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127-490: Bogliasco borders the following municipalities: Genoa , Pieve Ligure , and Sori . As archaeological findings proved, the area of Bogliasco was inhabited since Paleolithic and Mesolithic times. The evidence of the Roman presence was found on the slopes of Mount Cordona, finds dating back to the Roman imperial era have been found, confirming the hypothesis that even then the path that from Fontanabuona Valley headed towards

254-411: A common storm track . Due to its position between the sea and mountains over 1000 meters high, each neighborhood of Genoa has specific climatic characteristics. The average yearly temperature is around 20 °C (68 °F) during the day and 14 °C (57 °F) at night. In the coldest months, the average temperature is 12 °C (54 °F) during the day and 6 °C (43 °F) at night. In

381-453: 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. There are on average 11.57 days annually with thunder, which is more common from May to October than other times of

508-907: A few years before the end of the 1st century BC, calls Genoa "the emporium of the Ligurians." The city is also mentioned as an oppidum in the list concerning the Ligurian region that Pliny the Elder compiled in the third chapter of his Naturalis historia , situating it between the Porcifera and Fertor rivers (normally identified with the Polcevera and Bisagno streams): Flumen Rutuba, oppidum Album Intimilium, flumen Merula, oppidum Album Ingaunum, portus Vadorum Sabatium, flumen Porcifera, oppidum Genua, fluvius Fertor, portus Delphini, Tigulia intus, Segesta Tiguliorum, flumen Macra, Liguriae finis. While

635-421: A few years earlier, pointing out how its conformation, endowed with numerous changes in the elevation of the terrain, makes the flat area much less than it actually is: Mr. Cevasco says that it has 896 hectares, with some more fractions [...] Such a vast surface may seem incredible, but you will want to consider that the flat surface, that is, horizontally, is only 164 hectares, and that the mountainous part, which

762-609: A large portion of the trade of the Byzantine Empire , Tripoli (Libya), the Principality of Antioch , Cilician Armenia , 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. The commercial and cultural rivalry of Genoa and Venice was played out through the thirteenth century. Thanks to

889-412: 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

1016-534: A radical transformation of the Fiera di Genova , with the creation of a new dock and an urban park, the continuation of Corso Italia towards Porta Siberia and the construction of residential structures. In 2018, the first planning and study works began for the realization of the Waterfront of Levante project. From 21 April to 6 May 2018, Euroflora 2018 took place, an exhibition of flowers and ornamental plants for

1143-507: A railway station on the line Pisa - La Spezia -Genoa; nearby there is a gate on the A12 Motorway connecting Rome to Genoa. The other main road is the modern Via Aurelia . This Liguria location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Genoa Genoa ( / ˈ dʒ ɛ n oʊ ə / JEN -oh-ə ; Italian : Genova [ˈdʒɛːnova] ; Ligurian : Zêna [ˈzeːna] )

1270-602: A red cross. At the top it is inscribed with 'justice', in this manner. There was also a historiographical tradition claiming that the flag of England was derived from the Genoese flag, which derives from the Knights Templar 's red cross, during the Third Crusade in 1190; however, it cannot be substantiated as historical. The city of Genoa covers an area of 243 square kilometres (94 sq mi) between

1397-612: A small part of those that originally constituted the necropolis. More recent work related to events hosted by the city has led to the discovery of early medieval burials in Via San Lorenzo (in 2001, during road resurfacing work for the Genoa G8) and a burial mound in the Acquasola area (in 2008, during work for the subway). The latter discovery, according to some initial analyses, could refer to settlements temporally preceding

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1524-707: Is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria , and the sixth-largest city in Italy . In 2023, 558,745 people lived within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 813,626 inhabitants, more than 1.5 million people live in the wider metropolitan area stretching along the Italian Riviera . On the Gulf of Genoa in the Ligurian Sea , Genoa has historically been one of

1651-580: Is also known for its narrow lanes and streets that the locals call "caruggi". Genoa is also home to the University of Genoa , 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 , music and cuisine allowed it to become the 2004 European Capital of Culture . It is the birthplace of Guglielmo Embriaco , Christopher Columbus , Andrea Doria , Niccolò Paganini , Giuseppe Mazzini , Renzo Piano and Grimaldo Canella , founder of

1778-413: Is articulated in a maze of squares and narrow caruggi (typical Genoese alleys). It joins a medieval dimension with following 16th century and Baroque interventions (the ancient Via Aurea, now Via Garibaldi ). Historic center of Genoa The historic center of Genoa is the core of the old town organized in the maze of alleys ( caruggi ) of medieval origin that runs - from east to west - from

