges took place in succession. The first siege, by the crusaders against the city held by the Sel ...
in 1098, when the Genoese fleet blockaded the city while the troops provided support during the siege.
In the
siege of Jerusalem in 1099
Genoese crossbowmen
The Genoese crossbowmen ( it, Balestrieri genovesi) were a famous military corps of the Middle Ages, which acted both in defense of the Republic of Genoa and as a mercenary force for other Italian or European powers.
Armed with crossbows, they ...
led by
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 ...
acted as support units against the defenders of the city.
The Republic's role as a maritime power in the Mediterranean region secured many favorable commercial treaties for Genoese merchants. They came to control a large portion of the trade of the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
,
Tripoli (Libya), the
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade which included parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria. The principality was much smaller than the County of Edessa or the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It exte ...
,
Cilician Armenia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Middle Armenian: , '), also known as Cilician Armenia ( hy, Կիլիկեան Հայաստան, '), Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia ( hy, ...
, and Egypt.
Although Genoa maintained free-trading rights in Egypt and Syria, it lost some of its territorial possessions after Saladin's campaigns in those areas in the late 12th century.
13th and 14th centuries
The commercial and cultural rivalry of Genoa and Venice was played out through the thirteenth century. Thanks to the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
major role in the
Fourth Crusade, meant that Venetian trading rights were enforced, and Venice gained control of a large portion of the commerce of the eastern Mediterranean.
In order to regain control of the commerce, the Republic of Genoa allied with
Michael VIII Palaiologos
Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( el, Μιχαὴλ Δούκας Ἄγγελος Κομνηνὸς Παλαιολόγος, Mikhaēl Doukas Angelos Komnēnos Palaiologos; 1224 – 11 December 1282) reigned as the co-emperor of the Empire ...
, emperor of
Nicaea
Nicaea, also known as Nicea or Nikaia (; ; grc-gre, Νίκαια, ) was an ancient Greek city in Bithynia, where located in northwestern Anatolia and is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and s ...
, who wanted to restore the Byzantine Empire by recapturing
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
. In March 1261 the treaty of the alliance was signed in
Nymphaeum.
On July 25, 1261, Nicaean troops under
Alexios Strategopoulos
Alexios Komnenos Strategopoulos ( gr, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνὸς Στρατηγόπουλος) was a Byzantine aristocrat and general who rose to the rank of '' megas domestikos'' and ''Caesar''. Distantly related to the Komnenian dynasty ...
recaptured Constantinople.
As a result, the balance of favour tipped toward Genoa, which was granted free trade rights in the Nicene Empire.
The islands of
Chios
Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of masti ...
and
Lesbos
Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Asia Minor by the nar ...
became commercial stations of Genoa as well as the city of
Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
(Izmir). In the same century the Republic conquered many settlements in
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, known as
Gazaria, where the Genoese colony of
Caffa
uk, Феодосія, Теодосія crh, Kefe
, official_name = ()
, settlement_type=
, image_skyline = THEODOSIA 01.jpg
, imagesize = 250px
, image_caption = Genoese fortress of Caffa
, image_shield = Fe ...
was established. The alliance with the restored Byzantine Empire increased the wealth and power of Genoa, and simultaneously decreased Venetian and Pisan commerce. The Byzantine Empire had granted the majority of free trading rights to Genoa.
Around the 14th century, Genoa was also considered responsible for the creation of the
Jeans. Genoa's jean fabric was a
fustian
Fustian is a variety of heavy cloth woven from cotton, chiefly prepared for menswear. It is also used figuratively to refer to pompous, inflated or pretentious writing or speech, from at least the time of Shakespeare. This literary use is beca ...
textile of "medium quality and of reasonable cost", very similar to cotton
corduroy
Corduroy is a textile with a distinctively raised "cord" or wale texture. Modern corduroy is most commonly composed of tufted cords, sometimes exhibiting a channel (bare to the base fabric) between them. Both velvet and corduroy derive from fu ...
for which Genoa was famous, and was "used for work clothes in general". The
Genoese navy
The Genoese navy was the naval contingent of the Republic of Genoa's military. From the 11th century onward the Genoese navy protected the interests of the republic and projected its power throughout the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It played a ...
equipped its sailors with jeans, as they needed a fabric which could be worn wet or dry.
As a result of the Genoese support to the
Aragonese rule in
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
, Genoa was granted free trading and export rights in the Kingdom. Genoese bankers also profited from loans to the new nobility of Sicily. While Corsica was formally annexed in 1347.
15th and 16th centuries
In the 15th century two of the earliest banks in the world were founded in Genoa: the
Bank of Saint George
The Bank of Saint George ( it, Casa delle compere e dei banchi di San Giorgio or informally as ''Ufficio di San Giorgio'' or ''Banco'') was a financial institution of the Republic of Genoa. It was founded in 1407 to consolidate the public debt ...
, founded in 1407, which was the oldest state deposit bank in the world at its closure in 1805 and the
Banca Carige
Banca Carige S.p.A., historically known as Cassa di Risparmio di Genova e Imperia (Ca.Ri.Ge.) is an Italian bank based in Genoa, with more than 500 bank branches in Italy. The predecessor of the bank, a mount of piety, was founded in 1483 in G ...
, founded in 1483 as a
mount of piety
A mount of piety is an institutional pawnbroker run as a charity in Europe from Renaissance times until today. Similar institutions were established in the colonies of Catholic countries; the Mexican Nacional Monte de Piedad is still in operatio ...
, which still exists.
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
was born in Genoa 1451, and donated one-tenth of his income from the discovery of the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
for Spain to the
Bank of Saint George
The Bank of Saint George ( it, Casa delle compere e dei banchi di San Giorgio or informally as ''Ufficio di San Giorgio'' or ''Banco'') was a financial institution of the Republic of Genoa. It was founded in 1407 to consolidate the public debt ...
in Genoa for the relief of taxation on foods. Under the ensuing economic recovery, many aristocratic Genoese families, such as the Balbi, Doria, Grimaldi, Pallavicini, and Serra, amassed tremendous fortunes. According to Felipe Fernandez-Armesto and others, the practices Genoa developed in the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
(such as chattel slavery) were crucial in the exploration and exploitation of the New World.
Thereafter, Genoa underwent something of an associate of the
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
, with Genoese bankers, in particular, financing many of the Spanish crown's foreign endeavors from their
counting house
A counting house, or counting room, was traditionally an office in which the financial books of a business were kept. It was also the place that the business received appointments and correspondence relating to demands for payment.
As the use of ...
s in
Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
.
Fernand Braudel
Fernand Braudel (; 24 August 1902 – 27 November 1985) was a French historian and leader of the Annales School. His scholarship focused on three main projects: ''The Mediterranean'' (1923–49, then 1949–66), ''Civilization and Capitalism'' ...
has even called the period 1557 to 1627 the "age of the Genoese", "of a rule that was so discreet and sophisticated that historians for a long time failed to notice it" (Braudel 1984 p. 157). The Genoese bankers provided the unwieldy
Habsburg system with fluid credit and a dependably regular income. In return the less dependable shipments of American silver were rapidly transferred from Seville to Genoa, to provide capital for further ventures. Genoa's trade, however, remained closely dependent on control of Mediterranean sealanes, and the loss of
Chios
Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of masti ...
to the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
(1566), struck a severe blow.
17th and 18th centuries
From the 17th century, the Genoese Republic started a period of slow decline, in May 1625 a French-Savoian army briefly laid siege to Genoa. Though it was eventually
lifted with the aid of the Spanish, the French would later
bombard the city in May 1684 for its support of Spain during the
War of the Reunions
The War of the Reunions (1683–84) was a conflict between France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, with limited involvement by Genoa. It can be seen as a continuation of the 1667–1668 War of Devolution and the 1672–1678 Franco–Dutch War ...
. In-between, a
plague killed as many as half of the inhabitants of Genoa in 1656–57. Genoa continued its slow decline well into the 18th century, losing its last
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
colony, the island fortress of
Tabarka, to the
Bey of Tunis in 1742.
The
Convention of Turin of 1742, in which Austria allied with the
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...
, caused some consternation in the Republic. Consequently, the Republic of Genoa signed a secret treaty with the Bourbon allies of
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period ...
,
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
and
Kingdom of Naples. On 26 June 1745, the Republic of Genoa declared war on the Kingdom of Sardinia. This decision would prove disastrous for Genoa, which later surrendered to the Austrians in September 1746 and was briefly occupied before a revolt liberated the city two months later.
In 1780, the Confetteria Romanengo was founded.
In a much weaker state, Genoa was forced to cede Corsica to the French in the 1768
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
.
The direct intervention of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
(during the
Campaigns of 1796) and his representatives in Genoa was the final act that led to the fall of the Republic in early June, who overthrew the old elites which had ruled the state for all of its history, giving birth to the
Ligurian Republic
The Ligurian Republic ( it, Repubblica Ligure, lij, Repubbrica Ligure) was a French client republic formed by Napoleon on 14 June 1797. It consisted of the old Republic of Genoa, which covered most of the Ligurian region of Northwest Italy, and ...
on June 14, 1797, under the watchful care of Napoleonic France. After Bonaparte's seizure of power in France, a more conservative constitution was enacted, but the Ligurian Republic's life was short—in 1805 it was annexed by France, becoming the ''
départements
A department (, ) is an administrative or political division in several countries. Departments are the first-level divisions of 11 countries, nine in the Americas and two in Africa. An additional 10 countries use departments as second-level div ...
'' of
Apennins,
Gênes
Gênes was a department of the French Consulate and of the First French Empire in present-day Italy. It was named after the city of Genoa. It was formed in 1805, when the Ligurian Republic (formerly the Republic of Genoa) was annexed directly t ...
, and
Montenotte.
Following the fall of Napoleon, Genoa regained an ephemeral independence, with the name of the ''Repubblica genovese'', which lasted less than a year. However, the
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
established the annexation of the whole territories of the former Genoese Republic to the
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...
, governed by the
House of Savoy, contravening the principle of restoring the legitimate governments and monarchies of the old Republic.
19th century
In the 19th century, Genoa consolidated its role as a major seaport and an important steel and shipbuilding centre. In Genoa in 1853,
Giovanni Ansaldo founded
Gio. Ansaldo & C. whose shipyards would build some of the most beautiful ships in the world, such as
ARA Garibaldi,
SS Roma, ,
SS Rex
SS ''Rex'' was an Italian ocean liner launched in 1931. She held the westbound Blue Riband between 1933 and 1935. Originally built for the Navigazione Generale Italiana (NGI) as SS ''Guglielmo Marconi'', its state-ordered merger with the Lloyd ...
,
SS Andrea Doria
SS ''Andrea Doria'' , was an ocean liner for the Italian Line (Società di navigazione Italia) home-ported in Genoa, Italy, known for its sinking in 1956, where of the 1,706 passengers and crew, 1,660 were rescued, while 46 passengers and crew ...
,
SS Cristoforo Colombo,
MS Gripsholm,
SS Leonardo da Vinci,
SS Michelangelo, and
SS SeaBreeze
SS ''Frederico C.'' was a cruise ship that made headlines when its passengers were unloaded mid-way through their cruise and the vessel was put under arrest in Halifax Harbour. The ship then sank in international waters three months later. At the ...
. In 1854, the ferry company
Costa Crociere was founded. In 1861 the
Registro Italiano Navale
RINA is a private, multinational company headquartered in Genoa, Italy. It was founded in 1861 under the name Registro Italiano Navale (''Italian Naval Register'').
That same year, following the enforcement of a 1994 European Council directive r ...
Italian register of shipping was created, and in 1879 the
Yacht Club Italiano. The owner
Raffaele Rubattino
Raffaele Rubattino (10 October 1810, Genoa – 2 November 1881) was an Italian entrepreneur and colonialist who started a shipping company that ran merchant ships on the routes to the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. He was also a founder of the Ital ...
in 1881 was among the founders of the ferry company
Navigazione Generale Italiana
Navigazione Generale Italiana (NGI) was an Italian shipping company.
History
The company formed in 1881 by the merger of ''Florio, I & V. Florio'' of Palermo and ''Raffaele Rubattino'' of Genoa. At the time of the merger, the two companies both ...
which then become the
Italian Line
Italian Line and from 1992 Italia Line, whose official name was Italia di Navigazione S.p.A., was a passenger shipping line that operated regular transatlantic services between Italy and the United States, and Italy and South America. During ...
.
In 1870 was founded Banca di Genova which in 1895 changed its name to
Credito Italiano
Credito Italiano also known as just Credit, was an Italian bank, now part of UniCredit. It was merged with Unicredito in 1998, forming Unicredito Italiano (now UniCredit). Circa 1999 to 2002 UniCredit created a new subsidiary of the same name to ...
and in 1998 became
Unicredit
UniCredit S.p.A. is an international banking group headquartered in Milan. It is Italy's only systemically important bank (according to the list provided by the Financial Stability Board in 2022) and the world's 34th largest by assets. It was fo ...
.
In 1874 the city was completely connected by railway lines to France and the rest of Italy:
Genoa-Turin,
Genoa-Ventimiglia,
Genoa-Pisa.
In 1884
Rinaldo Piaggio
Rinaldo Piaggio (1864-1938) was an Italian entrepreneur, senator, and founder of Piaggio.
Career
He founded Piaggio in 1884. It originally made furniture, then switched to aviation, building the Piaggio P.108 bomber. He was elected to the po ...
founded
Piaggio & C. that produced locomotives and railway carriages and then in 1923 began aircraft production.
In 1888 the Banca Passadore was established.
In 1898 the insurance company called
Alleanza Assicurazioni was founded.
20th century
In 1917
Lloyd Italico
Lloyd Italico, Compagnia di assicurazioni e riassicurazioni known as Lloyd Italico was an Italian insurance company. It was specialized in maritime insurance. In 2006, the company was acquired by Assicurazioni Generali and maintained its brand ...
insurance company was founded.
In 1956 Genoa took part in the
Regatta of the Historical Marine Republics.
In 1962
Genoa International Boat Show was established.
In 1966
Euroflora
Euroflora is an exhibition of flowers and ornamental plants. It represents one of the main events that take place in the Mediterranean and in the world on research to plant hybridization, cut flowers, potted plants, arboriculture, gardening and ...
was established.
In 1970 Genoa was hit by a serious flood, which caused the
Bisagno Bisagno is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Gilio Bisagno (1903–1987), Italian swimmer
* Tommaso Bisagno
Tommaso Bisagno (5 April 1935 – 18 January 2014) was an Italian academic and politician.
Biography
Bisa ...
stream to overflow.
In 1987 the
Banco di San Giorgio was established.
In 1992 Genoa celebrated the Colombiadi or
Genoa Expo '92
L'Esposizione Internazionale Specializzata Genova '92 - Colombo '92 (in English ''International Exhibition Genoa '92 - Colombo '92'') or more informally Expo 1992, was held in Genoa, Italy from 15 May to 15 August 1992. The theme was "Christopher ...
, the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the
American Continent by
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
. The area of the ancient port of Genoa is restructured and expanded also with the works of the architect
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City ( ...
.
21st century
The
27th G8 summit
The 27th G8 summit was held in Genoa, Italy, on 20–22 July 2001 and is remembered as the peak of the worldwide anti-globalization movement as well as for human rights crimes against demonstrators.
Overview
The Group of Seven ( G7) was an unoff ...
, that took place in July 2001, was hosted in the city of Genoa, however it was overshadowed by violent protests (
Anti-globalisation movement
The anti-globalization movement or counter-globalization movement, is a social movement critical of economic globalization. The movement is also commonly referred to as the global justice movement, alter-globalization movement, anti-globalist m ...
), with one protester killed.
In 2003, the
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) was established.
In 2004, the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
designated Genoa as the
European Capital of Culture for that year, along with the French city of
Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the N ...
.
On 14 August 2018 the
Ponte Morandi
(English: Morandi Bridge), officially (English: Polcevera Viaduct), was a road viaduct in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, constructed between 1963 and 1967 along the A10 motorway over the Polcevera River, from which it derived its official name. It ...
viaduct bridge for motor vehicles collapsed during a torrential downpour, leading to 43 deaths.
The remains of the
Ponte Morandi
(English: Morandi Bridge), officially (English: Polcevera Viaduct), was a road viaduct in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, constructed between 1963 and 1967 along the A10 motorway over the Polcevera River, from which it derived its official name. It ...
viaduct bridge were demolished in August 2019. The replacement bridge, the
Genoa-Saint George Bridge was inaugurated in August 2020 during
COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
In 2023 Genoa becomes the finish of
The Ocean Race.
