Noli (; lij, Nöi ) is a coast ''

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

'' of

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

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 ...

, in the

Province of Savona The province of Savona ( it, provincia di Savona; Ligurian: ''provinsa de Sann-a'') is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Savona, which has a population of 61,219 inhabitants. The province has a total populatio ...

, it is about southwest of

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

by rail, about above sea-level. The origin of the name may come from ''Neapolis'', meaning "new city" in Greek. From 1192 to 1797 Noli was one of the maritime republics, the

Republic of Noli The Republic of Noli ( it, Repubblica di Noli; lij, Repubbrica de Nöi) was an Italian maritime republic that was centred on the city of Noli, in Liguria, and existed from 1192 to 1797. The area is now in the province of Savona, Italy. To prote ...

Geography

The bounding communes of Noli are Finale Ligure,

Spotorno , image_skyline = Spotorno.jpg , image_caption = Spotorno , image_shield = Spotorno-Stemma.png , shield_alt = , image_map = , map_alt = , map_caption = , pushpin_label_position = ...

and

Vezzi Portio Vezzi Portio ( lij, Vessi Portio) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about southwest of Genoa and about southwest of Savona. Vezzi Portio borders the following municipalities: Finale ...

History

The name ''Noli'', testified in the form ''Naboli'' in the oldest documents (between 1004 and 1005), certainly derives from a form of which means "new city" in

Byzantine Greek Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Ottoman co ...

(same etymology as for ''

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

''). The

was an independent republic from 1193 until 1797. In 1239 it became seat of a bishop; later on the diocese was united with that of Savona as the

Diocese of Savona-Noli The Italian Catholic Diocese of Savona-Noli ( la, Dioecesis Savonensis-Naulensis) in northern Italy, was historically the Diocese of Savona, from the tenth century. In 1820 the Diocese of Noli was united to the Diocese of Savona. It is a suffr ...

. The Napoleonic invasion in 1797 put an end to Noli's sovereignty.

Main sights

* Romanesque basilica of S. Paragorio (11th century) * Household and annexed Tower (14th-15th century) *

San Paragorio San Paragorio is a church located outside the Medieval walls of the town of Noli, province of Savona. It is an important monument of Romanesque architecture and it is ranked among the most beautiful buildings of this style to be seen in Liguria. ...

(5th–6th century) * Tower and Gate Papone (13th-14th centuries) * Tower of Four Sides. * Nemo's Garden (Noli)

Twin towns — sister cities

Noli is twinned with: *

Langenargen Langenargen is a town in the district of Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Sports Langenargen is an ideal venue for sports such as sailing. The town's location on the shores of the Bodensee ( Lake Constance) provides smooth waters e ...

, Germany (2005)

Personalities

* António de Noli, Italian nobleman and explorer, discoverer of some Guinea territories and Cape Verde islands on behalf of the Portuguese crown. Born in

1419, "family with origins in Noli or the Castle of Noli".According to Della Cella manuscripts "Perittissimo piloto Genovese"; on the family "l’origine si puo supponere dalla piccola Città o Castello di Noli”. Della Cella, "Famiglie Di Genova. Antiche, e moderne, estinte, e viventi, nobili, e populari". Parte II, D.E.F.G.I.L.M.N.O./ MDCCLXXXIII. Page 293

References

External links

Photographs of Noli
{{authority control Cities and towns in Liguria Maritime republics