1905-407: Is cut by rivulets in many small valleys, offers a surface two and three times as large as it would have if it were flattened by filling the ravines. The text then gives these surface figures (in hectares ) for the six sestieri as they were delimited at the time: The municipality of Genoa, for the urban units covering the two districts related to the city center, provides these area values (not all

2032-456: Is said to derive from the presence of a pond rich in algae, hence the greenish color, fed by the Sant'Ugo stream (a legend has it that it was the saint himself who caused the water that fed the pond to gush out). The historic center is traditionally divided into six areas called sestieri : ( Prè , Portoria , Molo , Maddalena , San Vincenzo (Genoa) , San Teodoro), with the historical trace of

2159-623: 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

2286-664: Is there certain evidence of their actual existence, eventual location and extent, or their eventual modification over time. Following the annexation to the Lombard kingdom, Bishop Forte fled the city, taking shelter with the Pope in Rome, and it would be his successor, St. John the Good (a descendant of a noble family from the Gulf of Paradise), who brought the seat of the curia of Milan back to

2413-716: The Bisagno stream to overflow. In 1987 the Banco di San Giorgio was established. In 1992 Genoa celebrated the Colombiadi or Genoa Expo '92 , the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the American Continent by Christopher Columbus . The area of the ancient port of Genoa is restructured and expanded also with the works of the architect Renzo Piano . The 27th G8 summit , that took place in July 2001,

2540-696: The Gothic War , the Byzantines made it the seat of their vicar . When the Lombards invaded Italy in 568, Bishop Honoratus of Milan 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

2667-572: The House of Grimaldi , among others. Genoa, which forms the southern corner of the Milan-Turin-Genoa industrial triangle of Northwest Italy , is one of the country's major economic centers. A number of leading Italian companies are based in the city, including Fincantieri , Leonardo , Ansaldo Energia , Ansaldo STS , Erg , Piaggio Aerospace , Mediterranean Shipping Company and Costa Cruises . The city's modern name may derive from

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2794-587: The House of Savoy , contravening the principle of restoring the legitimate governments and monarchies of the old Republic. 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 , MS  Augustus , SS Rex , SS Andrea Doria , SS Cristoforo Colombo , MS Gripsholm , SS Leonardo da Vinci , SS Michelangelo , and SS SeaBreeze . In 1854,

2921-573: The Latin 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

3048-558: The Ligurian Sea and the Apennine Mountains . The city stretches along the coast for about 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the neighbourhood of Voltri to Nervi, and for 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the coast to the north along the valleys Polcevera and Bisagno . 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

3175-529: The Lombard king Alboin , found refuge in Genoa, where it remained for about 80 years. The curia settled in the area of what is now Piazza Matteotti, building a church there, dedicated to St. Ambrose , patron saint of Milan, which over the centuries became the present Church of Jesus and Saints Ambrose and Andrew. According to reports two centuries later by Paul the Deacon in his Historia Langobardorum , at

3302-601: The Riviera was used as a transit place by Roman legions . Another testimony of the Roman presence can be found in the so-called "Roman" bridge which crosses the stream almost at its outfall. The current construction dates back to the 13th century AD, but radical restructuring was carried out in the 17th century. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the Byzantine and Lombard domination, Liguria

3429-533: The Twelve Apostles and from the sixth century to St. Syrus himself , would be begun in the area west of the civitas . Due to some letters (dated 507 and 511) by which Theodoric the Great granted the restoration of an old synagogue, there is information about the presence of a Jewish community in the city in the early 6th century. In 569 the curia of Milan , ruled by Honoratus Castiglioni, fleeing from

3556-761: The domus , adjacent to the corner of the church of St. Ambrose, the remains of a water pipe, made (or perhaps simply restored) in the 3rd century, were found during the same excavations. Other finds, from the Republican and even later periods, were made in nearby areas, such as those in 1986 in the area occupied by the Scuole Pie Church . After the beginning of the Christian era, some legends, taken up by medieval and Renaissance writers such as Jacobus de Voragine and Agostino Schiaffino, have it that St. Peter and Saints Nazarius and Celsus passed through

3683-480: The hill of Carignano on one side, the sea and the fort called Castelletto today on the other. The writer states: It included the oppidum , now the Molo district, with its narrow streets (n. : it refers to the caruggi ) full of people, the heart and cradle of the city, which foreigners rarely visit, and in which there is at least one beautiful thing: the ancient and unique church of Santa Maria di Castello, which

3810-609: 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 through a foedus aequum (equal pact) in the course of the Second Punic War . The Carthaginians 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