Flag
The flag of Genoa is a
St. George's Cross, a red cross on a white field.
The patron saint of Genoa was Saint
Lawrence
Lawrence may refer to:
Education Colleges and universities
* Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States
* Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States
Preparator ...
until at least 958, but the Genoese transferred their allegiance to
Saint George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...
(and Saint
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
) at some point during the 11th or 12th century, most likely with the rising popularity of the
military saint
The Military Saints, Warrior Saints and Soldier Saints are patron saints, martyrs and other saints associated with the military. They were originally composed of the Early Christians who were soldiers in the Roman army during the persecution of ...
during the
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...
. Genoa also had a banner displaying a cross since at latest 1218, possibly as early as 1113. But the cross banner was not associated with the saint; indeed, the saint had his own flag, the ''vexillum beati Georgii'' (first mentioned 1198), a red flag showing George and the dragon. A depiction of this flag is shown in the Genoese annals under the year 1227. The Genoese flag with the red cross was used alongside this "Saint George's flag", from at least 1218, known as the ''insignia cruxata comunis Janue'' ("cross ensign of the commune of Genoa").
The saint's flag was the city's main war flag, but the cross flag was used alongside it in the 1240s.
The
Saint George's flag (i.e. the flag depicting the saint) remained the main flag of Genoa at least until the 1280s. The flag now known as the "St. George's Cross" seems to have replaced it as Genoa's main flag at some point during the 14th century. The ''
Book of Knowledge of All Kingdoms'' (c. 1385) shows it, inscribed with the word ''iustiçia'', and described as:
There was also a historiographical tradition claiming that the
flag of England
The flag of England is the national flag of England, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is derived from Saint George's Cross (heraldic blazon: ''Argent, a cross gules''). The association of the red cross as an emblem of England ...
was adopted from the Genoese flag during the
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...
in 1190, however, it cannot be substantiated as historical.
Geography
The city of Genoa covers an area of between the
Ligurian Sea
The Ligurian Sea ( it, Mar Ligure; french: Mer Ligurienne; lij, Mâ Ligure) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. It lies between the Italian Riviera (Liguria) and the island of Corsica. The sea is thought to have been named after the ancient ...
and the
Apennine Mountains. The city stretches along the coast for about from the neighbourhood of
Voltri
Voltri is a quartiere of the Italian city of Genoa, located west of the city centre.
It was formerly an independent comune.
In 2015, Voltri and the nearby hamlets included in Genoa's VII Municipio (Crevari, Acquasanta, Vesima, Fabbriche) had a ...
to Nervi, and for from the coast to the north along the valleys
Polcevera and
Bisagno Bisagno is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Gilio Bisagno (1903–1987), Italian swimmer
* Tommaso Bisagno
Tommaso Bisagno (5 April 1935 – 18 January 2014) was an Italian academic and politician.
Biography
Bisa ...
. The territory of Genoa is popularly divided into 5 main zones: the centre, the west, the east, the
Polcevera and the Bisagno Valley. Although much of the city centre is located at a low elevation, the territory surrounding it is mountainous with undeveloped land usually being in steep terrain.
Genoa is adjacent to two popular Ligurian vacation spots:
Camogli
Camogli (; lij, label= Genoese, Camoggi ) is a fishing village and tourist resort located on the west side of the peninsula of Portofino, on the Golfo Paradiso in the Riviera di Levante, in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Liguria, northern Italy ...
and
Portofino
Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th century ...
. In the metropolitan area of Genoa lies
Aveto Natural Regional Park
The Aveto Natural Regional Park is a natural park in Metropolitan City of Genoa, in the Liguria region of northern Italy). It was established in 1995.
Geography
Situated in the inland of the Tigullio area, Aveto Natural Regional Park protects o ...
.
Climate
Genoa has a borderline
humid subtropical
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(''Cfa'') and
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
(''Csa'') in the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, since only one summer month has less than of rainfall, preventing it from being classified as solely
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
, with a special note for the
Genoa low
A Genoa low (also known as Genoa cyclogenesis, Ligurian depression, or V(5)-track cyclone) is a cyclone that forms or intensifies from a pre-existing cyclone to the south of the Alps over the Gulf of Genoa, Ligurian Sea, Po Valley and northern Ad ...
.
The average yearly temperature is around during the day and at night. In the coldest months: December, January and February, the average temperature is during the day and at night. In the warmest months – July and August – the average temperature is during the day and at night. The daily temperature range is limited, with an average range of about between high and low temperatures. Genoa also sees significant moderation from the sea, in stark contrast to areas behind the Ligurian mountains such as
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...
, where summers are hotter and winters are quite cold.
Annually, the average 2.9 of nights recorded temperatures of ≤ (mainly in January). The coldest temperature ever recorded was in February 2012; the highest temperature ever recorded during the day is in August 2015. Average annual number of days with temperatures of ≥ is about 8, average four days in July and August.
[
Average annual temperature of the sea is , from in the period January–March to in August. In the period from June to October, the average sea temperature exceeds .]
Genoa is also a windy city, especially during winter when northern winds often bring cool air from the Po Valley (usually accompanied by lower temperatures, high pressure and clear skies). Another typical wind blows from southeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
, mostly as a consequence of Atlantic disturbances and storms, bringing humid and warmer air from the sea. Snowfall is sporadic, but does occur almost every year, albeit big amounts in the city centre are rare. Genoa often receives heavy rainfall in autumn from strong convection. Even so, the overall number of precipitation days is quite modest for the annual yield.
Annual average relative humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present.
Humidity dep ...
is 68%, ranging from 63% in February to 73% in May.[
Sunshine hours total above 2,200 per year, from an average 4 hours of sunshine duration per day in winter to average 9 hours in summer. This value is an average between the northern half of Europe and North Africa.]
Government
Municipal government
The Municipal Council of Genoa is currently led by a right-wing majority, elected in June 2017. The mayor is Marco Bucci, expression of a right-wing alliance composed by Forza Italia, Lega Nord, Fratelli d'Italia and other minor lists. Genoa was traditionally considered a leftist city and Bucci is the first right-wing mayor since 1975.
Administrative subdivision
The city of Genoa is subdivided into nine municipi (administrative districts), as approved by the Municipal Council in 2007.
Cityscape
Main sights
Notable to the city are the Palazzi dei Rolli
Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes a number of streets and palaces in the center of Genoa, in Northwestern Italy.
* The ''Strade Nuove'' (Italian language, Italian for "Ne ...
, included in UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
'' Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli''. The world-famous Strade Nuove are via Garibaldi (Strada Nuova), via Cairoli (Strada Nuovissima) and via Balbi (Strada Balbi). Among the most important palaces are the Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco
Palazzo Bianco ( en, White Palace) is one of the main buildings of the center of Genoa, Italy. It is situated at 11, via Garibaldi (known at one time as ''Strada Nuova'', and before that, ''Via Aurea'').
It contains the Gallery of the White Pala ...
, Palazzo Podestà o di Nicolosio Lomellino, Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Angelo Giovanni Spinola
The Palazzo Angelo Giovanni Spinola is a palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Lati ...
, Palazzo Pietro Spinola di San Luca
Palazzo Pietro Spinola di San Luca is a 16th-century palace in Piazza di Pellicceria, Genoa, Italy. It is now a private residence, and it remains in good condition. It is one of the Palazzi dei Rolli, but it is not listed by UNESCO as World Her ...
and Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria
The Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria, also known as Palazzo Francesco Grimaldi, is a palace located in piazza di Pellicceria in the historical center of Genoa, Northwestern Italy. The palace was one of the 163 Palazzi dei Rolli of Genoa, the select ...
.
Genoa's historic centre is articulated in a maze of squares and narrow ''caruggi'' (typical Genoese alleys). It joins a medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
dimension with following 16th century and Baroque interventions (the ancient Via Aurea, now Via Garibaldi).
Near Via Garibaldi, through the public elevator Castelletto Levante, one can reach one of the most scenic places in the city, Belvedere Castelletto. The centre of Genoa is connected to its upper part by ancient paths caught between tall palaces, called ''creuze''. Walking along these small paths one can reach magnificent places like the Santuario di Nostra Signora di Loreto. Very beautiful is the upper ring road so-called Circonvallazione a Monte that includes Corso Firenze, Corso Paganini, Corso Magenta, Via Solferino, and Corso Armellini.
San Lorenzo cathedral has a splendid portal and the dome designed by Galeazzo Alessi
Galeazzo Alessi (1512 – 30 December 1572) was an Italian architect from Perugia, known throughout Europe for his distinctive style based on his enthusiasm for ancient architecture. He studied drawing for civil and military architecture under the ...
. Inside is found the treasure of the Cathedral where among other objects there is also what is said to be the Holy Chalice
The Holy Chalice, also known as the Holy Grail, is in Christian tradition the vessel that Jesus used at the Last Supper to serve wine. The Synoptic Gospels refer to Jesus sharing a cup of wine with the Apostles, saying it was the covenant in hi ...
.
The symbols of the city are the Lanterna (the lighthouse) ( high), old and standing lighthouse visible in the distance from the sea (beyond ), and the monumental fountain of Piazza De Ferrari, recently restored, out-and-out core of the city's life. Near Piazza De Ferrari and Teatro Carlo Felice is the Mazzini Gallery, a typical nineteenth-century structure with many elegant shops and coffee bars.
Another tourist destination is the ancient seaside district of Boccadasse (which means "the mouth of the donkey"), with its multicolour boats, set as a seal to Corso Italia, the promenade which runs along the Lido d'Albaro, and known for its ice-creams. After Boccadasse you can continue along the sea up to Sturla.
Just out of the city centre, but still part of the of coast included in the municipality's territory, are Nervi
Nervi is a former fishing village 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Portofino on the Riviera di Levante, now a seaside resort in Liguria, in northwest Italy. Once an independent '' comune'', it is now a ''quartiere'' of Genoa. Nervi is 4 miles ...
, natural doorway to the Ligurian East Riviera, and Pegli
Pegli is a neighbourhood in the west of Genoa, Italy.
With a mild climate and a sea promenade, Pegli is mainly a residential area with four public parks and several villas and mansions. It is also known as a tourist resort with some hotels, campi ...
, the point of access to the West Riviera. Nervi offers many attractions: the promenade overlooking the sea called ; parks covered with lush tropical vegetation; numerous villas and palaces open to the public that now house museums (like GAM-Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Raccolte Frugone Museum, Museo Giannettino Luxoro and Wolfsoniana). (see also ) The East Riviera of Genoa called Riviera di Levante is part of the Italian Riviera
The Italian Riviera or Ligurian Riviera ( it, Riviera ligure; lij, Rivêa lìgure) is the narrow coastal strip in Italy which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines. Longitudinall ...
. East Riviera is full of interesting towns to visit, and then from Genoa to east are: Bogliasco
Bogliasco ( lij, Boggiasco) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about southeast of Genoa. Together with the ''comuni'' of Camogli, Recco, Pieve Ligure and Sori, it is part ...
, Pieve Ligure
Pieve Ligure ( lij, A Ceive, locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about southeast of Genoa.
The ''pieve'' of St. Michael Archangel, from which the town takes its name, h ...
, Sori, Recco
The RECCO is a rescue technology used by organised rescue teams as an additional tool to more quickly locate people buried by an avalanche or lost in the outdoors. The system is based on a harmonic radar system and composed by a detector and a ...
, Camogli
Camogli (; lij, label= Genoese, Camoggi ) is a fishing village and tourist resort located on the west side of the peninsula of Portofino, on the Golfo Paradiso in the Riviera di Levante, in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Liguria, northern Italy ...
, Portofino
Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th century ...
, Santa Margherita Ligure, Rapallo
Rapallo ( , , ) is a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, located in the Liguria region of northern Italy.
As of 2017 it had 29,778 inhabitants. It lies on the Ligurian Sea coast, on the Tigullio Gulf, between Portofino and Chiav ...
, Zoagli, Chiavari, Lavagna and Sestri Levante. In the west, Pegli
Pegli is a neighbourhood in the west of Genoa, Italy.
With a mild climate and a sea promenade, Pegli is mainly a residential area with four public parks and several villas and mansions. It is also known as a tourist resort with some hotels, campi ...
is the site of the famous Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini
The Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini is a villa with notable 19th-century park in the English romantic style and a small botanical garden. The villa now houses the Museo di Archeologia Ligure, and is located at Via Pallavicini 13, immediately next to the ...
and Arenzano is a seaside town at the foot of the Parco naturale regionale del Beigua
The Beigua Natural Regional Park (in Italian ''Parco naturale regionale del Beigua'') is a natural park located in province of Savona and the Metropolitan City of Genoa, both in Liguria (Italy). It's the largest protected area of the region. It g ...
.
The new Genoa based its rebirth upon the restoration of the green areas of the immediate inland parts, among them the Parco naturale regionale del Beigua
The Beigua Natural Regional Park (in Italian ''Parco naturale regionale del Beigua'') is a natural park located in province of Savona and the Metropolitan City of Genoa, both in Liguria (Italy). It's the largest protected area of the region. It g ...
, and upon the construction of facilities such as the Aquarium of Genoa
The Aquarium of Genoa ( it, Acquario di Genova) is the largest aquarium in Italy. Located in the Old Harbour area of Genoa, Italy, the aquarium is a member organization of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and welcomes more th ...
in the Old Harbour – the biggest in Italy and one of the major in Europe – and its Marina (the tourist small port which holds hundreds of pleasure boats). All of these are inside the restored Expo Area, arranged in occasion of the Columbian Celebrations of 1992.
Near the city are Camogli
Camogli (; lij, label= Genoese, Camoggi ) is a fishing village and tourist resort located on the west side of the peninsula of Portofino, on the Golfo Paradiso in the Riviera di Levante, in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Liguria, northern Italy ...
and San Fruttuoso abbey accessible by a daily ferry from the Old Harbour (Porto Antico) of Genoa. In the seabed in front of the San Fruttuoso abbey there is the Christ of the Abyss. From the Old Harbour one can reach by boat other famous seaside places around Genoa such as Portofino
Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th century ...
or a little more distant, Lerici and the Cinque Terre
The Cinque Terre (; lij, Çinque Tære, meaning "Five Lands") is a coastal area within Liguria, in the northwest of Italy. It lies in the west of La Spezia Province, and comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarol ...
.
The regained pride gave back to the city the consciousness of being capable of looking to the future without forgetting its past. The resumption of several flourishing hand-crafting activities, far-back absent from the ''caruggi'' of the old town, is a direct evidence of it. The restoration of many of Genoa's churches and palaces in the 1980s and the 1990s contributed to the city's rebirth. A notable example the Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
, Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, sitting on the top of the hill of Carignano and visible from almost every part of the city. The total restoration of Doge's Palace and of the Old Harbour, and the rebuilding of Teatro Carlo Felice, destroyed by bombing in the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, were two more points of strength for the realisation of a new Genoa.
Genoa could not renounce, especially as from the 1960s, to a great renewal, which as happened in several other metropolis, should necessarily get through the realisation of big public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...
complexes, whose quality, utility and functionality has been and still is controversial for those residents living there. Concerning this, the most known cases are those of the so-called "Biscione", a development in the shape of a long snake, situated on the hills of the populous district of Marassi
The Stadio comunale Luigi Ferraris, also known as the Marassi from the name of the neighbourhood where it is located, is a multi-use stadium in Genoa, Italy. The home of Genoa C.F.C. and U.C. Sampdoria football clubs, it opened in 1911 and ...
, and the one of the group of houses known as "Le Lavatrici" (the washing machines), in the district of Prà.
Beyond a complete restyling of the area, the ancient port zone nearby the Mandraccio opening, in Porta Siberia, was enriched by Genoese architect Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City ( ...
with a large sphere made of metal and glass, installed in the port's waters, not far from the Aquarium of Genoa
The Aquarium of Genoa ( it, Acquario di Genova) is the largest aquarium in Italy. Located in the Old Harbour area of Genoa, Italy, the aquarium is a member organization of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and welcomes more th ...
, and unveiled in 2001 in occasion of the G8 Summit
The Group of Eight (G8) was an inter-governmental political forum from 1997 until 2014. It had formed from incorporating Russia into the Group of Seven, or G7, and returned to its previous name after Russia left in 2014.
The forum originated ...
held in Genoa. The sphere (called by the citizens "Piano's bubble" or "The Ball"), after hosting an exposition of fens from Genoa's Botanical Gardens, currently houses the reconstruction of a tropical environment, with several plants, little animals and butterflies.
