Piazza De Ferrari is the main
square
In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...
of
Genoa
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 ...
. Situated in the heart of the city between the historical and the modern center, Piazza De Ferrari is renowned for its fountain, which was restored in recent years along with a major restyling of the square.
Today next to Piazza De Ferrari are numerous office buildings, headquarters of banks, insurances and other private companies, making of this district the financial and business centre of Genoa, so that the Genoese popularly refer to it as the "City" of Genoa. At the end of the 19th century Genoa was the main financial centre of Italy along with
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 ...
, and Piazza De Ferrari was the place where many institutions were established, like the stock exchange, the
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 ...
, the branch offices of the
Bank of Italy
The Bank of Italy ( Italian: ''Banca d'Italia'', informally referred to as ''Bankitalia''), (), is the central bank of Italy and part of the European System of Central Banks. It is located in Palazzo Koch, via Nazionale, Rome. The bank's cur ...
, founded in 1893.
Description
The square, dedicated to the Italian banker and politician
Raffaele De Ferrari
Marquis Raffaele Luigi De Ferrari, Prince of Lucedio, Duke of Galliera (6 July 1803 – 23 November 1876) was an Italian philanthropist and politician.
Raffaele was born at Genoa from an aristocratic family, he was a senator of the Kingdom of Sa ...
, duke of Galliera, has an irregular form due to urbanistic works which united two different urban areas. The square is about .
Today's shape of the ''piazza'' took form in the first two decades of the twentieth century with the creation of the three streets which converge from east: Via XX Settembre, Via Dante and Via Petrarca; and with the creation of the four
eclectic
Eclectic may refer to:
Music
* ''Eclectic'' (Eric Johnson and Mike Stern album), 2014
* ''Eclectic'' (Big Country album), 1996
* Eclectic Method, name of an audio-visual remix act
* Eclecticism in music, the conscious use of styles alien to th ...
palaces. All of this was built on the area obtained through the excavation of Colle San Andrea.
We can consider the square being built between 1899 and 1983. The four eclectic palaces are contrasted by neoclassic examples of buildings such as
Teatro Carlo Felice
The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari.
The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, and dates fro ...
and
Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti
The Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti is a tertiary academy of fine arts located in Genoa, Italy. It also houses a museum (Museo dell'Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti), which includes works of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Giuseppe Abbati, Anto ...
. Furthermore, next to Teatro Carlo Felice two streets branch out: Via Roma (elegant street enriched by boutiques and shops), flanked by Galleria Mazzini and Via XXV Aprile.
In front of the theatre is located a statue dedicated to
Giuseppe Garibaldi, built by the Italian sculptor
Augusto Rivalta
Augusto Rivalta (1835 or 1838 – April 14, 1925) was an Italian sculptor.
Biography
Rivalta was born in Alessandria, Italy, to Genoese parents. In 1859, he moved to Florence, but soon swept up in the patriotic events, he volunteered for the ...
in 1893.
At the centre of the square, in 1936, a bronze fountain was built. It was designed by the architect Giuseppe Crosa di Vergagni and it soon became one of the main symbols of the city.
During the 1990s, the square was architectonically renovated by the German urbanist and architect
Bernhard Winkler and most of the attention went to the asphalt, the fountain and
Palazzo Ducale Several palaces are named Ducal Palace (Italian: ''Palazzo Ducale'' ) because it was the seat or residence of a duke.
Notable palaces with the name include:
France
* Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, Dijon
* Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, Nancy
* ...
. The square is now almost all for pedestrians.
History
Piazza San Domenico
Where now lies the square, in the past it was nothing more than a triangular space which was named after San Domenico's Church. The church was demolished in the 1820s and on its soil was built
Teatro Carlo Felice
The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari.
The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, and dates fro ...
.
The square was enclosed by its church, a Dominican cloister, Palazzo Forcheri and other buildings. In the middle of the square there was a ''(monumental fountain)'' from the year 1536.
Linked to Piazza San Domenico were to the east Via Giulia, Via dei Sellai (now named Via Cardinal Boetto) and to the west Via San Sebastiano. Most of today's square was taken by houses which were built at the foot of Colle San Andrea, then excavated at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The nineteenth century
First half of the century
After the incorporation of the former
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 ...
to the
Sardinian Kingdom established in 1814 during 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 ...
, a decision was made and the area were now Piazza De Ferrari is located was destined to become a social and cultural place of meeting. In addition to this, it was proposed to build a theatre where was located the former complex of San Domenico.
In 1818, King
Vittorio Emanuele I authorised the demolition of the church. The church was then demolished and on its soil was built
Teatro Carlo Felice
The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari.