3937-454: The 12th and 13th centuries, when a cemetery was created connected to the nearby church of St. Ambrose, but by that time the walls that made up the building had probably already collapsed. An epigraph dedicated to Fortuna Redux was also found in the excavations, probably belonging to some religious building or monument that existed in the area in Roman times. A short distance from the remains of

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4064-471: The 18th and 19th centuries), as well as restoration and extension works on buildings and streets, have repeatedly brought to light numerous ruins and objects related to early city settlements or the later Roman period. During excavations for the construction of the subway, a 12-meter-long dry-stone wall with nearby remains of hearths and a canal were found in the area adjacent to the Brignole train station ,

4191-414: The 2024 European Capital of Sport. On March 7, 2024, Mayor Marco Bucci presented the vision of Genoa 2030, a development and urban renewal plan for Genoa to be completed in 2030. 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 until at least 958, but the Genoese transferred their allegiance to Saint George (and Saint John

4318-524: The Baptist ) at some point during the 11th or 12th century, most likely with the rising popularity of the military saint during the Crusades . 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

4445-577: The Etruscan presence also include a probable boundary stone , containing the Etruscan-language inscription mi nemetiés , identified in the area of the former convent of San Silvestro and dated around the first half of the fifth century B.C. Adding to the difficulty in reconstructing this period of the city's history, there is also the fact that not even the later Latin sources (at least those that have come down to us) report information on

4572-498: The Genoese colony of Caffa 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 credited with the invention of blue jeans . Genoa's jean fabric was a fustian textile of "medium quality and of reasonable cost", very similar to cotton corduroy for which Genoa

4699-598: The Hospitallers who had a shelter and church there in the late Middle Ages ). The presence of the wall (believed after studies to be the retaining wall of a road), as well as the probable remains of a pile-dwelling found during work in the area of the present-day Piazza della Vittoria (the dating of which would date it to a period between 4790 B.C. and 4460 B.C.), led archaeologists of the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Liguria to assume that there

4826-889: The Municipal Council in 2007. Notable to the city are the Palazzi dei Rolli , included in UNESCO World Heritage Site 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 Podestà o di Nicolosio Lomellino, Palazzo Reale , Palazzo Angelo Giovanni Spinola , Palazzo Pietro Spinola di San Luca and Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria . Genoa's historic centre

4953-708: The Philippines which he subjugated to the Christian Presidio of Zamboanga . Curiously, Zamboanga's Chavacano Creole language, has Italian vocabulary and cognates. 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

5080-601: The Republic of Genoa, in a self proclaimed Corsican Republic in 1755 under the leadership of Pasquale Paoli , son of Giacinto Paoli. The Republic of Genoa continued its slow decline well into the 18th century, losing its last Mediterranean 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 , caused some consternation in

5207-625: The Republic. Consequently, the Republic of Genoa signed a secret treaty with the Bourbon allies of Kingdom of France , Spanish Empire 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

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5334-451: The Roman period (2nd century BC) were found. According to early research there would also be traces of canalization, in which water taken from streams originating from the Righi area flowed, and the terrain would show the presence of terracing. After the reconstruction the city's port, and consequently the city itself, grew in importance. In 147 B.C. the Roman consul Postumius Albinus began

5461-630: The Sarzano hill shows nothing of the original buildings, but highlights the Embriaci tower , the convent of Santa Maria di Castello , and the Campopisano esplanade, a symbol of the naval victory of the Republic of Genoa over the neighboring Maritime Republic of Pisa . Numerous burials, containing urns (cremation was used, as in much of the ancient world) and grave goods, have also been found in

5588-665: The Val Polcevera mudstones (with some outcrops, especially in the Granarolo area), which form the base of the flysch of the earlier formation; Piccapietra marls (Portoria area and part of the Maddalena and Molo districts), dating from the Pliocene . There were several streams and creeks in the area, which over the centuries were covered and/or channeled into the city sewer system to obtain new building areas. Some terms in

5715-544: The ancient districts of what was once the capital of the Republic of Genoa being maintained. This subdivision falls outside the one that sees the municipal territory organized into more than a dozen wards (or municipalities): the six sestieri are currently included in the territory of the Municipi I Centro Est and II Centro Ovest (for the sestiere of San Teodoro alone). Streets and alleys traditionally were paved with stones or bricks, which composed various designs, from

5842-481: The area of the historic center: the aforementioned work on the construction of Via XX Settembre brought to light 73 tombs in the upper part of the street and around Piazza De Ferrari , which with work in the area in the following decades came to 121 (late 1960s). It is estimated that this necropolis had been used between the fifth and third centuries B.C. The tombs, part of which had already been looted or damaged in ancient times, each contained several urns and were, for