Piano also designed the subway stations and, in the hills area, the construction – in collaboration with UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
– of Punta Nave, base of the Renzo Piano Building Workshop.
Nearby the Old Harbour is the so-called " Matitone", a skyscraper in shape of a pencil, that lays side by side with the group of the WTC towers, core of the San Benigno development, today base of part of the Municipality's administration and of several companies.
Churches
St. Lawrence Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Lorenzo) is the city's cathedral, built in a Gothic-Romanesque style. Other notable historical churches are the Commandery of the Saint John's Order called , San Matteo, San Donato, Santa Maria di Castello, Sant'Agostino (deconsecrated since the 19th century, sometimes is used for theatrical representations), Santo Stefano, Santi Vittore e Carlo, Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato, San Pietro in Banchi, Santa Maria delle Vigne, Nostra Signora della Consolazione, San Siro
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums i ...
, , Santa Maria Assunta di Carignano and Chiesa del Gesù
Chiesa (Italian, 'church') may refer to:
People with the surname
*Andrea Chiesa (born 1966), Swiss Formula One racer
*Anthony della Chiesa (1394–1459), Italian Dominican friar
*Bruno della Chiesa (born 1962), European linguist
* Carlo Alberto Da ...
. San Bartolomeo degli Armeni houses the Image of Edessa
According to Christian tradition, the Image of Edessa was a holy relic consisting of a square or rectangle of cloth upon which a miraculous image of the face of Jesus had been imprinted—the first icon ("image"). The image is also known as the M ...
and San Pancrazio
The basilica of San Pancrazio ( en, St Pancras; la, S. Pancratii) is a Roman Catholic ancient basilica and titular church founded by Pope Symmachus in the 6th century in Rome, Italy. It stands in via S. Pancrazio, westward beyond the Porta S ...
after the World War II was entrusted to the ligurian delegation of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
. These churches and basilicas are built in Romanesque (San Donato, Santa Maria di Castello, Commenda di San Giovanni di Pré), Gothic (San Matteo, Santo Stefano, Sant'Agostino), Baroque (San Siro) or Renaissance (Santa Maria Assunta di Carignano, San Pietro in Banchi) appearance, or a mix of different styles (Nostra Signora della Consolazione, Santissima Annunziata del Vastato; this last has a Baroque interior and a Neoclassicist façade).
Another well known Genoese church is the shrine of Saint Francis of Paola, notable for the outer courtyard overlooking the port and the memorial to all those who died at sea. This church is of artistic mention in that the tile depictions of the Via Crucis
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imitati ...
Stations along the brick path to the church.
Near Genoa is found the Shrine of Nostra Signora della Guardia
The Shrine of Nostra Signora della Guardia ("Our Lady of the Watch") is a Roman Catholic place of pilgrimage located on the top of Monte Figogna (804 m asl) in the Municipality of Ceranesi, about from the city of Genoa, in the northwest of Italy ...
, (the sanctuary is said to have inspired the writer Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular 1980 novel ''The Name of th ...
in making his novel The Name of the Rose). Another interesting church in the neighborhoods of Genoa is San Siro di Struppa.
The city was the birthplace of several popes (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 ...
, Adrian V, Innocent VIII, and Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV (Ecclesiastical Latin, Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his deat ...
) and various saints ( Syrus of Genoa, Romulus of Genoa, Catherine of Genoa
Catherine of Genoa (Caterina Fieschi Adorno, 1447 – 15 September 1510) was an Italian Roman Catholic saint and mystic, admired for her work among the sick and the poor and remembered because of various writings describing both these act ...
, and Virginia Centurione Bracelli). The Archbishop of Genoa Jacobus de Voragine
Jacobus de Voragine (c. 123013/16 July 1298) was an Italian chronicler and archbishop of Genoa. He was the author, or more accurately the compiler, of the '' Golden Legend'', a collection of the legendary lives of the greater saints of the medi ...
wrote the Golden Legend
The ''Golden Legend'' (Latin: ''Legenda aurea'' or ''Legenda sanctorum'') is a collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that was widely read in late medieval Europe. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived.Hilary ...
. Also from Genoa were: Giovanni Paolo Oliva, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus; Girolamo Grimaldi-Cavalleroni
Girolamo Grimaldi-Cavalleroni (20 August 1597– 4 November 1685) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Aix.
Early life
Grimaldi was born in Genoa, the son of Giacomo Grimaldi, a senator of the Republic of Gen ...
, the Archbishop of Aix; Ausonio Franchi, priest, philosopher, and theologian; Cardinal Giuseppe Siri
Giuseppe Siri (20 May 1906 – 2 May 1989) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Genoa from 1946 to 1987, and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1953. He was a protege of Pope Pius XII. He was considered ...
; and the priests Francesco Repetto, Giuseppe Dossetti, Gianni Baget Bozzo, and Andrea Gallo. The present archbishop of Genoa, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, comes from a Genoese family but was born in Pontevico, near Brescia
Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo ...
(see also Archdiocese of Genoa).
Buildings and palaces
The main features of central Genoa include the Piazza De Ferrari, around which are the Opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
and the Palace of the Doges.
The Palazzo di San Giorgio was the headquarters of the Bank of Saint George
The Bank of Saint George ( it, Casa delle compere e dei banchi di San Giorgio or informally as ''Ufficio di San Giorgio'' or ''Banco'') was a financial institution of the Republic of Genoa. It was founded in 1407 to consolidate the public debt ...
and was the place where Marco Polo and Rustichello da Pisa composed The Travels of Marco Polo
''Book of the Marvels of the World'' ( Italian: , lit. 'The Million', deriving from Polo's nickname "Emilione"), in English commonly called ''The Travels of Marco Polo'', is a 13th-century travelogue written down by Rustichello da Pisa from st ...
.
Outside the city walls is Christopher Columbus House, where Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
is said to have lived as a child. The current building is an 18th-century reconstruction of the original which was destroyed by the French naval bombing of 1684.
Strada Nuova (now Via Garibaldi), in the old city, was inscribed on the World Heritage List
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
in 2006. This district was designed in the mid-16th century to accommodate Mannerist palaces of the city's most eminent families. In Genoa there are 114 noble palaces (see also Rolli di Genova
Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes a number of streets and palaces in the center of Genoa, in Northwestern Italy.
* The ''Strade Nuove'' (Italian for "New Streets") are a ...
): among these 42 are inscribed on the World Heritage List
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
. Among the Palazzi dei Rolli
Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes a number of streets and palaces in the center of Genoa, in Northwestern Italy.
* The ''Strade Nuove'' (Italian language, Italian for "Ne ...
the most famous are Palazzo Rosso (now a museum), Palazzo Bianco
Palazzo Bianco ( en, White Palace) is one of the main buildings of the center of Genoa, Italy. It is situated at 11, via Garibaldi (known at one time as ''Strada Nuova'', and before that, ''Via Aurea'').
It contains the Gallery of the White Pala ...
, Palazzo Tursi, , , Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Angelo Giovanni Spinola
The Palazzo Angelo Giovanni Spinola is a palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Lati ...
, Palazzo Pietro Spinola di San Luca
Palazzo Pietro Spinola di San Luca is a 16th-century palace in Piazza di Pellicceria, Genoa, Italy. It is now a private residence, and it remains in good condition. It is one of the Palazzi dei Rolli, but it is not listed by UNESCO as World Her ...
, Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria
The Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria, also known as Palazzo Francesco Grimaldi, is a palace located in piazza di Pellicceria in the historical center of Genoa, Northwestern Italy. The palace was one of the 163 Palazzi dei Rolli of Genoa, the select ...
, Palazzo Cicala. Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Rosso are also known as Musei di Strada Nuova. The famous art college is also located on this street. The Genoese artistic renaissance begins with the construction of commissioned by Andrea Doria
Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; lij, Drîa Döia ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was a Genoese statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime.
As the ruler of Genoa, Doria reformed the Re ...
: the architects were Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli
Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli (1507 – 31 August 1563), also known as Giovann'Agnolo Montorsoli, was a Florentine sculptor and Servite friar. He is today as often remembered for his restorations of famous classical works as his original crea ...
and Giovanni Ponzello, the interior was painted by Perino del Vaga and the garden fountain was realised by Taddeo Carlone. In 1548 Galeazzo Alessi
Galeazzo Alessi (1512 – 30 December 1572) was an Italian architect from Perugia, known throughout Europe for his distinctive style based on his enthusiasm for ancient architecture. He studied drawing for civil and military architecture under the ...
, with the project of , designed a new prototype of Genoese palace that would be an inspiration to other architects working in Genoa as Bartolomeo Bianco, Pietro Antonio Corradi, Rocco Lurago, Giovan Battista Castello, and Bernardino Cantone. Peter Paul Rubens
Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradi ...
wrote Palazzi di Genova in 1622, a book dedicated to the palaces of Genoa.
Scattered around the city are many villas, built between the fifteenth and the twentieth centuries. Among the best known are: , Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini
The Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini is a villa with notable 19th-century park in the English romantic style and a small botanical garden. The villa now houses the Museo di Archeologia Ligure, and is located at Via Pallavicini 13, immediately next to the ...
, , , , Villa Giustiniani-Cambiaso, , , , , Villa Rosazza, , Villa delle Peschiere, , , and .
As it regards the 19th century remember the architects Ignazio Gardella (senior), and Carlo Barabino which among other things, realises together with Giovanni Battista Resasco, the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno. The cemetery is renowned for its statues and sepulchral monuments that preserve the mortal remains of notable personalities, including Giuseppe Mazzini
Giuseppe Mazzini (, , ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the in ...
, Fabrizio De André, and Constance Lloyd
Constance Mary Wilde (née Lloyd; 2 January 1858 – 7 April 1898) was an Irish author. She was the wife of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde and the mother of their two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan.
Early life and marriage
The daughter of Horace Lloy ...
(Oscar Wilde's wife). In the first half of the 19th century they are completed the and the . In 1901 realised the ''Silos Granari''.
The city is rich in testimony of the Gothic Revival like Albertis Castle, , and Mackenzie Castle designed by the architect Gino Coppedè. Genoa is also rich of Art Nouveau works, among which: , , Hotel Bristol Palace, and . Works of Rationalist architecture of the first half of the 20th century are Torre Piacentini and Piazza della Vittoria where Arco della Vittoria, both designed by the architect Marcello Piacentini
Marcello Piacentini (8 December 1881 – 19 May 1960) was an Italian urban theorist and one of the main proponents of Italian Fascist architecture.
Biography
Born in Rome, he was the son of architect Pio Piacentini. When he was only 26, he was ...
. Other architects who have changed the face of Genoa in the 20th century are: Ignazio Gardella
Ignazio Gardella (30 March 1905 in Milan, Lombardy – 16 March 1999) was an Italian architect and designer.
Biography
Born into a family of architects, the first of whom was his namesake (1803–1867). Gardella graduated in engineering fro ...
, who realised the Piazza Rossetti and the residential complex so-called , , Aldo Rossi, , Franco Albini
Franco Albini (17 October 1905 – 1 November 1977) was an Italian Neo-Rationalist architect, designer and university instructor in design.
A native of Robbiate, near Milan, Albini obtained his degree in architecture at Politecnico di Milano U ...
who designed the interiors of Palazzo Rosso, and . The Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art, designed by Mario Labò, has one of the largest collections of Oriental art in Europe.
Other notable architectural works include: the Old Harbour's new design with the Aquarium, the and the by Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City ( ...
, the Palasport di Genova, the Matitone skyscraper, and the , by Jean Nouvel
Jean Nouvel (; born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of ''Mars 1976'' and '' Syndicat de l'Architecture'', France’s first labor union for architects. He has o ...
. Genoa was home to the Ponte Morandi
(English: Morandi Bridge), officially (English: Polcevera Viaduct), was a road viaduct in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, constructed between 1963 and 1967 along the A10 motorway over the Polcevera River, from which it derived its official name. It ...
by Riccardo Morandi
Riccardo Morandi visiting Palace of Justice Competition.
Riccardo Morandi (1 September 1902 – 25 December 1989) was an Italian civil engineer best known for his innovative use of reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete, although over the ...
, built in 1967, collapsed in 2018 and demolished February–June 2019.
Old Harbour
The Old Harbour ("Porto Antico" in Italian) is the ancient part of the port of Genoa. The harbour gave access to outside communities creating a good geographical situation for the city.[Shaw, C. (2012). Genoa. In A. Gamberini & I. Lazzarini (Eds.). ''The Italian Renaissance State''. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press] The city is spread out geographically along a section of the Liguria coast, which makes trading by ship possible. Before the development of car, train, and airplane travel, the main outside access for the city was the sea, as the surrounding mountains made trade north by land more difficult than coastal trade. Trade routes have always connected Genoa on an international scale, with increasingly farther reach starting from trade along Europe's coastline before the medieval period to today's connection across continents. In its heyday the Genoese Navy
The Genoese navy was the naval contingent of the Republic of Genoa's military. From the 11th century onward the Genoese navy protected the interests of the republic and projected its power throughout the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It played a ...
was a prominent power in the Mediterranean.
As the Genoa harbour was so important to the merchants for their own economic success, other nearby harbours and ports were seen as competition for a landing point for foreign traders. In the 16th century, the Genovese worked to destroy the local shipping competition, the Savona harbour. Taking matters into their own hands, the Genoa merchants and the politically powerful in Genoa attacked the harbour of Savona with stones. This action was taken to preserve the economic stability and wealth of the city during the rise in prominence of Savona. The Genovese would go as far as to war with other coastal, trading cities such as Venice, in order to protect the trade industry.
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City ( ...
redeveloped the area for public access, restoring the historical buildings (like the Cotton warehouses) and creating new landmarks like the Aquarium, the Bigo and recently the "Bolla" (the Sphere). The main touristic attractions of this area are the famous Aquarium and the Museum of the Sea (MuMA). In 2007 these attracted almost 1.7 million visitors.
Walls and fortresses
The city of Genoa during its long history at least since the ninth century had been protected by different lines of defensive walls. Large portions of these walls remain today, and Genoa has more and longer walls than any other city in Italy. The main city walls are known as "Ninth century walls", "Barbarossa Walls" (12th century), "Fourteenth century walls", "Sixteenth century walls" and "New Walls" ("Mura Nuove" in Italian). The more imposing walls, built in the first half of the 17th century on the ridge of hills around the city, have a length of almost . Some fortresses stand along the perimeter of the "New Walls" or close them.
Parks
Genoa has of public parks in the city centre, such as Villetta Di Negro which is right in the heart of the town, overlooking the historical centre. Many bigger green spaces are situated outside the centre: in the east are the Parks of Nervi
Nervi is a former fishing village 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Portofino on the Riviera di Levante, now a seaside resort in Liguria, in northwest Italy. Once an independent '' comune'', it is now a ''quartiere'' of Genoa. Nervi is 4 miles ...
() overlooking the sea, in the west the beautiful gardens of Villa Durazzo Pallavicini and its Giardino botanico Clelia Durazzo Grimaldi (). The numerous villas and palaces of the city also have their own gardens, like Palazzo del Principe, Villa Doria, Palazzo Bianco
Palazzo Bianco ( en, White Palace) is one of the main buildings of the center of Genoa, Italy. It is situated at 11, via Garibaldi (known at one time as ''Strada Nuova'', and before that, ''Via Aurea'').
It contains the Gallery of the White Pala ...
and Palazzo Tursi, Palazzo Nicolosio Lomellino, Albertis Castle, Villa Rosazza, Villa Croce, Villa Imperiale Cattaneo, Villa Bombrini, Villa Brignole Sale Duchessa di Galliera, Villa Serra and many more.
The city is surrounded by natural parks such as Parco naturale regionale dell'Antola
The Antola Natural Regional Park (in Italian ''Parco naturale regionale dell'Antola'') is a natural park in Metropolitan City of Genoa (Liguria, Italy). It gets the name from the highest mountain of the area, Monte Antola.
History
The natural ...
, Parco naturale regionale del Beigua
The Beigua Natural Regional Park (in Italian ''Parco naturale regionale del Beigua'') is a natural park located in province of Savona and the Metropolitan City of Genoa, both in Liguria (Italy). It's the largest protected area of the region. It g ...
, Aveto Natural Regional Park
The Aveto Natural Regional Park is a natural park in Metropolitan City of Genoa, in the Liguria region of northern Italy). It was established in 1995.
Geography
Situated in the inland of the Tigullio area, Aveto Natural Regional Park protects o ...
and the Ligurian Sea Cetacean Sanctuary
Originally called the International Ligurian Sea Cetacean Sanctuary (Ligurian Sea Sanctuary), what is now known as the Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals is a Marine Protected Area aimed at the protection of marine mammals (cetacean ...