The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, and dates fro ...
which was inaugurated on April 7, 1828 (after two years of building).
Next to the theatre, on April 28, 1832, was inaugurated a two-stories building destined to become the headquarters of
''Accademia Ligustica'' and of ''Biblioteca Berio.''
In the following years, the square was linked to the port by the construction of Via San Lorenzo where now lies the
Cathedral of San Lorenzo
Genoa Cathedral or Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Lawrence ( it, Duomo di Genova, ''Cattedrale di San Lorenzo'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Italian city of Genoa. It is dedicated to Saint Lawrence (San Lorenzo), and is the seat of t ...
. Other than being linked to several important streets such as ''Strada Balbi'',
''Via Garibaldi'' (former ''Strada Nuova''), ''Via Cairoli'' (former ''Strada Nuovissima'') and ''Strada Giulia''.
Second half of the century
During the second half of the century, several jobs on the road network were made and the square acquired its role of fulcrum of the city.
In 1868, Via Roma was built and next to it was built a parallel covered street, Galleria Mazzini.
On December 10, 1975, one year after the death of
Raffaele De Ferrari
Marquis Raffaele Luigi De Ferrari, Prince of Lucedio, Duke of Galliera (6 July 1803 – 23 November 1876) was an Italian philanthropist and politician.
Raffaele was born at Genoa from an aristocratic family, he was a senator of the Kingdom of Sa ...
, the square was dedicated to him.
In 1893, in front of Teatro Carlo Felice was inaugurated the monument dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi, built by Augusto Rivalta and during its ceremony, many important figures were present such as:
Francesco Crispi, Stefano Canzio and
Anton Giulio Barrili
Anton Giulio Barrili (14 December 1836 – 14 August 1908), Italian novelist, was born at Savona, and was educated for the legal profession, which he abandoned for journalism in Genoa. He was a volunteer in the campaign of 1859 and served with ...
.
Until the last few years of the century, a fruit, vegetable and flower market took place in the square. The market was later moved in 1899 into the covered space of Mercato Orientale built on the northern side of Via XX Settembre.
The Twentieth Century
In 1904, the entirety of Colle Sant'Andrea was flattened and all of the houses built around it were demolished together with part of ''Barbarossa's Wall'', dated 1155.
In 1912 the ''Palazzo della Nuova Borsa'', located between Via Dante and Via XX Settembre, was inaugurated.
On April 24, 1936, at the centre of the square was inaugurated the bronze fountain, designed by Giuseppe Crosa di Vergagni, and its main bronze basin was donated by engineer Carlo Piaggio to celebrate Italy's entry into the war against
Abissinia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
.
World War II
During WWII, an air-raid destroyed
Teatro Carlo Felice
The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari.
The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, and dates fro ...
almost completely; only the perimeter walls and the neoclassic façade remained standing. The theatre was then rebuilt between 1987 and 1991. Finally in 1991 it was re-opened to the public.
Ahead of April 25, 1945, in the square there were violent battles between
partisans and the
Nazi German Army
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
. In the following days, the square witnessed events linked to the
liberation
Liberation or liberate may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War
* "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode
* "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode
Gaming
* '' Liberati ...
with the descent of the partisans from the mountains who came to participate in the liberation parade. On April 25, the enemy troops, headed by
Günter Meinhold
Gunter or Günter may refer to:
* Gunter rig, a type of rig used in sailing, especially in small boats
* Gunter Annex, Alabama, a United States Air Force installation
* Gunter, Texas, city in the United States
People
Surname
* Chris Gunter ...
, surrendered to the partisans headed by
Remo Scappini
Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumheads, drums, and hardware.
History
Drummer and founder Rem ...
(
Comitato di Liberazione Nazionale
The National Liberation Committee ( it, Comitato di Liberazione Nazionale, CLN) was a political umbrella organization and the main representative of the Italian resistance movement fighting against Nazi Germany’s forces during the German occup ...
). Meinhold signed the act of surrender in ''Villa Migone;'' at the time it was the house of the
Cardinal of Genoa.
This was the only case in Italy in which the German Army surrendered to Partisan troops and not to the allied forces, who had not arrived yet.
After the War
The square was a meeting point for most protests. In 1948, Piazza De Ferrari was where the large protest for the assassination attempt of
Palmiro Togliatti
Palmiro Michele Nicola Togliatti (; 26 March 1893 – 21 August 1964) was an Italian politician and leader of the Italian Communist Party from 1927 until his death. He was nicknamed ("The Best") by his supporters. In 1930 he became a citizen of ...
(former leader of the
Italian Communist Party
The Italian Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI) was a communist political party in Italy.