5969-554: The area of today's Matteotti Square (near the Ducal Palace). Excavations in the area, carried out on several occasions since 1975, identified the first use of the area in the final period of the Roman Republic (1st century B.C.) The building, passing through numerous modifications and periods of decay, would remain in use until the 7th century. According to the findings, the area would have undergone heavy modifications in

6096-411: The area was used as a sort of dumping ground by ships. As for the earliest, more developed settlements, in pre-Roman times , it is believed that the hill of Sarzano (also known as di Castello or Colle del Castello , perhaps from the early medieval castle on the site, later to become the convent of San Silvestro), from which the underlying stretch of sea could be controlled, and its beach, were among

6223-593: The average 2.9 of nights recorded temperatures of ≤0 °C (32 °F) (mainly in January). The coldest temperature ever recorded was −8 °C (18 °F) in February 2012; the highest temperature ever recorded during the day is 38.5 °C (101 °F) in August 2015. Average annual number of days with temperatures of ≥30 °C (86 °F) is about 8, four days in July and August. Average annual temperature of

6350-492: The centre of the Ligurian coastal arch. The Latin name, oppidum Genua , is recorded by Pliny the Elder ( 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". The city's area has been inhabited since

6477-417: The city in May 1684 for its support of Spain during the War of the Reunions . In-between, a plague killed as many as half of the inhabitants of Genoa in 1656–57. In 1729, the Republic of Genoa must cope with the beginning of the Corsica revolution for the independence, first led by Luiggi Giafferi and Giacinto Paoli, which culminated after 26 years of struggles, costly in economic and military terms for

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6604-439: 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 and Portofino . In the metropolitan area of Genoa lies Aveto Natural Regional Park . Genoa has a Mediterranean climate ( Csa ) in the Köppen climate classification , with plentiful precipitation due to its location on

6731-403: The city during the first century. Another legend has it that St. Lawrence and Pope Sixtus II stopped in the city on their way to Spain, being housed in a house located in the area of today's Cathedral of St. Lawrence , where, after their killing, a chapel and then a church dedicated to the saint would rise. Based on archaeological findings, a stable Christian community was certainly present in

6858-406: The city of origin, although on the date of Forte's departure from Genoa and this relocation there is no unambiguousness in the sources. After the destruction of the walls by Rothari, the expansion of ancient Genoa and the need to defend itself from the assaults of enemies, as had been the Lombards first and the Saracens later, would lead, starting a few centuries before the year one thousand, to

6985-439: The city two months later. The Republic of Genoa, in a weak state and not capable of suppressing the Corsican struggle for independence, was forced to cede Corsica to France in 1768 Treaty of Versailles . Only a year later, Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica. In 1780, the Confetteria Romanengo was founded in Genoa. The direct intervention of Napoleon (during the Campaigns of 1796 ) and his representatives in Genoa

7112-442: 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 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. In 1917 Lloyd Italico insurance company

7239-438: The city's toponymy refer to these streams, for example in the street at the Ponte Reale (connecting Piazza Banchi to Piazza Caricamento), where the term " Reale " would not mean royalty, but would be a deformation of rià ( rio , or stream, in Genoese ), from the riale di Soziglia (i.e., Soziglia stream) that flowed in the area. Another example would be Piazza Acquaverde (opposite the Piazza Principe train station ), whose name

7366-440: The city. Starting from 2021, the Mayor Marco Bucci and the President of Liguria Giovanni Toti will launch a new plan for the modernization and redevelopment of the entire city of Genoa, which has as its fulcrum Renzo Piano's Levante Waterfront project. From 23 April 2022 to 8 May 2022, Euroflora 2022 took place for the second time at the Nervi Parks. In 2023 Genoa becomes the finish of The Ocean Race . In 2024 Genoa becomes

7493-403: The collapse of the Morandi Bridge and its rapid reconstruction with a new viaduct designed by architect Renzo Piano, which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic , facilitated by a redefinition of the implementing rules of public procurement, which has been defined as the Genoa model, they will then give further impetus to the construction of the Levante Waterfront, and other important works for

7620-592: The construction of several walls , of increasingly wider radius, to protect the built-up area, which in later centuries, when not included in new defense works, would be incorporated by the built-up area itself, demolished or buried to make room for new buildings. Between 848 and 889 a first new city wall was built, partly with the financial help of the Carolingians , equipped with four gates (Porta San Pietro, Serravalle, Castri and Soprana gates) and four towers (Castelletto, Luccoli, Castello and Friolente), encompassing an area of about 20 hectares. Francesco Maria Accinelli,