(a marine protected area).
Aquarium of Genoa
The Aquarium of Genoa
The Aquarium of Genoa ( it, Acquario di Genova) is the largest aquarium in Italy. Located in the Old Harbour area of Genoa, Italy, the aquarium is a member organization of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and welcomes more th ...
(in it, Acquario di Genova) is the largest aquarium in Italy and among the largest in Europe. Built for Genoa Expo '92
L'Esposizione Internazionale Specializzata Genova '92 - Colombo '92 (in English ''International Exhibition Genoa '92 - Colombo '92'') or more informally Expo 1992, was held in Genoa, Italy from 15 May to 15 August 1992. The theme was "Christopher ...
, it is an educational, scientific and cultural centre. Its mission is to educate and raise public awareness as regards conservation, management and responsible use of aquatic environments. It welcomes over 1.2 million visitors a year.
Control of the entire environment, including the temperature, filtration and lighting of the tanks was provided by local Automation Supplier Orsi Automazione, acquired in 2001 by Siemens.
The Aquarium of Genoa is co-ordinating the AquaRing EU project. It also provides scientific expertise and a great deal of content for AquaRing, including documents, images, academic content and interactive online courses, via its Online Resource Centre.
Demographics
At the beginning of 2011, there were 608,493 people residing in Genoa, of whom 47% were male and 53% were female. The city is characterised by rapid aging and a long history of demographic decline, that has shown a partial slowdown in the last decade. Genoa has the lowest birth rate and is the most aged of any large Italian city. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled only 14.12% of the population compared to pensioners who number 26.67%. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06% (minors) and 19.94% (pensioners). The median age of Genoa's residents is 47, compared to the Italian average of 42. The current birth rate of the city is only 7.49 births per 1,000 inhabitants, compared to the national average of 9.45.
Economy
The Genoa metropolitan area had a GDP amounting to $30.1 billion in 2011, or $33,003 per capita.
Ligurian agriculture has increased its specialisation pattern in high-quality products (flowers, wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
, olive oil) and has thus managed to maintain the gross value-added per worker at a level much higher than the national average (the difference was about 42% in 1999). The value of flower production represents over 75% of the agriculture sector turnover, followed by animal farming (11.2%) and vegetable growing (6.4%).
Steel, once a major industry during the booming 1950s and 1960s, phased out after the late 1980s crisis, as Italy moved away from the heavy industry to pursue more technologically advanced and less polluting productions. So the Ligurian industry has turned towards a widely diversified range of high-quality and high-tech products (food, shipbuilding (in Sestri Ponente
Sestri Ponente is an industrial suburb of Genoa in northwest Italy. It is part of the Medio Ponente ''municipio'' of Genoa.
Geography
It is situated on the Ligurian Sea four miles to the west of the city, between Pegli and Cornigliano. Its ...
and in metropolitan area – Sestri Levante), electrical engineering and electronics, petrochemicals, aerospace etc.). Nonetheless, the regions still maintains a flourishing shipbuilding sector (yacht construction and maintenance, cruise liner building, military shipyards).
In the services sector, the gross value-added per worker in Liguria is 4% above the national average. This is due to the increasing diffusion of modern technologies, particularly in commerce and tourism.
A good motorway network ( in 2000) makes communications with the border regions relatively easy. The main motorway is located along the coastline, connecting the main ports of Nice (in France), Savona, Genoa and La Spezia. The number of passenger cars per 1000 inhabitants (524 in 2001) is below the national average (584).
On average, about 17 million tonnes of cargo are shipped from the main ports of the region and about 57 million tonnes enter the region. The Port of Genoa
The Port of Genoa it is one of the most important seaports in Italy, in competition with the ports of Marseille and Barcelona in the Mediterranean Sea. With a trade volume of 51.6 million tonnes, it is the busiest port of Italy after the port of ...
, with a trade volume of 58.6 million tonnes ranks first in Italy, second in terms of twenty-foot equivalent units after the transshipment
Transshipment, trans-shipment or transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, then to another destination.
One possible reason for transshipment is to change the means of transport during the journey (e.g ...
port of Gioia Tauro
Gioia Tauro () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria (Italy), on the Tyrrhenian coast. It has an important port, situated along the route connecting Suez to Gibraltar, one of the busiest maritime corridors in t ...
, with a trade volume of over 2 million TEUs. The main destinations for the cargo-passenger traffic are Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands.
Some companies based in Genoa include Ansaldo STS
Hitachi Rail STS SpA (from ''Hitachi Rail Signalling and Transportation Systems'') or Hitachi Rail STS (previously Ansaldo STS) is a transportation company owned by Hitachi with a global presence in the field of railway signalling and integrated t ...
, Ansaldo Energia, Edoardo Raffinerie Garrone, Piaggio Aerospace, Registro Italiano Navale
RINA is a private, multinational company headquartered in Genoa, Italy. It was founded in 1861 under the name Registro Italiano Navale (''Italian Naval Register'').
That same year, following the enforcement of a 1994 European Council directive r ...
, Banca Carige
Banca Carige S.p.A., historically known as Cassa di Risparmio di Genova e Imperia (Ca.Ri.Ge.) is an Italian bank based in Genoa, with more than 500 bank branches in Italy. The predecessor of the bank, a mount of piety, was founded in 1483 in G ...
, SLAM
Slam, SLAM or SLAMS may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional elements
* S.L.A.M. (Strategic Long-Range Artillery Machine), a fictional weapon in the ''G.I. Joe'' universe
* SLAMS (Space-Land-Air Missile Shield), a fictional anti-ball ...
, and Costa Cruises.
Education
The first organised forms of higher education in Genoa date back to the 13th century when private colleges were entitled to award degrees in medicine, Philosophy, Theology, Law, Arts.
Today the University of Genoa
The University of Genoa, known also with the acronym UniGe ( it, Università di Genova), is one of the largest universities in Italy. It is located in the city of Genoa and regional Metropolitan City of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera in the Liguri ...
, founded in the 15th century, is one of the largest in Italy, with 11 faculties, 51 departments and 14 libraries. In 2007–2008, the university had 41,000 students and 6,540 graduates.
Genoa is also home to other Colleges, Academies or Museums:
* The University of Genoa
The University of Genoa, known also with the acronym UniGe ( it, Università di Genova), is one of the largest universities in Italy. It is located in the city of Genoa and regional Metropolitan City of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera in the Liguri ...
* The CNR Area della Ricerca di Genova
* The Accademia ligustica di belle arti
* The Accademia Ligure di scienze e lettere
* The Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
* The ISICT-istituto superiore di studi in tecnologie dell'informazione e della comunicazione
* The Renzo Piano Building Workshop
* The OBR Open Building Research
* The Accademia Italiana della Marina Mercantile
* The "Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices fo ...
" Conservatory
* The Italian Hydrographic Institute
* The Deledda International School
* The Deutsche Schule Genua
* The Genoa Comics Academy
* The International School in Genoa
* The Russian Ballet
Russian ballet (russian: Русский балет) (french: Ballet russe) is a form of ballet characteristic of or originating from Russia.
Imperial Russian Ballet
Until 1689, ballet in Russia was nonexistent (ballet has its origins in the cour ...
College
The Italian Institute of Technology
The Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) (in English: Italian Institute of Technology) is a scientific research centre based in Genoa (Italy, EU).
Its main goal is the advancement of science, in Italy and worldwide, through projects and discoveri ...
was established in 2003 jointly by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research and the Italian Minister of Economy and Finance, to promote excellence in basic and applied research. The main fields of research of the Institute are Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developme ...
, Robotics
Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrate ...
, Nanotechnology, Drug discovery. The central research labs and headquarters are located in Morego, in the neighbourhood of Bolzaneto
Bolzaneto is a quarter of the city of Genoa, in northwest Italy, and is part of the Municipality Valpolcevera of Genoa.
Geography
Bolzaneto was once a hamlet located outside of the city limits in the Polcevera valley, but in the recent centuries ...
.
Clemson University
Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...
, based in South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, United States has a villa in Genoa where architecture students and students in related fields can attend for a semester or year-long study program.
Florida International University
Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florid ...
(FIU), based in Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, United States also has a small campus in Genoa, with the University of Genoa
The University of Genoa, known also with the acronym UniGe ( it, Università di Genova), is one of the largest universities in Italy. It is located in the city of Genoa and regional Metropolitan City of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera in the Liguri ...
, which offers classes within the FIU School of Architecture.
Science
Genoa is the birthplace of Giovanni Battista Baliani
Giovanni Battista Baliani (1582–1666) was an Italian mathematician, physicist and astronomer.
Career
He was born in Genoa. He was governor of Savona in 1647–1649 and captain of the Republic of Genoa's archers. For some 25 years, he held a cor ...
and Vincentio Reinieri, of the geneticist Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza
Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza (; 25 January 1922 – 31 August 2018) was an Italian geneticist. He was a population geneticist who taught at the University of Parma, the University of Pavia and then at Stanford University.
Works
Schooling and po ...
, of the Nobel Prize astrophysicist Riccardo Giacconi and of the astronaut Franco Malerba
Franco Egidio Malerba (born 10 October 1946 in Busalla, Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy) is an Italian astronaut and Member of the European Parliament. He was the first citizen of Italy to travel to space. In 1994, he was elected to the Europea ...
. The city is home to the Erzelli Hi-Tech Park, to the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, to the Istituto idrografico della Marina and annually hosts the Festival della Scienza
The Festival della Scienza is an annual science festival held in Genoa, Italy. It was launched in 2003 combining hundreds of different initiatives and events, designed to fulfill and stimulate the interest of visitors of all ages and all levels o ...
. The city has an important tradition in the fields of the geology, paleontology, botany and naturalistic studies, among the most eminent personalities remember: Lorenzo Pareto
Lorenzo Nicolò Pareto ( Genoa, 6 December 1800 – Genoa, 19 June 1865) was an Italian geologist and statesman.
As a man of science, he is considered one of the fathers of modern geology. A member of the Italian National Academy of Sciences, ...
, Luigi d'Albertis
Luigi Maria D'Albertis (21 November 1841 – 2 September 1901) was an Italian naturalist and explorer who, in 1875, became the first Italian to chart the Fly River in what is now called Papua New Guinea. He undertook three voyages up this river ...
, Enrico Alberto d'Albertis
Enrico Alberto d'Albertis (23 March 1846 – 3 March 1932) was an Italian navigator, writer, philologist, ethnologist and philanthropist. His cousin Luigi Maria d'Albertis was also an explorer and naturalists.
Biography
Born at Voltri, now part ...
, Giacomo Doria and Arturo Issel, we point the Orto Botanico dell'Università di Genova. Very important and renowned is the Istituto Giannina Gaslini.
In 1846 the city hosted the eighth Meeting of Italian Scientists and in 1902 Luigi Carnera discovered an asteroid and called it " 485 Genua", dedicating it to the Latin name of Genoa.
Erzelli science technology park
The western area of Genoa hosts the Erzelli GREAT Campus, an under construction science technology park which houses the high-tech corporations Siemens, Ericsson
(lit. "Telephone Stock Company of LM Ericsson"), commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in informa ...
, Esaote, and robotics
Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrate ...
laboratories of the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT).
The Erzelli GREAT Campus science park
A science park (also called a "university research park", "technology park”, "technopark", “technopole", or a "science and technology park" (STP)) is defined as being a property-based development that accommodates and fosters the growt ...
is undergoing a process of enlargement, and in the future will host the new Faculty of Engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
of University of Genoa
The University of Genoa, known also with the acronym UniGe ( it, Università di Genova), is one of the largest universities in Italy. It is located in the city of Genoa and regional Metropolitan City of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera in the Liguri ...
. The project has been struggling in recent years with enterprises laying off their employees and no real growth.
Transport
Ports
Several cruise and ferry lines serve the passenger terminals in the old port, with a traffic of 3.2 million passengers in 2007. MSC Cruises chose Genoa as one of its main home ports, in competition with the Genoese company Costa Cruises, which moved its home port to Savona. The quays of the passenger terminals extend over an area of , with 5 equipped berths for cruise vessels and 13 for ferries, for an annual capacity of 4 million ferry passengers, 1.5 million cars and 250,000 trucks.
The historical maritime station of Ponte dei Mille is today a technologically advanced cruise terminal, with facilities designed after the world's most modern airports, to ensure fast embarking and disembarking of latest generation ships carrying thousand passengers. A third cruise terminal is currently under construction in the redesigned area of Ponte Parodi, once a quay used for grain traffic.
The ''Costa Concordia
''Costa Concordia'' () was a cruise ship operated by Costa Crociere. She was the first of her class, followed by sister ships ''Costa Serena'', '' Costa Pacifica'', ''Costa Favolosa'' and ''Costa Fascinosa'', and ''Carnival Splendor'' built for ...
'' cruise ship, owned by Costa Cruises, was docked at the port before being dismantled.
Air transport
The Airport of Genoa (Italian: Aeroporto di Genova) also named Christopher Columbus Airport (Italian: Aeroporto Cristoforo Colombo) is built on an artificial peninsula, west of the city. The airport is currently operated by Aeroporto di Genova S.P.A., which has recently upgraded the airport complex, that now connects Genoa with several daily flights to Rome, Naples, Paris, London, Madrid and Munich. In 2008, 1,202,168 passengers travelled through the airport, with an increase of international destinations and charter flights.
Public transport
The main railway stations are Genoa Brignole in the east and Genoa Principe in the west. Genoa Brignole is close to the business districts and the exhibition centre, while the Principe is close to the port, the university and the historical centre. From these two stations depart the main trains connecting Genoa to France, Turin, Milan and Rome.
Genoa's third most important station is Genoa Sampierdarena, which serves the densely populated neighbourhood of Sampierdarena. 23 other local stations serve the other neighbourhoods on the 30-kilometre-long coast line from Nervi
Nervi is a former fishing village 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Portofino on the Riviera di Levante, now a seaside resort in Liguria, in northwest Italy. Once an independent '' comune'', it is now a ''quartiere'' of Genoa. Nervi is 4 miles ...
to Voltri
Voltri is a quartiere of the Italian city of Genoa, located west of the city centre.
It was formerly an independent comune.
In 2015, Voltri and the nearby hamlets included in Genoa's VII Municipio (Crevari, Acquasanta, Vesima, Fabbriche) had a ...
and on the northern line through Bolzaneto
Bolzaneto is a quarter of the city of Genoa, in northwest Italy, and is part of the Municipality Valpolcevera of Genoa.
Geography
Bolzaneto was once a hamlet located outside of the city limits in the Polcevera valley, but in the recent centuries ...
and the Polcevera Valley.
The municipal administration of Genoa plans to transform these urban railway lines to be part of the rapid transit system, which now consists of the ''Metropolitana di Genova'' (Genoa Metro
__NOTOC__
The Genoa Metro ( it, Metropolitana di Genova) is a rapid transit consisting of a single line that connects the centre of Genoa, Italy with the suburb of Rivarolo Ligure, to the north-west of the city centre. The service is currently ...
), a light metro
A medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. MCS’s trains are usually 1-4 cars, or 1 lig ...
connecting Brin to the city centre. The metro line was extended to Brignole Station in December 2012. Trains currently pass through Corvetto station between De Ferrari and Brignole without stopping. A possible further extension towards the eastern, densely populated boroughs was planned, but the municipal administration intends to improve the public transport by investing in new tram lines instead of completing the extension of the light metro. The current stations of the metro line are Brin-Certosa, Dinegro, Principe, Darsena, San Giorgio, Sant'Agostino and De Ferrari, and the line is long.
The city's hilly nature has influenced its public transport. The city is served by two funicular railway
A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...
s (the Zecca–Righi funicular, the Sant'Anna funicular), the Quezzi inclined elevator, the Principe–Granarolo rack railway, and ten public lift
Lift or LIFT may refer to:
Physical devices
* Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods
** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop
** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobil ...
s.
The city's metro, bus and trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...
network is operated by AMT (Azienda Mobilità e Trasporti S.p.A.). The Drin Bus is a demand responsive transport
Demand-responsive transport (DRT), also known as demand-responsive transit, demand-responsive service,
US National Trans ...
service that connects the hilly, low-density areas of Genoa.
The average time people spend commuting on public transit in Genova, for example to and from work, is 54 min on a weekday. 10% of public transit riders ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 12 min, while 13% of riders wait over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 4 km, while 2% travel for over 12 km in a single direction.