The PCI was founded as ''Communist Party of Italy'' on 21 January 1921 in Livorno by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) ...
) took place. The three gunshots were taken by Antonio Pallante, a young
anticommunist
Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...
and law student, in Rome on April 18, 1948. Protests took place in the whole country in the aftermath, but Genoa's population reacted with more intensity due to the large communist presence among the people and because Togliatti was born in Genoa, even if he moved to Sardinia early in life and lived in Turin and Russia for the majority of his adult life.
June 30th 1960
On June 30, 1960, the majority of Genoa's population was opposed to the congress of the
Italian Social Movement authorised by the government, headed by ''Demochristian''
Fernando Tambroni
Fernando Tambroni Armaroli (25 November 1901 – 18 February 1963) was an Italian politician, member of the Christian Democracy, who served as 36th Prime Minister of Italy from March to July 1960. He also served as Minister of the Interior from ...
. At the congress,
Carlo Emanuele Basile (former
prefect
Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
A prefect's ...
of Genoa during the
Italian Social Republic) would have also made an appearance, a fact which contributed to the authorisation granted by Tambroni. A major part of the protests, which happened to be violent, took place in the squar
The twenty-first century
July 2001—G8
Central access to the (red zone) during the
Group of Eight, G8 meeting in ''Palazzo Ducale'', the nearby areas were crowded by protestors who tried to enter the square. Being the square closed to the public, the protest moved to different areas of the city which caused the massacres of ''Piazza Alimonda'' and to ''Diaz School''.
Renovation Process of the Square
The square was heavily renovated during the 1990s and in the first couple of years of the 2000s for the Colombians Celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America and for the G8 meeting of 2001. The project was guided by German urbanist and architect
Bernhard Winkler. The square was widely
pedestrianised
Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...
and re-paved and the fountain was enriched with new water springs and with a supplementary basin.
Since the beginning of the 2000s, due to high consumption of water and to infiltrations in the metro station beneath the square, the new water jets were often disabled. Finally, in 2018, the streams were renovated and the water recycling system was updated.
Historical palaces
Next to the square are several historical palaces and buildings.
*The
Palace of the Doges
*The headquarters of the Ligurian Region (the former Palazzo Italia di Navigazione)
*The palace of the Ligurian Academy of Fine Arts, founded in 1741
*The
Theatre Carlo Felice, with its
neoclassic pronao designed by the Italian architect
Carlo Barabino and the
equestrian statue
An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...
of
Giuseppe Garibaldi, work of the Italian sculptor
Augusto Rivalta
Augusto Rivalta (1835 or 1838 – April 14, 1925) was an Italian sculptor.
Biography
Rivalta was born in Alessandria, Italy, to Genoese parents. In 1859, he moved to Florence, but soon swept up in the patriotic events, he volunteered for the ...
*The stock exchange building, built in 1912 by the architect Alfredo Coppedè
*The palace of the
Duke of Galliera, Raffaele De Ferrari, to whom the square is dedicated
Public transport
An underground
station of the
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 ...
opened at Piazza De Ferrari on February 4, 2005.
['']Tramways & Urban Transit
''Tramways & Urban Transit'' ''(TAUT'' or ''T&UT)'', also known as ''Modern Tramway'', is a British monthly magazine about tramways and light rail transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusi ...
'', April 2005, p. 149. Ian Allan Ltd./ Light Rail Transit Association (UK). ISSN 1460-8324. The square is also served by the
Genoa trolleybus system – by route 30 since 1997 and by route 20 since 2008.
Gallery
File:Genua - Piazza De Ferrari.jpg, Panorama of the square
File:Genova-fontana di piazza De Ferrari-050.jpg, Water playing on the fountain
File:Genova - Piazza De Ferrari.jpg, The palace of the ''New Stock Exchange''
File:Genova-DSCF8007.JPG, The Carlo Felice Theater
File:Genova-DSCF8008.JPG, The Palace of the Ligustica Academy and in the background the scenic tower of Carlo Felice
File:Genova-De Ferrari-IMG 2851.JPG, The Palace of the Italian Navigation Society (now the Liguria
it, Ligure
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
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, demographics1_title2 ...
Region)
File:Genua (10).JPG, The laterale side of the Ducal Palace
File:Piazza de ferrari palazzo d angolo.jpg, The Palace of the Italian Credit
File:Genova 12-8-05 040.jpg, The monument of the Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, pat ...
References
{{coord, 44, 24, 25.57, N, 8, 56, 3.23, E, source:itwiki_region:IT_scale:5000, display=title
Buildings and structures in Genoa
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...