7747-431: The construction of the Via Postumia , which connected Genoa with Aquileia , equipped with a river port accessible from the Adriatic Sea . Genoa then became, during the reign of Gaius Julius Caesar , the most important port in Cisalpine Gaul . Finds and research in recent decades suggest that Genoa was crossed by a number of Roman roads, the route of which, however, is not certain and may have changed over time. One of

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7874-502: The construction of the Via Aemilia Scauri cut off the city and the entire coast from direct trade to southern France (then part of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis ), it had probably prevented the territory from being caught up in the passage of armies in the subsequent civil wars of 49-45 B.C. and 44-31 B.C. A certain regularity in the streets that make up the medieval historic center (roughly comprised between present-day Via San Lorenzo, Via Filippo Turati, Salita Pollaioli and

8001-456: The crusaders, mainly during the siege of Antioch 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 led by Guglielmo Embriaco 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

8128-409: 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 . An amphitheater was also found there among other archaeological remains from the Roman period. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire , the Ostrogoths occupied Genoa. After

8255-472: The discoveries that have occurred since the end of the 19th century and the subsequent study of the finds has a clearer (albeit partly incomplete) view of the city's real past become available. However, many of the publications describing the city's history up to the mid-19th century did not address the question of the location of the earliest settlements or the period in which they originated. Reconstructions of past centuries did not always prove to be accurate in

8382-428: The discovery of the Americas for Spain to the Bank of Saint George 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 (such as chattel slavery) were crucial in

8509-418: 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.

8636-405: The exception of those that show the city and its inhabitants engaged in the wars of the Romans, often in a position opposite to that of the other Ligurian tribes and towns. Genoa, like other Ligurian towns, was probably linked to Rome by economic and political motives as early as the 4th century BCE. During the Second Punic War the city, regarded as foedus aequum in Roman international politics,

8763-422: The exploration and exploitation of the New World. Thereafter, Genoa underwent something of an associate of the Spanish Empire , with Genoese bankers, in particular, financing many of the Spanish crown's foreign endeavors from their counting houses in Seville . Fernand Braudel 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

8890-450: The ferry company Costa Crociere was founded. In 1861 the Registro Italiano Navale Italian register of shipping was created, and in 1879 the Yacht Club Italiano . The owner Raffaele Rubattino in 1881 was among the founders of the ferry company Navigazione Generale Italiana which then become the Italian Line . In 1870 Banca di Genova was founded which in 1895 changed its name to Credito Italiano and in 1998 became Unicredit . In 1874

9017-411: 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 , was founded probably by the ancient Ligures (which gave the name to the modern region of Liguria ) 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

9144-680: The finds found in Castello Hill, thus proving that the first settlements in this area of the city center undergoing works would predate what has been believed so far. While the Etruscans probably traded with local populations even before the 6th century B.C., it was only with the partitioning of areas of influence in the Mediterranean Sea that occurred after the Battle of Alalia (c. 540 B.C.) that ancient Genoa came strongly into

9271-507: The first inhabited places in the center of Genoa. Precisely in order to verify the thesis that saw the Sarzano hill as the site of pre-Roman settlements (specifically a possible boundary wall), the first archaeological excavations carried out explicitly in the area for research purposes were carried out in 1939 by Luigi Bernabò Brea : the area investigated was the one on which rested part of the (destroyed) church of Santa Maria in Passione, but

9398-645: The first time in the Parchi di Nervi venue, rather than in the historic venue of the Fiera di Genova . On 14 August 2018 the Ponte Morandi viaduct bridge for motor vehicles collapsed during a torrential downpour, leading to 43 deaths. The remains of the Ponte Morandi 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 tragedy of

9525-404: 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: And the lord of this place has as his ensign a white pennant with

9652-630: The floods of 2010, 2011 and 2014, with the reconstruction and expansion of the coverage of the Bisagno stream . Furthermore, work began for the completion of the underground stream channel of the Ferreggiano river, which flooded several times in various floods, including the most tragic one in 1970. In 2017, the architect Renzo Piano donated the design of the Levante Waterfront to the Municipality of Genoa; this project involves

9779-661: The former in the latter and continuing towards the west. The city of Genoa is featured in the Tabula Peutingeriana , a medieval reproduction of a Roman map, which showed the main routes of the Empire, and which is believed to have been compiled in later stages, probably starting in the second century B.C. (the Via Aemilia Scauri , built only in 109 B.C., being omitted from it). Strabo in his Geographica (book IV, chapter 6), published in its first version

9906-519: The geographer Strabo when the latter stated how in Genoa nothing was sold but honey, cattle, hides, wine, and oil. Aubert believed that the historic city occupied the same geographical position as the time in which he was writing, between the Lighthouse (not the Lanterna , but the old lighthouse on the pier that illuminated the entrance to the port in antiquity), which dates from Roman times, and