Culture
Visual arts
Genoese painters active in the 14th century include Barnaba da Modena and his local followers Nicolò da Voltri and at the same time, the sculptor Giovanni Pisano
Giovanni Pisano (c. 1250 – c. 1315) was an Italian sculptor, painter and architect, who worked in the cities of Pisa, Siena and Pistoia. He is best known for his sculpture which shows the influence of both the French Gothic and the Ancient ...
reached Genoa to make the monument for Margaret of Brabant
Margaret of Brabant (4 October 1276 – 14 December 1311), was the daughter of John I, Duke of Brabant and Margaret of Flanders. She was the wife of Henry, Count of Luxembourg, and after his election as King of Germany in 1308, she b ...
, whose remains are today housed in the .
In the 16th century along with the flourishing trade between the Republic of Genoa and Flanders also grew the cultural exchanges. The painters Lucas and Cornelis de Wael lived in Genoa for a long time, where they played the role of a magnet for many Flemish painters like Jaan Roos, Giacomo Legi, Jan Matsys, Andries van Eertvelt and Vincent Malo.
This creative environment also attracted the two most important Flemish painters, Rubens and Van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy.
The seventh ...
, who along with Bernardo Strozzi
Bernardo Strozzi, named il Cappuccino and il Prete Genovese (c. 1581 – 2 August 1644) was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver. A canvas and fresco artist, his wide subject range included history, allegorical, genre and portrait paintin ...
. gave life to the Genoese Painting School of the 17th century.
Much of the city's art is found in its churches and palaces, where there are numerous Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo frescos. They are rich in works of art the Cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
, the Chiesa del Gesù
Chiesa (Italian, 'church') may refer to:
People with the surname
*Andrea Chiesa (born 1966), Swiss Formula One racer
*Anthony della Chiesa (1394–1459), Italian Dominican friar
*Bruno della Chiesa (born 1962), European linguist
* Carlo Alberto Da ...
where ''The Circumcision'' and the "''Miracles of St. Ignatius''" by Rubens, the ''Assunzione della Vergine'' by Guido Reni. The Church of San Donato contains works of Barnaba da Modena, Nicolò da Voltri and Joos van Cleve
Joos van Cleve (; also Joos van der Beke; c. 1485–1490 – 1540/1541) was a leading painter active in Antwerp from his arrival there around 1511 until his death in 1540 or 1541. Within Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, he combines the tr ...
, the Church of Santo Stefano by Giulio Romano
Giulio Romano (, ; – 1 November 1546), is the acquired name of Giulio Pippi, who was an Italian painter and architect. He was a pupil of Raphael, and his stylistic deviations from High Renaissance classicism help define the sixteenth-cent ...
and the Church of Santa Maria Assunta the sculptures by Filippo Parodi and Pierre Puget
Pierre Paul Puget (16 October 1620 – 2 December 1694) was a French Baroque painter, sculptor, architect and engineer. His sculpture expressed emotion, pathos and drama, setting it apart from the more classical and academic sculpture of the ...
, very interesting is the Santa Maria di Castello. But most of the works are kept in the Palaces like Palazzo Bianco
Palazzo Bianco ( en, White Palace) is one of the main buildings of the center of Genoa, Italy. It is situated at 11, via Garibaldi (known at one time as ''Strada Nuova'', and before that, ''Via Aurea'').
It contains the Gallery of the White Pala ...
where " ''Ecce Homo''" by Caravaggio, " ''Susannah and the Elders''" by Veronese, and the '' Garden Party in Albaro'' by Magnasco are kept, Palazzo Rosso with the by van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy.
The seventh ...
, by Guercino
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (February 8, 1591 – December 22, 1666),Miller, 1964 better known as Guercino, or il Guercino , was an Italian Baroque painter and draftsman from Cento in the Emilia region, who was active in Rome and Bologna. The vi ...
and works of Dürer, Bernardo Strozzi
Bernardo Strozzi, named il Cappuccino and il Prete Genovese (c. 1581 – 2 August 1644) was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver. A canvas and fresco artist, his wide subject range included history, allegorical, genre and portrait paintin ...
, Mattia Preti
Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John.
Life
Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Ca ...
, Veronese; Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria
The Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria, also known as Palazzo Francesco Grimaldi, is a palace located in piazza di Pellicceria in the historical center of Genoa, Northwestern Italy. The palace was one of the 163 Palazzi dei Rolli of Genoa, the select ...
where the "''Portrait of Giovanni Carlo Doria on Horseback
The ''Portrait of Giovanni Carlo Doria on horseback'' is a 1606 painting by Peter Paul Rubens. It shows its subject (son of doge Agostino Doria) aged 30. It is now held in the Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spinola in Genoa. It was moved to Naple ...
''" by Rubens and by Antonello da Messina
Antonello da Messina, properly Antonello di Giovanni di Antonio, but also called Antonello degli Antoni and Anglicized as Anthony of Messina ( 1430February 1479), was an Italian painter from Messina, active during the Early Italian Renaissance. ...
(see also the series of Ecce Homo by Antonello da Messina) are kept, Palazzo Tursi with the Penitent Magdalene by Canova
Antonio Canova (; 1 November 1757 – 13 October 1822) was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was inspired by the Baroque and the cl ...
, and Palazzo Reale which contains works of Strozzi, Gaulli
Giovanni Battista Gaulli (8 May 1639 – 2 April 1709), also known as Baciccio or Baciccia (Genoese nicknames for ''Giovanni Battista''), was an Italian artist working in the High Baroque and early Rococo periods. He is best known for his grand ...
, Tintoretto
Tintoretto ( , , ; born Jacopo Robusti; late September or early October 1518Bernari and de Vecchi 1970, p. 83.31 May 1594) was an Italian painter identified with the Venetian school. His contemporaries both admired and criticized the speed wit ...
, van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy.
The seventh ...
, Simon Vouet
Simon Vouet (; 9 January 1590 – 30 June 1649) was a French painter who studied and rose to prominence in Italy before being summoned by Louis XIII to serve as Premier peintre du Roi in France. He and his studio of artists created religious and ...
, Guercino
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (February 8, 1591 – December 22, 1666),Miller, 1964 better known as Guercino, or il Guercino , was an Italian Baroque painter and draftsman from Cento in the Emilia region, who was active in Rome and Bologna. The vi ...
.
The most important Genoese painters are: Luca Cambiaso
Luca Cambiaso (also known as Luca Cambiasi and Luca Cangiagio (being ''Cangiaxo'' the surname in Ligurian); 18 November 1527 – 6 September 1585) was an Italian painter and draughtsman and the leading artist in Genoa in the 16th century. He i ...
, Bernardo and Valerio Castello, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (baptized 23 March 16095 May 1664) was an Italian Baroque painter, printmaker and draftsman, of the Genoese school. He is best known now for his etchings, and as the inventor of the printmaking technique of monoty ...
, Domenico
Domenico is an Italian given name for males and may refer to:
People
* Domenico Alfani, Italian painter
* Domenico Allegri, Italian composer
* Domenico Alvaro, Italian mobster
* Domenico Ambrogi, Italian painter
* Domenico Auria, Italian archit ...
and Paolo Gerolamo Piola
Paolo Gerolamo Piola (1666–1724) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period active mainly in Genoa. His father was the prominent Genoese painter Domenico Piola. Paolo Gerolamo was very active painting sacred subjects and frescoes.
He was s ...
, Gregorio De Ferrari, Bernardo Strozzi
Bernardo Strozzi, named il Cappuccino and il Prete Genovese (c. 1581 – 2 August 1644) was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver. A canvas and fresco artist, his wide subject range included history, allegorical, genre and portrait paintin ...
, Giovanni Battista Gaulli and Alessandro Magnasco. Sculptors include Filippo Parodi, the wood sculptor Anton Maria Maragliano
Anton Maria Maragliano (18 September 1664 – 7 March 1739) was an Italian sculptor of the Baroque period, known primarily for his wooden statues. He was born in Genoa, where he led an important workshop.
He is called also Maraggiano by some ...
, Francesco Maria Schiaffino and Agostino Carlini
Augostino Carlini or Agostino Carlini (c. 1718 – 15 August 1790) was an Italian sculptor and painter, who was born in Genoa but settled in England. He was also one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768.
Life
He features in ...
who was member of the Royal Academy.
The famous humanist author, architect, poet and philosopher Leon Battista Alberti
Leon Battista Alberti (; 14 February 1404 – 25 April 1472) was an Italian Renaissance humanist author, artist, architect, poet, priest, linguist, philosopher, and cryptographer; he epitomised the nature of those identified now as polymaths. H ...
was born in Genoa on 14 February 1404. Simonetta Vespucci, considered the most beautiful woman of her time, was also born in Genoa. She is portrayed in ''The Birth of Venus
''The Birth of Venus'' ( it, Nascita di Venere ) is a painting by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, probably executed in the mid 1480s. It depicts the goddess Venus arriving at the shore after her birth, when she had emerged from the sea ...
'' and Primavera by Sandro Botticelli
Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli (, ), was an Italian Renaissance painting, Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th cent ...
and in ''Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci'' by Piero di Cosimo
Piero di Cosimo (2 January 1462 – 12 April 1522), also known as Piero di Lorenzo, was an Italian painter of the Renaissance.
He is most famous for the mythological and allegorical subjects he painted in the late Quattrocento; he is said to ...
.
Genoa is also famous for its numerous tapestries, which decorated the city's many salons. Whilst the patrician palaces and villas in the city were and still are austere and majestic, the interiors tended to be luxurious and elaborate, often full of tapestries, many of which were Flemish. Famous is the Genoese lace called with its name of Turkish origin ''macramè''. Very used in Genoa is the cobblestone called ''Risseu'' and a kind of azulejo
''Azulejo'' (, ; from the Arabic ''al- zillīj'', ) is a form of Spanish and Portuguese painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework. ''Azulejos'' are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, r ...
called ''laggioni''.
Genoa has been likened by many to a Mediterranean New York, perhaps for its high houses that in the Middle Ages were the equivalent of today's skyscrapers, perhaps for the sea route Genoa-New York which in past centuries has been travelled by millions of emigrants. The architect Renzo Picasso in his visionary designs reinforces this strange affinity between the two cities.
In the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno, you can admire some magnificent sculpture of the 19th century and early 20th century like Monteverde Angel by Giulio Monteverde, or works by artists such as Augusto Rivalta, Leonardo Bistolfi
Leonardo Bistolfi (14 March 1859 – 2 September 1933) was an Italian sculptor and an important exponent of Italian Symbolism.
Biography
Bistolfi was born in Casale Monferrato in Piedmont, north-west Italy, to Giovanni Bistolfi, a sculptor in ...
, Edoardo Alfieri, Santo Varni
Santo Varni (1807 in Genoa – 1885) was an Italian sculptor active mainly in Liguria.
He began his training at the Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti, where he was a pupil of Giuseppe Gaggini. He moved to Florence, where he was a pupil of ...
.
Amongst the most notable Genoese painters of the 19th century and of the first half of the 20th century are Tammar Luxoro, Ernesto Rayper, Rubaldo Merello, and Antonio Giuseppe Santagata. The sculptor Francesco Messina also grew up in Genoa.
In 1967 the Genoese historian, critic and curator Germano Celant
Germano Celant (11 September 1940 – 29 April 2020) was an Italian art historian, critic and curator who coined the term " Arte Povera" (poor art) in 1967 and wrote many articles and books on the subject.
Work
Germano Celant was born in Genoa ...
coined the term Arte Povera. Enrico Accatino was another important art theorist and Emanuele Luzzati was the production designer and illustrator like Lorenzo Mongiardino, also a production designer and architect. Two other important artists are Emilio Scanavino and Vanessa Beecroft.
The yearly International Cartoonists Exhibition was founded in 1972 in Rapallo
Rapallo ( , , ) is a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, located in the Liguria region of northern Italy.
As of 2017 it had 29,778 inhabitants. It lies on the Ligurian Sea coast, on the Tigullio Gulf, between Portofino and Chiav ...
, near Genoa. A notable figure is the illustrator and comics artist Giovan Battista Carpi
Giovan Battista Carpi (; November 16, 1927 – March 8, 1999) was a prolific Italian comics artist, illustrator, and teacher from Genoa.
Carpi worked mainly for Disney comics, mostly on books featuring Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck, although h ...
.
Literature
"Anonymous of Genoa" was one of the first authors in Liguria and Italy who wrote verses in the Vernacular.
It explained that in Genoa Marco Polo and Rustichello da Pisa, in the prisons of Palazzo San Giorgio
The Palazzo San Giorgio or Palace of St. George (also known as the Palazzo delle Compere di San Giorgio) is a palace in Genoa, Italy. It is situated in the Piazza Caricamento.
The palace was built in 1260 by Guglielmo Boccanegra, uncle of Simo ...
, wrote The Travels of Marco Polo
''Book of the Marvels of the World'' ( Italian: , lit. 'The Million', deriving from Polo's nickname "Emilione"), in English commonly called ''The Travels of Marco Polo'', is a 13th-century travelogue written down by Rustichello da Pisa from st ...
. The Golden Legend
The ''Golden Legend'' (Latin: ''Legenda aurea'' or ''Legenda sanctorum'') is a collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that was widely read in late medieval Europe. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived.Hilary ...
is a collection of hagiographies
A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...
written by the Archbishop of Genoa Jacobus de Voragine
Jacobus de Voragine (c. 123013/16 July 1298) was an Italian chronicler and archbishop of Genoa. He was the author, or more accurately the compiler, of the '' Golden Legend'', a collection of the legendary lives of the greater saints of the medi ...
. To animate the Genoese literary environment of the 16th century were Gabriello Chiabrera and "Ansaldo Cebà", the latter best known for his correspondence with Sara Copia Sullam. The city has been the birthplace of the historian Caffaro di Rustico da Caschifellone, of the poet "Martin Piaggio", of the famous historian, philosopher and journalist Giuseppe Mazzini
Giuseppe Mazzini (, , ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the in ...
, of the writer Piero Jahier, of the poet Nobel Prize Eugenio Montale
Eugenio Montale (; 12 October 1896 – 12 September 1981) was an Italian poet, prose writer, editor and translator, and recipient of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Life and works
Early years
Montale was born in Genoa. His family were che ...
. The writer and translator Fernanda Pivano
Fernanda Pivano (18 July 1917 – 18 August 2009) was an Italian writer, journalist, translator and critic.
Early life
Pivano was born in Genoa in 1917. When she was a teenager she moved with her family to Turin where she attended the Massimo D ...
, the journalist "Vito Elio Petrucci" and the poet Edoardo Sanguineti
Edoardo Sanguineti (9 December 1930 – 18 May 2010) was a Genoese poet, writer and academic, universally considered one of the major Italian authors of the second half of the twentieth century.
Biography
During the 1960s he was a leader of th ...
, the literary critic Carlo Bo instead was born in Sestri Levante near Genoa. We have also remember the dialet poet , the dialect "poeta crepuscolare" Giambattista Vigo, and the symbolist .
The city of Genoa has been an inspiration to many writers and poets among which: Dino Campana, , who wrote "The mouth of the wolf" and Giorgio Caproni. Between the alleys of the historical centre there is the Old Libreria Bozzi
Libreria Bozzi is the oldest bookshop in Italy. The bookshop is situated in via Cairoli in Genoa.
History
The bookshop was founded by a Jewish French refugee from Briançon, Antone Beuf (Antonio Beuf), in 1810.
The bookshop was visited in th ...
. The "Berio Civic Library" houses the precious manuscript entitled "The Durazzo Book of Hours". In the first half of the 20th century, the Mazzini Gallery's was a meeting place of many artists, writers and intellectuals among which Guido Gozzano, Salvatore Quasimodo
Salvatore Quasimodo (; August 20, 1901 – June 14, 1968) was an Italian poet and translator. In 1959, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which with classical fire expresses the tragic experience of life in our own time ...
, Camillo Sbarbaro, Francesco Messina, , Eugenio Montale
Eugenio Montale (; 12 October 1896 – 12 September 1981) was an Italian poet, prose writer, editor and translator, and recipient of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Life and works
Early years
Montale was born in Genoa. His family were che ...
. In the thirties of the 20th century was active in Genoa the Circoli magazine and after the World War II the "Il Gallo" magazine. Coveted and known from the 1960s to the 1980s was the Genoese literary lounge animated by the writer . Dutch writer Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer wrote "La Superba", a novel in which Genoa is prominently featured. This was followed by the autobiographical
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
novel "Brieven uit Genua".
