Lavagna is a

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

(municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa,

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 ...

History and Culture

The village, unlike nearby

Chiavari Chiavari (; lij, Ciävai ) is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, in Italy. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. It is situated near the river Entella. History Pre-Roman and Roman Era A pre-Roman necropolis, which dates ...

which has pre- Roman evidence, seems to have developed in Roman times with the Latin name of ''Lavania''. The name has remained unchanged over the centuries until it became the current toponym of Lavagna in the following centuries. Since 1198 it was a fief of the

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

family, who used Lavagna as their stronghold in the numerous inner struggles of the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the La ...

. In 1564 it was sacked by the admiral of the Ottoman fleet Occhiali. From 1815 it was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and, later, of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...

. The city recreates

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 ...

festivities annually as the "Torta dei Fieschi" (Fieschi Cake Party), since 1949, the festivities is about a colorful parade through the Lavagna streets that reunites the inhabitants of the six medieval quarters of Lavagna, as the gigantic cake is distributed among those in the crowd who have found the matching half of their tickets. The main city sights of Lavagna are: "Church of ''Santo Stefano'' (17th century style), Church of ''Santa Giulia'' (1654), Church of ''Nostra Signora del Ponte'' (13th century), with the nearby bridge. According to the tradition, the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

crossed the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

during his travel to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Controversies

In 2016, Giuseppe Sanguineti, the former mayor of Lavagna, was arrested due to the involvement of

Ndrangheta The 'Ndrangheta (, , ) is a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate and criminal society based in the peninsular and mountainous region of Calabria and dating back to the late 18th century. It is considered one of the most powerf ...

, the Calabrian mafia, in the disposal of the municipal waste.

Notable people

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

* Fanny Cadeo, (1970) actress and showgirl

References

External links

"Official WebSite""Fieschi Cake Annual Party"

{{authority control Cities and towns in Liguria Coastal towns in Liguria