10033-584: The hands of the Allies in World War II, which were followed by related reconstructions, have given rise to a very heterogeneous building situation, with streets and squares where, within the space of a few dozen meters, buildings can be found separated from each other by centuries of history. Most of the ancient buildings that make up the historic center date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, although they have often undergone later modifications. The area of

10160-707: The hill of Carignano (Genoa) to the Genova Piazza Principe railway station , close to what was once the Palazzo del Principe , residence of Admiral Andrea Doria . Urbanistically, the area is part of Municipio I Centro-Est . However, the current municipal area was created by the merger, which took place on several occasions starting in the second half of the 19th century, of historic Genoa with adjacent municipalities and towns (now neighborhoods), some of which have more or less ancient historic centers of their own and have been urbanistically revolutionized over

10287-416: The hill of Castello) and the fact that even the few finds of buildings of Roman origin unearthed in the area seem to have an orientation compatible with this arrangement, has led to the assumption that a military encampment existed in the area, from whose shape the neighborhood would have developed. However, there is no firm evidence to support this hypothesis. The remains of a Roman domus were found in

10414-530: The hill was probably flattened, and terracing was built along its sides. Until the recent discoveries in the area of Brignole and the mouth of the Bisagno River, mentioned just above, which have raised new questions about the location of the first city nucleus, it was believed that the port city of Genoa at that time most likely included the area corresponding roughly to the Molo district . Centuries later,

10541-420: The hill, after bombings had destroyed the convent of San Silvestro, showed that layers as much as four meters thick were present in the area, with ruins, walls and stones used in earlier construction. The construction of dwellings began around the 6th century B.C. and continued until the 2nd century B.C., while around the 4th century B.C. the area was protected with an initial enclosure of drystone walls. The top of

10668-520: The hill, but in an intermediate area between it and the port, between the present Via di San Bernardo and Via di Canneto il Lungo, in the Molo sestiere . The author and traveler Henry Aubert, in his essay Cities and People of Italy ( Villes et gens d'Italie , published in Paris in 1923), provides a concise portrait of the historic center of a city- emporium , defined as nothing more than a marketplace with no political importance. Aubert cannot help but quote

10795-604: The historic center is bounded by the watersheds that divide it from the Polcevera Valley to the northwest and the Bisagno Valley to the northeast. Geologically, it consists of three types of geological formations: the marly limestones of Mount Antola (Carignano and Sarzano areas, as well as the area between Righi and Castelletto and the Lanterna area), dating from the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene periods;

10922-468: The historic center, due to the orography of the area, varies, even greatly, depending on the criteria and method used to estimate it. In the Dizionario geografico storico-statistico-commerciale degli Stati di S. M. il Re di Sardegna Volume 7 (published in 1840) by Goffredo Casalis, the surface area of the town is estimated, also using data from M. Cevasco's Statistique de la ville de Genes , published

11049-428: The hypotheses involves the bifurcation of the road coming from the east at the height of the necropolis in the present-day Acquasola area: from there one road would have transited between the hill of Sant'Andrea and the hill of Castello, then reaching the harbor area and skirting the shore, while the second would have taken a more northerly route, through what would become the sestieri of Portoria and Maddalena, rejoining

11176-469: 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 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 , founded in 1407,

11303-409: The largest). The high density of buildings, especially after the enormous building growth that began with the 18th century, nevertheless makes it one of the historical centers with the highest population density: about 23,000 inhabitants live in the oldest area (also including the port area), distributed in 2305 buildings (value as of 1999) on a volume of about 10 million cubic meters. The area of

11430-412: The light of new discoveries, and it often occurred that they contained errors, due to a lack of archaeological sources and/or an attempt to locate elements of the ancient city based on those, more modern, of Genoa visible at the time when these hypotheses were made. The habit of building on existing structures (often recycling materials salvaged from earlier constructions, even from places outside Genoa),

11557-667: The loss of Chios to the Ottoman Empire (1566), struck a severe blow. To help cope, Panama in the Americas was given as concession from the Spanish Empire to Genoa. The Genoese there encountered coconuts from the Philippines which drifted or were planted there by Malay seafarers before Spain came. The Spanish governor of Panama, Don Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera sailed west from the Americas and used Peruvians, and Genoese from Panama in his conquest of Muslim areas of

11684-575: The major role played by the Republic of Venice in the Fourth Crusade , Venetian trading rights were enforced in the eastern Mediterranean and Venice was able to gain control of a large portion of maritime commerce in the region. To regain control of local commerce, the Republic of Genoa allied with Michael VIII Palaiologos , emperor of Nicaea , who wanted to restore the Byzantine Empire by recapturing Constantinople . In March 1261