Since 1995, every June in Genoa the Genoa International Poetry Festival takes place, conceived by with the help of Massimo Bacigalupo.
Music
Genoa was a centre of Occitan culture in Italy and for this reason it developed an important school of troubadour
A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairi ...
s: Lanfranc Cigala, Jacme Grils, Bonifaci Calvo, Luchetto Gattilusio Luchetto Gattilusio (fl. 1248–1307) was a Genoese statesman, diplomat, and man of letters. As a Guelph he played an important role in wider Lombard politics and as a troubadour in the Occitan language he composed three poems descriptive of his ...
, Guillelma de Rosers, and Simon Doria.
Genoa is the birthplace of the composer Simone Molinaro, violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices fo ...
, violinist Camillo Sivori and composer Cesare Pugni
Cesare Pugni (; russian: Цезарь Пуни, Cezar' Puni; 31 May 1802 in Genoa – ) was an Italian composer of ballet music, a pianist and a violinist. In his early career he composed operas, symphonies, and various other forms of orches ...
. In addition, the famous violin maker Paolo de Barbieri. Paganini's violin, Il Cannone Guarnerius
''Il Cannone Guarnerius'' of 1743 is a violin created by the Italian luthier Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri of Cremona (1698–1744).
Il Cannone is also known by the variants ''Il Cannone del Gesù'', the ''Cannon'', often appended with ''Guarneri ...
, is kept in Palazzo Tursi. The city is the site of the Niccolò Paganini Music Conservatory.
Alessandro Stradella, a composer of the middle baroque, lived in Genoa and was assassinated in 1682.
Felice Romani
Giuseppe Felice Romani (31 January 178828 January 1865) was an Italian poet and scholar of literature and mythology who wrote many librettos for the opera composers Donizetti and Bellini. Romani was considered the finest Italian librettist betw ...
was a poet who wrote many librettos for the opera composers like Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (; 3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was a Sicilian opera composer, who was known for his long-flowing melodic lines for which he was named "the Swan of Catania".
Many years later, in 1898, Gius ...
. Giovanni Ruffini
Giovanni Ruffini (1807 in Genoa – 1881) was an Italian writer and patriot of the early 19th century. He is chiefly known for having written the draft of the libretto of the opera ''Don Pasquale'' for its composer Gaetano Donizetti.
''Don Pasq ...
was another poet known for writing the libretto of the opera ''Don Pasquale
''Don Pasquale'' () is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti with an Italian libretto completed largely by Giovanni Ruffini as well as the composer. It was based on a libretto by Angelo Anelli for Stefano Pavesi's ...
'' for its composer.
In 1847, Goffredo Mameli
Goffredo Mameli (; 5 September 1827 – 6 July 1849) was an Italian patriot, poet, writer and a notable figure in the Risorgimento. He is also the author of the lyrics of "Il Canto degli Italiani", the national anthem of Italy.
Biography
The so ...
and Michele Novaro
Michele Novaro (; 23 December 1818 – 20 October 1885) was an Italian composer.
Novaro was born on 23 December 1818 in Genoa, where he studied composition and singing. Novaro is mostly known as the composer of the music of the Italian nati ...
composed "Il Canto degli Italiani
"" (; "The Song of the Italians") is a canto written by Goffredo Mameli set to music by Michele Novaro in 1847, and is the current national anthem of Italy. It is best known among Italians as the "" (, "Mameli's Hymn"), after the author of the ...
".
In 1857, debuted the work of Giuseppe Verdi entitled ''Simon Boccanegra
''Simon Boccanegra'' () is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play ''Simón Bocanegra'' (1843) by Antonio García Gutiérrez, whose play ''El trovador'' had b ...
'' inspired by the first Doge of Genoa, Simone Boccanegra.
Genoa is also the birthplace of the condcuctor Fabio Luisi and of many opera singers like Giuseppe Taddei, Margherita Carosio, Luciana Serra, Ottavio Garaventa, Luisa Maragliano and Daniela Dessì.
The Teatro Carlo Felice was built in 1828 in the city in the Piazza De Ferrari, and named for the monarch of the then Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...
(which included the present regions of Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
, Piedmont
it, Piemontese
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
and Liguria
it, Ligure
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
). The theatre was the centre of music and social life in the 19th century. On various occasions in the history of the theatre, presentations have been conducted by Mascagni, Richard Strauss, Hindemith
Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...
and Stravinsky. Other Genoese theaters are the Politeama Genovese, Teatro Stabile in Genoa, Teatro della Tosse and Teatro Gustavo Modena.
On the occasion of the Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
celebration in 1992, new musical life was given to the area around the old port, including the restoration of the house of Paganini and presentations of the ''trallalero
Trallalero is a kind of polyphonic folk music from the Ligurian region of Genoa, in northern Italy. It is traditionally performed by men, though there have been some female performers in the modern era. The name derives from the monosyllabic vo ...
'', the traditional singing of Genoese dock workers.
The trallalero, traditional music in the Genoese dialect, is a polyphonic vocal music, performed by five men and several songs. The trallalero
Trallalero is a kind of polyphonic folk music from the Ligurian region of Genoa, in northern Italy. It is traditionally performed by men, though there have been some female performers in the modern era. The name derives from the monosyllabic vo ...
are ancient songs that have their roots in the Mediterranean tradition. Another aspect of the traditional Genoese music is the "Nostalgic Song". The principal authors and singers of the Nostalgic Song in Genoese dialect are who wrote the piece "Ma se ghe penso
"" (; "But if I think about it") is a song in the Genoese dialect of Ligurian. It has a central role in the folklore of the Italian city of Genoa and is commonly quoted as one of its symbols. The song was written by , with Attilio Margutti having ...
" (English: "But if I think about it"), a memory of Genoa by an emigrant to Argentina, , up to , , Buby Senarega, . The traditional Nostalgic Song will have a great influence on the so-called of singer-songwriters that in some cases will mix the nostalgic feeling with pop and jazz atmospheres.
The singer Natalino Otto
Natalino Otto, stage name of Natale Codognotto (24 December 1912 – 4 October 1969) was an Italian singer. He started the swing genre in Italy.
Biography
Early years
Natalino Otto was born at Cogoleto, province of Genoa, in northern Italy.
...
started the swing genre in Italy and his friend and colleague Pippo Barzizza
Giuseppe "Pippo" Barzizza (; 15 May 1902 – 4 April 1994) was an Italian composer, arranger, conductor and music director.
Giuseppe Barzizza, called Pippo, was born in Genova on 15 May 1902, and died in Sanremo on 4 April 1994. He became famou ...
was a composer, arranger, conductor and music director. Other musicians, composers and arrangers are Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
Angelo Francesco Lavagnino (22 February 1909 – 21 August 1987) was an Italian composer, born in Genoa. He is best known for scoring many films, including '' Legend of the Lost'', '' Conspiracy of Hearts'', '' Gorgo'', '' The Legion's Last Patro ...
, Gian Piero Reverberi
Gian Piero Reverberi (born 29 July 1939 in Genoa) is an Italian pianist, composer, arranger, conductor, and entrepreneur.
Biography
After obtaining Diplomas in piano and composition from the Paganini Conservatory in Genoa, Reverberi worked in ...
, Gian Franco Reverberi
Gian Franco Reverberi (born 12 December 1934) is an Italian composer and musician. He worked mainly on the soundtracks for Spaghetti Westerns.
Reverberi was one of the first Italian rock music artists. He also worked with his brother Gian Pier ...
, Oscar Prudente
Oscar Prudente (born 9 January 1944) is an Italian pop-rock singer-songwriter, arranger, musician and composer.
Career
Born in Rossiglione, Genoa, at young age Prudente studied drums, piano and guitar. At fifteen, while attending the high sch ...
, Pivio and Aldo De Scalzi
Pivio (born 7 June 1958 in Genoa, Italy) and Aldo De Scalzi (born 23 January 1957 in Genoa, Italy) are two Italian composers, best known for scoring music for television and motion pictures.
They are not siblings: Pivio is a pseudonym for Rober ...
.
Genoa in the second half of the 20th century was famous for an important school of Italian singer-songwriters, so-called , that includes Umberto Bindi
Umberto Bindi (12 May 1932 – 23 May 2002) was an Italian singer-songwriter. He is especially known for the popular song he co-wrote with Gino Paoli, ''Il Mio Mondo'' (" You're My World"), which he recorded in Italian in 1963. It was later perfo ...
, Luigi Tenco
Luigi Tenco (21 March 1938 – 27 January 1967) was an Italian singer-songwriter.
Biography
Tenco was born in Cassine (province of Alessandria) in 1938, the son of Teresa Zoccola and Giuseppe Tenco. He never knew his father, who died in uncle ...
", "Gino Paoli
Gino Paoli (; born 23 September 1934 in Monfalcone) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He is a seminal figure who has written a number of songs widely regarded as classics in Italian popular music, including: " Il cielo in una stanza", "Che cos ...
", "Bruno Lauzi
Bruno Lauzi (; 8 August 1937 – 24 October 2006) was an Italian singer-songwriter, poet and writer.
Biography
Bruno Lauzi was born in Asmara, then part of the Italian Eastern Africa, to a Catholic father, Francesco Lauzi and a Jewish mot ...
", "Fabrizio de André
Fabrizio Cristiano De André (; 18 February 1940 – 11 January 1999) was an Italian singer-songwriter, the most prominent ''cantautore'' of his time. His 40-year career reflects his interests in concept albums, literature, poetry, political pr ...
, Ivano Fossati
Ivano Alberto Fossati (born 21 September 1951) is an Italian pop singer from Genoa. He was a member of the progressive rock group Delirium and has worked with Fabrizio De André, Riccardo Tesi, Anna Oxa, Mia Martini, Ornella Vanoni, Shirley Bass ...
, Angelo Branduardi
Angelo Branduardi (born 12 February 1950) is an Italian folk/folk rock singer-songwriter and composer who scored relative success in Italy and European countries such as France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Greece.
Biography
Branduardi wa ...
" and Francesco Baccini
Francesco Baccini (born 4 October 1960) is an Italian singer-songwriter.
Background
Born in Genoa, Baccini made his official debut in 1988 with the stage name Espressione Musica, with "Mamma dammi i soldi", the closing theme song of the 38th ...
. Nino Ferrer
Nino Agostino Arturo Maria Ferrari (), known as Nino Ferrer (15 August 1934 – 13 August 1998), was an Italian-born French singer-songwriter and author.
Biography and career
Nino Ferrer was born on 15 August 1934 in Genoa, Italy, but lived the ...
was also born in Genoa. In the 70s there were formed in Genoa numerous bands of Italian progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Initi ...
like New Trolls
New Trolls are an Italian progressive rock band, known for their fusion of rock and classical music. In a way not too dissimilar from fellow prog-rock band Yes, their history is filled with line-up changes, spin-off projects and personal struggl ...
, Picchio dal Pozzo
Picchio dal Pozzo are an Italian progressive rock band formed in Genoa in 1976.
Biography
The activity of Picchio dal Pozzo has been quite erratic, with five albums published over a period of about 40 years (1976-2011). The style of the band is ...
, Latte e Miele, and Delirium. Today we point the band Buio Pesto and The Banshee band.
Some songs about the city of Genoa are part of Italian popular culture, like "Via del Campo" and "La Città Vecchia" by Fabrizio de André
Fabrizio Cristiano De André (; 18 February 1940 – 11 January 1999) was an Italian singer-songwriter, the most prominent ''cantautore'' of his time. His 40-year career reflects his interests in concept albums, literature, poetry, political pr ...
, "Genova per noi" by Paolo Conte
Paolo Conte (; born 6 January 1937) is an Italian singer, pianist, songwriter and lawyer known for his distinctly grainy, resonant voice. His compositions fuse Italian and Mediterranean sounds with jazz, boogie and elements of the French and L ...
, "La Casa in Via del Campo" the song also sung by Amalia Rodrigues and "Piazza Alimonda" the song about the facts of Genoa 2001 by Francesco Guccini
Francesco Guccini (, born 14 June 1940) is an Italian singer-songwriter, considered one of the most important '' cantautori'' of his time. During the five decades of his music career he has recorded 16 studio albums and collections, and 6 live a ...
.
Fabrizio de André
Fabrizio Cristiano De André (; 18 February 1940 – 11 January 1999) was an Italian singer-songwriter, the most prominent ''cantautore'' of his time. His 40-year career reflects his interests in concept albums, literature, poetry, political pr ...
in 1984 released the album ''Crêuza de mä
''Crêuza de mä'' (; "Muletrack by the sea") is the eleventh studio album by Fabrizio De André, entirely sung in the Ligurian language, more specifically in the dialect of Genoa. All the songs were written by De André and Mauro Pagani, with a ...
'', totally written in Genoese dialect.
I Madrigalisti di Genova is a vocal and instrumental group formed in 1958 which specialised in medieval and Renaissance repertoire
The city has numerous music festivals, among which are Concerts at San Fruttuoso abbey, Premio Paganini, I Concerti di San Torpete, International Music Festival Genova, We Love Jazz, Gezmatz Festival & Workshop, and Goa-Boa Festival. In the town of Santa Margherita Ligure the ancient abbey of Cervara is often the site of chamber music.
Giovine Orchestra Genovese, one of the oldest concert societies in Italy, was founded in Genoa in 1912.
Cinema
Genoa has been the set for many films and especially for the genre called Polizieschi. Notable directors born in Genoa include Pietro Germi and Giuliano Montaldo
Giuliano Montaldo (born 22 February 1930) is an Italian film director.
Biography
While he was still a young student, Montaldo was recruited by the director Carlo Lizzani for the role of leading actor in the film '' Achtung! Banditi!'' (1951). ...
, the actors: Gilberto Govi
Amerigo Armando Gilberto Govi (; 22 October 1885 – 28 April 1966) was an Italian film and stage actor and screenwriter. He was the founder of the Genoese Dialectal Theatre.
Among his greatest successes were (, "How to marry off one's daugh ...
, Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter.
He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important productions ...
, Paolo Villaggio
Paolo Villaggio (; 30 December 1932 – 3 July 2017) was an Italian actor, voice actor, writer, director and comedian. He is noted for the characters he created with paradoxical and grotesque characteristics: Professor Kranz, the ultra-timid G ...
, Alberto Lupo
Alberto Lupo (byname of Alberto Zoboli; 19 December 1924 – 13 August 1984) was an Italian film and television actor best known for his roles in swash-buckling and actions films of the 1960s.
Lupo starred in films such as ''A 008, operazione ...
, the actresses: Lina Volonghi
Lina Volonghi (4 September 1914 – 24 February 1991) was an Italian stage, television and film actress.
Life and career
Born in Genoa as Giuseppina Angela Volonghi, a promising junior swimming champion in her youth, Volonghi started her actin ...
, Delia Boccardo
Delia Boccardo (born 29 January 1948) is an Italian film, television and stage actress.
Life and career
Born in Genoa, Boccardo spent her childhood and adolescence in Nervi, then studied at a Swiss college, at the Poggio Imperiale girls' sch ...
, Rosanna Schiaffino
Rosanna Schiaffino (25 November 1939 – 17 October 2009) was an Italian film actress. She appeared on the covers of Italian, German, French, British and American magazines.
Early life
She was born in Genoa, Liguria to a well-off family. Her mot ...
, Eleonora Rossi Drago
Eleonora Rossi Drago, born Palmira Omiccioli, (23 September 1925 – 2 December 2007) was an Italian film actress. She was born in Quinto al Mare, Genoa, Italy, and had the leading role in '' Le amiche''. She appeared in ''Un maledetto imbr ...
, Marcella Michelangeli
Marcella Michelangeli (born 28 January 1943) is an Italian former actress and singer.
Biography
Born Marcella Gherardi in Uscio, Genoa, she won several beauty contests at a young age, including Miss Liguria. While a student at the School of Fi ...
and the pornographic actress Moana Pozzi
Anna Moana Rosa Pozzi (; 27 April 1961 – 15 September 1994), also known mononymously as Moana, was an Italian pornographic actress, television personality and politician.
Early life
Pozzi was born in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, the daughter of Alf ...
. Before actor Bartolomeo Pagano
Bartolomeo Pagano (27 September 1878 – 24 June 1947) was an Italian motion picture actor.
Before his cinema career, Pagano was a stevedore who worked at the port of Genoa. There, he was discovered and selected to play the role of Maciste, a m ...
's cinema career, he was a ''camallo'', which means stevedore, at the port of Genoa. His cinema career began with the film ''Cabiria
''Cabiria'' is a 1914 Italian epic silent film, directed by Giovanni Pastrone and shot in Turin. The film is set in ancient Sicily, Carthage, and Cirta during the period of the Second Punic War (218–202 BC). It follows a melodramatic mai ...
'', one of the first and most famous kolossal. In 1985 were filmed in Genoa some scenes of '' Pirates'' by Roman Polanski
Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...
, finished shooting they left in the Old Harbour the galleon Neptune.
Some films set in Genoa:
* '' Agata and the Storm''
* '' Amore che vieni, amore che vai'', from the novel '' Un destino ridicolo''
* ''Attention! Bandits!
''Achtung! Banditi!'' also known as ''Attention! Bandits!'' is a 1951 Italian World War II film drama directed by Carlo Lizzani and starring Gina Lollobrigida and Andrea Checchi.
Cast
* Gina Lollobrigida as Anna
*Andrea Checchi as the enginee ...
''
* '' Behind Closed Shutters''
* ''The Blue-Eyed Bandit
''Il bandito dagli occhi azzurri'' (internationally released as ''The Blue-Eyed Bandit'') is a 1980 Italian "poliziottesco" film written and directed by Alfredo Giannetti. It marked the film debut of Fabrizio Bentivoglio.
Plot
Renzo Dominici ...
''
* ''Carlo Giuliani, Boy
''Carlo Giuliani, Boy'' ( it, Carlo Giuliani, ragazzo) is a 2002 Italian documentary film directed by Francesca Comencini. It was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival
The 55th Cannes Film Festival started on 15 May and ...
''
* ''The Case of the Bloody Iris
''The Case of the Bloody Iris'' (Italian: ''Perché quelle strane gocce di sangue sul corpo di Jennifer?'', lit. "Why those strange drops of blood on Jennifer's body?", originally released in the UK as ''Erotic Blue'') is a 1972 Italian giallo film ...
''
* '' The Conspiracy in Genoa''
* ''Days and Clouds
''Days and Clouds'' ( it, Giorni e nuvole) is a 2007 Italian drama film directed by Silvio Soldini. It was entered into the 30th Moscow International Film Festival where Margherita Buy won the award for Best Actress.
Plot
Set in Genoa, the fil ...
''
* ''Di che segno sei?
''Di che segno sei?'' (translation: ''What's Your Sign?'') is a 1975 Italian comedy film directed by Sergio Corbucci, starring Alberto Sordi.
Plot
The film is divided into four episodes. In the first Paolo Villaggio plays the role of a sailor fr ...
''
* '' Diaz - Don't Clean Up This Blood''
* ''Father and Son Father and Son or Fathers and Sons may refer to:
Literature
* ''Father and Son'' (book), a 1907 memoir by Edmund Gosse
*Father and Son (comics), cartoon characters created by E. O. Plauen
* ''Fathers and Sons'' (novel), an 1862 novel by Ivan Tur ...
''
* '' General Della Rovere''
* ''Genova
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of G ...
''
* ''High Crime
''High Crime'' ( it, La polizia incrimina la legge assolve, es, La policía detiene, la ley juzga) is a 1973 Italian-Spanish ''poliziottesco'' film directed by Enzo G. Castellari. The film stars Franco Nero, James Whitmore, Delia Boccardo and ...
''
* '' In the Beginning There Was Underwear''
* '' The Magistrate''
* '' Mare Matto''
* '' Mark Shoots First''
* ''Mean Frank and Crazy Tony
''Mean Frank and Crazy Tony'' ( it, Il suo nome faceva tremare...Interpol in allarme or it, Dio, sei proprio un padreterno!) is a 1973 crime-comedy film directed by Michele Lupo, and starring Lee Van Cleef, Tony Lo Bianco and Edwige Fenech.
Pl ...
''
* ''Merciless Man
''Merciless Man'' ( it, Genova a mano armata) is a 1976 crime film directed by Mario Lanfranchi and starring Tony Lo Bianco.
Cast
* Tony Lo Bianco - The American
* Maud Adams - Marta Mayer
* Adolfo Celi - Lo Gallo
* Barbara Vittoria Calori ( ...
''
* '' The Mouth of the Wolf''
* '' Onde''
* '' The Police Serve the Citizens?''
* ''Processo contro ignoti
''Genoese Dragnet'' ( it, Processo contro ignoti) is a 1952 Italian crime-melodrama film. The movie relates the story of Michele, a man accused of murdering a kidnapped girl and his fight to prove his innocence.
Plot
Genoa. Two wealthy spouses ...
''
* '' Scent of a Woman''
* '' Street Law''
* '' Stregati''
* ''The Walls of Malapaga
''The Walls of Malapaga'' ( it, Le mura di Malapaga, french: Au-delà des grilles (''Beyond the Gates'')), is a 1949 French-Italian drama film directed by René Clément and starring Jean Gabin, Isa Miranda and Andrea Checchi. It was a co-prod ...
''
* ''The Yellow Rolls-Royce
''The Yellow Rolls-Royce'' is a 1964 British dramatic composite film written by Terence Rattigan, produced by Anatole de Grunwald, and directed by Anthony Asquith, the trio responsible for '' The V.I.P.s'' (1963).
Apparently adapting an idea fr ...
''
Language
The Genoese dialect (''Zeneize'') is the most important dialect of the Ligurian language
Ligurian () or Genoese () (locally called or ) is a Gallo-Italic language spoken primarily in the territories of the former Republic of Genoa, now comprising the area of Liguria in Northern Italy, parts of the Mediterranean coastal zone of Fran ...
, and is commonly spoken in Genoa alongside Italian. Ligurian is listed by Ethnologue as a language in its own right, of the Romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
branch, the Ligurian Romance language, and not to be confused with the ancient Ligurian language
The Ligurian language was spoken in pre-Roman times and into the Roman era by an ancient people of north-western Italy and current south-eastern France known as the Ligures.
Very little is known about ancient Ligurian; the lack of inscriptions a ...
. Like the languages of Lombardy, Piedmont
it, Piemontese
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
, and surrounding regions, it is of Gallo-Italic
The Gallo-Italic, Gallo-Italian, Gallo-Cisalpine or simply Cisalpine languages constitute the majority of the Romance languages of northern Italy. They are Piedmontese, Lombard, Emilian, Ligurian, and Romagnol. Although most publications de ...
derivation.
Sports
There are two major football teams in Genoa: Genoa C.F.C.
Genoa Cricket and Football Club, commonly referred to as Genoa (), is a professional football club based in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, that competes in , the second division of the Italian football league system.
Established in 1893, Genoa is ...
and U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa.
The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, ...
; the former is the oldest football club operating in Italy (see History of Genoa C.F.C.). The football section of the club was founded in 1893 by James Richardson Spensley
James Richardson Spensley (17 May 1867 – 10 November 1915) was an English doctor, footballer, manager, Scout leader and medic from Stoke Newington, London. He is considered to be one of the "Fathers of Italian football", due to his association ...
, an English doctor. Genoa 1893
Genoa Cricket and Football Club, commonly referred to as Genoa (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, that competes in , the second division of the Italian football league system.
Establis ...
has won 9 championships (between 1898 and 1924) and 1 Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
(1936–37). U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa.
The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, ...
was founded in 1946 from the merger of two existing clubs, Andrea Doria (founded in 1895) and Sampierdarenese (founded in 1911). Sampdoria has won one Italian championship ( 1990–91 Serie A), 4 Coppa Italia, 1 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourn ...
(1989–90) and 1 Supercoppa Italiana. Both Genoa C.F.C. and U.C. Sampdoria play their home games in the Luigi Ferraris Stadium
The Stadio comunale Luigi Ferraris, also known as the Marassi from the name of the neighbourhood where it is located, is a multi-use stadium in Genoa, Italy. The home of Genoa C.F.C. and U.C. Sampdoria football clubs, it opened in 1911 and is ...
, which holds 36,536 spectators. Deeply felt is the derby called Derby della Lanterna.
The international tennis tournament AON Open Challenger
The Genoa AON Open Challenger - Memorial Giorgio Messina is an annual tennis tournament held in Genoa, Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located ...
takes place in Genoa.
In rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
the city is represented by CUS Genova Rugby, which is the rugby union team of the University of Genoa
The University of Genoa, known also with the acronym UniGe ( it, Università di Genova), is one of the largest universities in Italy. It is located in the city of Genoa and regional Metropolitan City of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera in the Liguri ...
Sports Centre.
CUS Genova had their peak in 1971–1973 when the team was runner-up of the Italian Serie A for three consecutive seasons and contested unsuccessfully the title to Petrarca Rugby
Petrarca Rugby is a rugby union club from Padua, Italy, currently competing in the top tier of the Italian rugby union, the Top10.
Founded in 1947, the team is the rugby union branch of the Unione Sportiva Petrarca, an omnisport club that inclu ...
.
Amongst the CUS Genova players who represented 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 ...
at international level the most relevant were Marco Bollesan
Marco Bollesan (7 July 1941 – 11 April 2021) was an Italian rugby union player, coach and manager.
Biography
Born in Genoa; later he got a job as iron worker at the Italsider and started playing rugby as senior at the CUS Genoa Rugby (the U ...
and Agostino Puppo.
In 1947 was founded the CUS Genova Hockey and in 1968 the basketball club Athletic Genova. The city hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1934 and 1990, in 1988 the European Karate Championships
The European Karate Championships are organised by the European Karate Federation each year.
History
Events from 1966 to 1996 were organized by the European Karate Union. In 1961, Jacques Delcourt was appointed President of French Karate, whic ...
and in 1992 the European Athletics Indoor Championships
The European Athletics Indoor Championships is a biennial indoor track and field competition for European athletes that is organised by the European Athletic Association. It was held for the first time in 1970, replacing the European Indoor Games ...
. In 2003 the indoor sporting arena, Vaillant Palace
RDS Stadium (formerly Mazda Palace and Vaillant Palace) is an indoor sporting arena located in Genoa, Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located ...
, was inaugurated.
The city lends its name to a particular type of a sailing boat so-called Genoa sail, in 2007 the city hosts the Tall Ships' Races
The Tall Ships Races are races for sail training "tall ships" (sailing ships). The races are designed to encourage international friendship and training for young people in the art of sailing. The races are held annually in European waters and c ...
.
Cuisine
Popular sauces of Genoese cuisine include Pesto
Pesto () is a sauce that traditionally consists of crushed garlic, European pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, and hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano (also known as Parmesan cheese) or Pecorino Sardo (cheese made from sheep's milk), a ...
sauce, garlic sauce called Agliata
Agliata (; from , "garlic"; lij, aggiadda ) is pungent, savory garlic sauce and condiment in Italian cuisine used to flavor and accompany grilled or boiled meats, fish and vegetables. It is first attested in Ancient Rome, and it remains part of ...
, "Walnut Sauce" called , Green sauce
Green sauce or greensauce is a family of cold, uncooked sauces based on chopped herbs, including the Spanish and Italian ''salsa verde'', the French ''sauce verte'', the German ''Grüne Soße'' or ''Frankfurter Grie Soß'' (Frankfurt dialect) ...
, , Pasta d'acciughe and the meat sauce called tócco, not to be confused with the Genovese sauce
Genovese sauce is a slow-cooked onion and meat sauce associated with Italy's Campania region, especially Naples — typically served with paccheri, ziti or candele pasta — and sprinkled with grated cheese.
Genovese may be prepared w ...
, that in spite of the name is typical of the Neapolitan cuisine
Neapolitan cuisine has ancient historical roots that date back to the Greco-Roman period, which was enriched over the centuries by the influence of the different cultures that controlled Naples and its kingdoms, such as that of Aragon and France ...
. The Genoese tradition includes many varieties of pasta as Trenette
Trenette () is a type of narrow, flat, dried pasta from Genoa and Liguria; it is similar to both linguine and fettuccine. ''Trenette'' is the plural of ''trenetta'', but is only used in the plural and is probably a diminutive of the Genoese ''t ...
, Corzetti, Trofie
Trofie (; less frequently, troffie, strofie or stroffie) is a short, thin, twisted pasta from Liguria, Northern Italy.
History
Modern trofie seems to originate from Golfo Paradiso, a strip of land in the Riviera di Levante including maritime ...
, , Croxetti, gnocchi and also: Farinata
Farinata (), socca (), torta di ceci (), or cecina () is a type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe made from chickpea flour. It originated in Italy and later became a typical food of the Ligurian Sea coast, from Nice to Sardinia and Elba isla ...
, and Cuculli.
Key ingredient of Genoese cuisine is the Prescinsêua used among other things to prepare the and the Barbagiuai and still , , and the which means "Focaccia with cheese" that is even being considered for European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
PGI status. Other key ingredients are many varieties of fish as Sardines
"Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the Ital ...
, Anchovies
An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water.
More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...
(see also and ), Garfish
The garfish (''Belone belone''), also known as the garpike or sea needle, is a pelagic, oceanodromous needlefish found in brackish and marine waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Black, and Baltic Seas.
Description
The ...
, Swordfish, Tuna
A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max len ...
, Octopus
An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttle ...
, Squid
True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...
, Mussels
Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which ...
, the ''Stoccafisso'' which means Stockfish (see also ), the Musciame
Musciame or mosciame is a traditional Italian preserved meat made from the salted and sun-dried flesh of dolphins. It is black, and looks like a piece of charred wood hanging from a string. It was made by the sailors and fishermen of the coas ...
and Gianchetti.
Other elements of Genoese cuisine include the ''Ligurian Olive Oil'', the cheeses like Brös
Brös (also Bros, Bross, Brus or Bruss) is a Piedmontese and Ligurian preparation of cheese and grappa which, in former centuries, was typical of the peasant cuisine of the Upper Langa and West Liguria. Its pungent flavour gave rise to the pro ...
, , San Stè cheese, , the sausages like Testa in cassetta, and the Genoa salami Genoa salami is a variety of salami commonly believed to have originated in the area of Genoa, Italy. It is normally made from pork, but may also contain veal. It is seasoned with garlic, salt, black and white peppercorns, and red or white wine. L ...
which is the style of Genoa salami Genoa salami is a variety of salami commonly believed to have originated in the area of Genoa, Italy. It is normally made from pork, but may also contain veal. It is seasoned with garlic, salt, black and white peppercorns, and red or white wine. L ...
. Fresh pasta (usually trofie
Trofie (; less frequently, troffie, strofie or stroffie) is a short, thin, twisted pasta from Liguria, Northern Italy.
History
Modern trofie seems to originate from Golfo Paradiso, a strip of land in the Riviera di Levante including maritime ...
, trenette
Trenette () is a type of narrow, flat, dried pasta from Genoa and Liguria; it is similar to both linguine and fettuccine. ''Trenette'' is the plural of ''trenetta'', but is only used in the plural and is probably a diminutive of the Genoese ''t ...
) and "gnocchi" with pesto sauce are probably the most iconic among Genoese dishes. Pesto sauce is prepared with fresh Genovese basil, pine nut
Pine nuts, also called piñón (), pinoli (), pignoli or chilgoza (), are the edible seeds of pines (family Pinaceae, genus ''Pinus''). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, only 29 species provide edible nuts, while 20 are trad ...
s, grated parmesan
Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months.
It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' ...
and pecorino mixed, garlic and olive oil pounded together. Liguria wine
Liguria is an Italian wine region located in the northwest region of Italy along the Italian Riviera. It is bordered by the Piedmont wine region to the north, the Alps and French wine region of Provence to the west, the Apennine Mountains and the ...
such as Pigato, , , Rossese di Dolceacqua
Tibouren or Rossese di Dolceacqua is a red French wine grape variety that is primarily grown in Provence (wine), Provence and Liguria (wine), Liguria but originated in Greece (wine), Greece and possibly even the Middle East (wine), Middle East. ...
and are popular. Dishes of Genoese tradition include the Tripe
Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle, pigs and sheep.
Types of tripe
Beef tripe
Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's st ...
cooked in various recipes like Sbira, the Polpettone di melanzane, the ''Tomaxelle'', the , the Bagnun, the fish-consisting ''Ciuppin'' (the precursor to San Francisco's Cioppino
Cioppino (, ; from lij, cioppin ) is a fish stew originating in San Francisco, California. It is an Italian-American dish and is related to various regional fish soups and stews of Italian cuisine.
Description
Cioppino is traditionally made fro ...
), the Buridda, the and the .