11811-419: The mid-3rd century and used the very area of St. Lawrence as its burial place (but the cemetery that was present was already used in Roman times), however, there is no certainty about the identity and exact sequence of the first bishops of the city's diocese , the best known of whom is St. Syrus . By his work, or that of his predecessor Felice, the construction of Genoa's first cathedral, initially dedicated to

11938-400: The more linear ones, such as parallel-row or herringbone placement, to more complex ones. The stone slabs were usually of two sizes, a thin and long type (about 12–15 cm by 70–75 cm), called " cordonini ," and a wider type (24–26 cm by 50-60 com) called " tacchi ," and sometimes these were alternated with bricks or flanked by cobblestones. In churchyards or palace gardens sometimes

12065-623: The most important ports on the Mediterranean : it is currently the busiest in Italy and in the Mediterranean Sea and twelfth-busiest in the European Union . 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

12192-514: The most part of those discovered, of a type similar to that used by the Etruscans of northern Etruria, different from that typical of the Ligurian populations of previous centuries, probably the result of a custom adopted through immigration. Historians, based on the characteristics of the tombs found (such as the greater density of them in some areas) and the discovery of the remains of other destroyed burials, believe that those identified are only

12319-485: The nearby Spinola Bridge as part of the work related to the expansion of the Genoa Aquarium with a new dolphin tank, remains of vases and amphorae, both Etruscan and Roman, were found, some of them containing fruit stones, legumes and seeds. The finds, recovered at a depth of about 13 meters, would be several hundred meters from what is estimated to have been the coastline in Roman times, leading to speculation that

12446-575: The new nobility of Sicily. Corsica was formally annexed in 1347. In the 15th century two of the earliest banks in the world were founded in Genoa: the Bank of Saint George , founded in 1407, which was the oldest state deposit bank in the world at its closure in 1805 and the Monte di Pietà of Genoa founded in 1483. Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa c.  1451, and donated one-tenth of his income from

12573-504: The numerous alterations and expansions of pre-existing buildings and churches carried out during periods of economic prosperity and growth of the city, or even the outright urbanistic revolutions caused by the growing need to improve the city's road network, as well as the destruction wrought by French bombardments in the 17th century, those related to the Savoy 's repression of the independence uprisings of 1849 , and finally those suffered at

12700-441: The origin of Genua , but merely mention it in connection with its relations with Rome. In later centuries the city of Genoa would expand into the areas near the hill of Castello, but within the boundaries from present-day Great Genoa , established in 1926, there were then settlements of other Ligurian peoples, as evidenced by the bronze Polcevera tablet from 117 BC. Records of Genoa at the time, however, are not very numerous, with

12827-493: The origin of which would date back to a period between the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. This construction would demonstrate the probable presence of small settlements in the area since the Bronze Age . A fraction of the wall was later reconstructed and displayed in the subway station that arose in the area, along with another find, namely part of the churchyard of the ancient church of Santa Maria degli Incrociati (a name given to

12954-445: The original fabric of the historic center. Slightly less than a quarter of the buildings (23.5 percent) date from the postwar period or later. Had the architects who built Genoa had space, had they been able to indulge their imaginations unhindered by their whims, they could not have found the infinite resources and variety of motifs, designs, and arrangements that gave the façades of their palaces their original character, introducing

13081-439: The patriotic and insurrectional battles of Young Italy and Giuseppe Mazzini 's Carboneria . The first hypotheses about the history of ancient Genoa, unrelated to mythology or propagandistic versions of its origins and pre-Roman period, date back to the 17th century (an example is Odoardo Ganducio's Discorso sopra l'iscrittione, ouero epitafio ritrouato a Tortona in vn marmo, d' vn decurione antico genuese , 1614), but only with

13208-471: The rest, the active city, of trade and commerce... He concludes: This is the most characteristic part of modern Genoa, the part where the medieval life took place, the part that makes it resemble Naples with its intricate, sloping streets and the gray color of its slate roofs... In the Corvetto Square area, during construction work on some buildings (in the fall of 2011), the remains of a farm from

13335-488: The results and conclusions reached are not known for sure. More systematic excavations took place in the following decades, facilitated by the work of restoring the area after the bombing suffered during World War II. The findings show that as early as the 6th century B.C. the beach was a point of exchange between merchants from the Mediterranean cities that frequented the port and the inland populations. Excavations on

13462-518: The same time as the descent of the Lombards into Italy, in the 670s, Liguria was struck by a plague, which caused numerous deaths and the abandonment of cities and pastures in the countryside as the inhabitants fled: — Paul the Deacon , Historia Langobardorum , volume 1 Between 641 and 643, the Lombard king Rothari conquered Liguria and assaulted, among others, the city of Genoa, sacking and burning some areas of it, and probably destroying