Two sophisticated recipes of Genoese cuisine are: the Cappon magro and the (a song by Fabrizio De André is titled A Çimma'' and is dedicated to this Genoese recipe). Originating in Genoa is ''Pandolce'' that gave rise to Genoa cake
Genoa cake (or simply genoa) is a fruit cake consisting of sultanas (golden-colored raisins), currants or raisins, glacé cherries, almonds, and candied orange peel or essence, cooked in a batter of flour, eggs, butter and sugar. . The city lands its name to a special paste used to prepare cakes and pastries called Genoise
A génoise (, , ; usually spelled genoise in English), also known as Genoese cake or Genovese cake, is an Italian sponge cake named after the city of Genoa and associated with Italian and French cuisine. Instead of using chemical leavening, ...
and to the Pain de Gênes
''Pain de Gênes'' () is a cake made largely from almond paste, eggs and melted butter, but only a minimal amount of flour. Another unusual aspect is that no raising agent is used, instead the rise is achieved by whisking the butter and eggs. It ...
.
In Genoa there are many food markets in typical nineteenth-century iron structures as Mercato del Ferro, Mercato Dinegro, Mercato di Via Prè, Mercato di piazza Sarzano, Mercato del Carmine, Mercato della Foce, Mercato Romagnosi. The instead is in masonry and has a circular structure.
People
Genoa has left an extraordinary impression on many noted personalities. Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...
loved Genoa and wrote some of his works there. Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies explained as originating in conflicts ...
and Ezra Pound lived near Genoa in Rapallo
Rapallo ( , , ) is a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, located in the Liguria region of northern Italy.
As of 2017 it had 29,778 inhabitants. It lies on the Ligurian Sea coast, on the Tigullio Gulf, between Portofino and Chiav ...
. Anton Chekhov said that Genoa "is the most beautiful city in the world," and Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
wrote: "I have never seen anything like this Genoa! it is something indescribably beautiful".
Among the personalities of the 19th and 20th centuries who wrote about Genoa were Heinrich Heine, Osip Mandelstam
Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam ( rus, Осип Эмильевич Мандельштам, p=ˈosʲɪp ɨˈmʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mənʲdʲɪlʲˈʂtam; – 27 December 1938) was a Russian and Soviet poet. He was one of the foremost members of the A ...
, Aleksandr Ivanovich Herzen, Mary Shelley
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also ...
, Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
, John Ruskin
John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and pol ...
, Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
, Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad, Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Gustave Flaubert, Alexandre Dumas, Louis Énault, Valery Larbaud, Albert Camus, Paul Valéry, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Paul Klee. Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Pietro Mascagni. Verdi in his work, ''Simon Boccanegra
''Simon Boccanegra'' () is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play ''Simón Bocanegra'' (1843) by Antonio García Gutiérrez, whose play ''El trovador'' had b ...
'', is inspired by the medieval history of the city. The poets Dino Campana, Camillo Sbarbaro and Giorgio Caproni have made Genoa a recurring element of their poetic work.
Famous Genoese include Sinibaldo and Ottobuono Fieschi (Popes Innocent IV and Adrian V), Giovanni Battista Cybo (Pope Innocent VIII) and Giacomo della Chiesa (Pope Benedict XV), navigators Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
, Antonio de Noli, Enrico Alberto d'Albertis
Enrico Alberto d'Albertis (23 March 1846 – 3 March 1932) was an Italian navigator, writer, philologist, ethnologist and philanthropist. His cousin Luigi Maria d'Albertis was also an explorer and naturalists.
Biography
Born at Voltri, now part ...
, Enrico de Candia (Henry, Count of Malta) and Andrea Doria
Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; lij, Drîa Döia ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was a Genoese statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime.
As the ruler of Genoa, Doria reformed the Re ...
, composers Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices fo ...
and Michele Novaro
Michele Novaro (; 23 December 1818 – 20 October 1885) was an Italian composer.
Novaro was born on 23 December 1818 in Genoa, where he studied composition and singing. Novaro is mostly known as the composer of the music of the Italian nati ...
, Italian patriots Giuseppe Mazzini
Giuseppe Mazzini (, , ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the in ...
, Goffredo Mameli
Goffredo Mameli (; 5 September 1827 – 6 July 1849) was an Italian patriot, poet, writer and a notable figure in the Risorgimento. He is also the author of the lyrics of "Il Canto degli Italiani", the national anthem of Italy.
Biography
The so ...
and Nino Bixio, writer and translator Fernanda Pivano
Fernanda Pivano (18 July 1917 – 18 August 2009) was an Italian writer, journalist, translator and critic.
Early life
Pivano was born in Genoa in 1917. When she was a teenager she moved with her family to Turin where she attended the Massimo D ...
, poet Edoardo Sanguineti
Edoardo Sanguineti (9 December 1930 – 18 May 2010) was a Genoese poet, writer and academic, universally considered one of the major Italian authors of the second half of the twentieth century.
Biography
During the 1960s he was a leader of th ...
, Communist politician Palmiro Togliatti, architect Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable buildings include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City ( ...
, art curator and critic Germano Celant
Germano Celant (11 September 1940 – 29 April 2020) was an Italian art historian, critic and curator who coined the term " Arte Povera" (poor art) in 1967 and wrote many articles and books on the subject.
Work
Germano Celant was born in Genoa ...
, Physics 2002 Nobel Prize winner Riccardo Giacconi, Literature 1975 Nobel Prize winner Eugenio Montale
Eugenio Montale (; 12 October 1896 – 12 September 1981) was an Italian poet, prose writer, editor and translator, and recipient of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Life and works
Early years
Montale was born in Genoa. His family were che ...
, the court painter Giovanni Maria delle Piane (Il Mulinaretto) from the Delle Piane family, artists Vanessa Beecroft, Enrico Accatino, comedians Gilberto Govi
Amerigo Armando Gilberto Govi (; 22 October 1885 – 28 April 1966) was an Italian film and stage actor and screenwriter. He was the founder of the Genoese Dialectal Theatre.
Among his greatest successes were (, "How to marry off one's daugh ...
, Paolo Villaggio
Paolo Villaggio (; 30 December 1932 – 3 July 2017) was an Italian actor, voice actor, writer, director and comedian. He is noted for the characters he created with paradoxical and grotesque characteristics: Professor Kranz, the ultra-timid G ...
, Beppe Grillo, Luca Bizzarri, Paolo Kessisoglu and Maurizio Crozza; singer-songwriters Fabrizio de André
Fabrizio Cristiano De André (; 18 February 1940 – 11 January 1999) was an Italian singer-songwriter, the most prominent ''cantautore'' of his time. His 40-year career reflects his interests in concept albums, literature, poetry, political pr ...
, Ivano Fossati
Ivano Alberto Fossati (born 21 September 1951) is an Italian pop singer from Genoa. He was a member of the progressive rock group Delirium and has worked with Fabrizio De André, Riccardo Tesi, Anna Oxa, Mia Martini, Ornella Vanoni, Shirley Bass ...
, Umberto Bindi
Umberto Bindi (12 May 1932 – 23 May 2002) was an Italian singer-songwriter. He is especially known for the popular song he co-wrote with Gino Paoli, ''Il Mio Mondo'' (" You're My World"), which he recorded in Italian in 1963. It was later perfo ...
, Bruno Lauzi
Bruno Lauzi (; 8 August 1937 – 24 October 2006) was an Italian singer-songwriter, poet and writer.
Biography
Bruno Lauzi was born in Asmara, then part of the Italian Eastern Africa, to a Catholic father, Francesco Lauzi and a Jewish mot ...
and Francesco Baccini
Francesco Baccini (born 4 October 1960) is an Italian singer-songwriter.
Background
Born in Genoa, Baccini made his official debut in 1988 with the stage name Espressione Musica, with "Mamma dammi i soldi", the closing theme song of the 38th ...
, while Luigi Tenco
Luigi Tenco (21 March 1938 – 27 January 1967) was an Italian singer-songwriter.
Biography
Tenco was born in Cassine (province of Alessandria) in 1938, the son of Teresa Zoccola and Giuseppe Tenco. He never knew his father, who died in uncle ...
and Gino Paoli
Gino Paoli (; born 23 September 1934 in Monfalcone) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He is a seminal figure who has written a number of songs widely regarded as classics in Italian popular music, including: " Il cielo in una stanza", "Che cos ...
are also known as Genoese singer-songwriters, although they are respectively from Cassine, Piedmont, Cassine and Monfalcone; actor Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter.
He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important productions ...
, and actress Moana Pozzi
Anna Moana Rosa Pozzi (; 27 April 1961 – 15 September 1994), also known mononymously as Moana, was an Italian pornographic actress, television personality and politician.
Early life
Pozzi was born in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, the daughter of Alf ...
, Giorgio Parodi who conceived the motorcycle company Moto Guzzi with Carlo Guzzi and Giovanni Ravelli.
Some reports say the navigator and explorer Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) was also from Genoa, others say he was from Savona. Roman Catholic saint, Saints from Genoa include Romulus of Genoa, Romulus, Syrus of Genoa, Syrus, Catherine of Genoa
Catherine of Genoa (Caterina Fieschi Adorno, 1447 – 15 September 1510) was an Italian Roman Catholic saint and mystic, admired for her work among the sick and the poor and remembered because of various writings describing both these act ...
. Among the latest generations, musicians like Andrea Bacchetti, Giulio Plotino, Sergio Ciomei, Lorenzo Cavasanti, Stefano Bagliano and Fabrizio Cipriani, as well as academics and authors like Michele Giugliano and Roberto Dillon, help in keeping the name of the city on the international spotlight in different fields among the arts, technology and culture.
Museums
* Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti
* Albertis Castle
* Doge's Palace, Genoa
* Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art
* Galata - Museo del mare
* Villa Saluzzo Serra, Galleria d'arte moderna (GAM)
* Lighthouse of Genoa
* Mackenzie Castle
* Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova
* Diocesan Museum (Genoa), Museo diocesano
* Museo di Santa Maria di Castello
*
* Museum of Contemporary Art Villa Croce
*
*
*
* Palazzo Bianco
Palazzo Bianco ( en, White Palace) is one of the main buildings of the center of Genoa, Italy. It is situated at 11, via Garibaldi (known at one time as ''Strada Nuova'', and before that, ''Via Aurea'').
It contains the Gallery of the White Pala ...
* Palazzo Reale
* Palazzo Rosso
* Palazzi dei Rolli
Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes a number of streets and palaces in the center of Genoa, in Northwestern Italy.
* The ''Strade Nuove'' (Italian language, Italian for "Ne ...
* Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria
The Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria, also known as Palazzo Francesco Grimaldi, is a palace located in piazza di Pellicceria in the historical center of Genoa, Northwestern Italy. The palace was one of the 163 Palazzi dei Rolli of Genoa, the select ...
* Via del Campo 29 rosso
* Villa Grimaldi Fassio, Raccolte Frugone
* Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini
The Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini is a villa with notable 19th-century park in the English romantic style and a small botanical garden. The villa now houses the Museo di Archeologia Ligure, and is located at Via Pallavicini 13, immediately next to the ...
*
Promenades
Corso Italia runs for in the quartiere of Albaro, linking two neighbourhoods of Foce and Boccadasse. The promenade, which was built in 1908, overlooks the sea, towards the promontory of Portofino
Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th century ...
. The main landmarks are the small lighthouse of Punta Vagno, the San Giuliano Abbey, and the Lido of Albaro.
, promenade overlooking the sea and long, Nervi
Nervi is a former fishing village 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Portofino on the Riviera di Levante, now a seaside resort in Liguria, in northwest Italy. Once an independent '' comune'', it is now a ''quartiere'' of Genoa. Nervi is 4 miles ...
.
Promenade of the upper ring road, so-called "Circonvallazione a Monte" that includes: Corso Firenze, Corso Paganini, Corso Magenta, Via Solferino, Corso Armellini.
Walks can be made from the centre of Genoa following one of the many ancient paths between tall palaces and the "Creuze" to reach the higher areas of the city where there are magnificent places like Belvedere Castelletto, the "Righi's district", the "Santuario di Nostra Signora di Loreto", the "Santuario della Madonnetta", the "Santuario di San Francesco da Paola".
Monte Fasce gives a complete view of the city.
To reach the hinterland of the Province of Genoa one can use the Genoa – Casella, Liguria, Casella Old Railway, of railway between the Genoese mountains.
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Genoa is Sister city, twinned with:
*Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, United States
*Marseille, France
*Murcia, Spain
*Odesa, Ukraine
*Rijeka, Croatia
*Ryazan, Russia
Cooperation agreements
As of 2013, Genoa had bilateral agreements with:
*Acqui Terme, Italy
*Athens, Greece
*Azuchi, Shiga, Azuchi, Japan
*Barcelona, Spain
*Belém, Brazil
*Bogotá, Colombia
*Buenos Aires, Argentina
*Capo di Ponte, Italy
*Castelsardo, Italy
*Constanța, Romania
*Cremona, Italy
*Dalian, China
*Deva, Romania, Deva, Romania
*Guayaquil, Ecuador
*Havana, Cuba
*Kaolack, Senegal
*Kyiv, Ukraine
*Latakia, Syria
*Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the N ...
, France
*Lyon, France
*Mantua, Italy
*El Mina, Lebanon
*Moscow, Russia
*Nice, France
*Ovada, Italy
*La Paz, Bolivia
*Pizzo Calabro, Italy
*Pointe-Noire, Congo
*Polokwane, South Africa
*Saint Petersburg, Russia
*Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
*Siena, Italy
*Sousse, Tunisia
*Sumqayıt, Azerbaijan
*Turin, Italy
*Tursi, Italy
*Valparaíso, Chile
*Varna, Bulgaria, Varna, Bulgaria
*Yekaterinburg, Russia
Consulates
*Albania
*Austria
*Belgium
*Bangladesh
*Brazil
*Chile
*Colombia
*Costa Rica
*Cyprus
*Czech Republic
*Denmark
*Dominican Republic
*Ecuador
*El Salvador
*Estonia
*Finland
*France
*Germany
*Greece
*Guinea
*Haiti
*Hungary
*Kazakhstan
*Latvia
*Lithuania
*Luxembourg
*Malta
*Monaco
*Netherlands
*Norway
*Panama
*Peru
*Poland
*Portugal
*Republic of the Congo
*Romania
*Russia
*San Marino
*Senegal
*South Africa
*South Korea
*Spain
*Sweden
*Switzerland
*Thailand
*Tunisia
*Turkey
*Uganda
*List of diplomats of Great Britain to the Republic of Genoa, United Kingdom
*United States
*Uruguay
Notable people
See also
* List of tallest buildings in Genoa
Notes
References
Bibliography
* Gino Benvenuti. ''Le repubbliche marinare. Amalfi, Pisa, Genova e Venezia''. Netwon Compton, Rome, 1989.
* Steven A. Epstein; ''Genoa & the Genoese, 958–1528'' University of North Carolina Press, 1996
online edition
* Steven A. Epstein; "Labour and Port Life in Medieval Genoa." ''Mediterranean Historical Review''. 3 (1988): 114–40.
* Steven A. Epstein; "Business Cycles and the Sense of Time in Medieval Genoa." Business History Review 62 (1988): 238–60.
* Face Richard. "Secular History in Twelfth-Century Italy: Caffaro of Genoa." ''Journal of Medieval History'' 6 (1980): 169–84.
* Hughes Diane Owen. "Kinsmen and Neighbors in Medieval Genoa." In ''The Medieval City,'' edited by Harry A. Miskimin, David Herlihy, and Adam L. Udovitch, 1977, 3–28.
* Hughes Diane Owen. "Urban Growth and Family Structure in Medieval Genoa." ''Past and Present'' 66 (1975): 3–28.
* Lopez Robert S. "Genoa." In ''Dictionary of the Middle Ages,'' pp. 383–87. 1982.
* Vitale Vito. ''Breviario della storia di Genova.'' Vols. 1–2. Genoa, 1955.
* Giuseppe Felloni – Guido Laura "''Genova e la storia della finanza: una serie di primati ?" "Genoa and the history of finance: a series of firsts ?"'' 9 November 2004, (www.giuseppefelloni.it)
* Van Doosselaere, Quentin, ''Commercial Agreements and Social Dynamics in Medieval Genoa'' (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009).
* Гавриленко О. А., Сівальньов О. М., Цибулькін В. В. Генуезька спадщина на теренах України; етнодержавознавчий вимір. — Харків: Точка, 2017.— 260 с. —
External links
Official Site
* https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1211
{{Authority control
Companies based in Genoa
Genoa,
Coastal towns in Liguria
Italian Riviera
Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy
Metropolitan City of Genoa
Roman towns and cities in Italy
Capitals of former nations
World Heritage Sites in Italy