13589-536: The sea is 17.5 °C (64 °F), from 13 °C (55 °F) in the period January–March to 25 °C (77 °F) in August. In the period from June to October, the average sea temperature exceeds 19 °C (66 °F). 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 , mostly as

13716-414: The sphere of Etruscan political/cultural influence. The result of this interest in the area by the neighboring Etruscan civilization would lead to the enlargement of the settlement on Castello Hill. According to a recent theory, the name " Genoa " itself would derive from the Etruscan term " kainua " (new city), which probably could have been employed to refer to new settlements. Finds that can be linked to

13843-591: The technique of risseu , a cobblestone mosaic typical of Liguria , was used. Over the years, asphalt paving has covered some of the original pavement. In view of the original core's size of 1.13 km² (i.e., 113 hectares, the area of the Prè-Molo-Maddalena neighborhoods), it is cited as the most extensive old town in Europe. In fact, this may be considered an urban legend, as it turns out to be less extensive than, for example, Rome (1,430 hectares) and Naples (the latter, with its 1,700 hectares,

13970-447: The time of the first settlements at the base of the Sarzano hill (later named Mandraccio), artifacts were found spread over several layers, the oldest of which dated (through some wooden remains) between the 10th and 9th centuries BC, as well as layers containing artifacts (including many amphorae ) dated as belonging to the centuries between the 6th and 1st centuries B.C. In January 2013, during archaeological inspections carried out along

14097-643: The treaty of the alliance was signed in Nymphaeum . On 25 July 1261, Nicaean troops under Alexios Strategopoulos 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 and Lesbos became commercial stations of Genoa as well as the city of Smyrna (Izmir). In the same century the Republic conquered many settlements in Crimea , known as Gazaria , where

14224-545: The unexpected grandeur into every crevice. The history of the historic core of the Ligurian capital is totally linked to the city's history , from the beginnings of the construction of the first dwellings of the Ligurians on the hill of Castello, to the Roman period, along the years of the Maritime Republics (of which the annalist Caffaro di Rustico da Caschifellone , known simply as the Caffaro, kept note ), to

14351-418: The urban units listed are part of what is identified with the historic center): As written earlier, due to the frequent and continuous construction of new buildings on top of what previously existed and after the bombing of the last world war, no Roman or pre-Roman remains are visible. Over the past two centuries, remodeling works in some parts of the city (e.g., Via XX Settembre and surrounding areas between

14478-433: The walls already present, about whose actual existence, extent and position in this historical period, however, there is no shared opinion among scholars. According to several historians there were in fact defensive works present, predating those about whose existence there is certainty (due to visible remains or historical documentation), from the time of the earliest pre-Roman settlements, but for none of these fortifications

14605-463: The warmest months – July and August – the average temperature is 28 °C (82 °F) during the day and 22 °C (72 °F) at night. The daily temperature range is limited, with an average range of about 6 °C (11 °F) 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 , where summers are hotter and winters are quite cold. Annually,

14732-533: The year. Annual average relative humidity 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. The Municipal Council of Genoa is currently led by a right-wing majority, elected in June 2022. The city of Genoa is subdivided into nine municipi (administrative districts), as approved by

14859-483: The years. The major urban planning operations carried out from the first half of the 19th century to beyond the middle of the 20th (which are difficult to replicate today, given the increased interest in the protection of historic neighborhoods by the public administration), combined with the damage that occurred during World War II (many of the old buildings were destroyed during the Allied bombing raids), partly disrupted

14986-484: Was thoroughly sacked and burned by a Fatimid fleet under Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Tamimi . Genoa started expanding during the First Crusade . 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

15113-441: Was a river port at the nearby mouth of the Bisagno stream, with a settlement behind it. Reconstructions made by historians in the second half of the 20th century, prior to these findings, had identified the first port area in the area of the "ancient port," about 1.5 km (as the crow flies) west/northwest of this possible river port. There, in the area of the eighteenth-century portofranco (roughly today's Piazza Cavour), at

15240-515: Was annexed by France, becoming the départements of Apennins , Gênes , and Montenotte . Following the fall of Napoleon, Genoa regained ephemeral independence, with the name of the Repubblica genovese , which lasted less than a year. However, the Congress of Vienna established the annexation of the whole territories of the former Genoese Republic to the Kingdom of Sardinia , governed by

15367-456: Was conquered by Charlemagne ; the burgh of Bogliasco fell under the Republic of Genoa after the year 1182, suffering numerous raids from Saracen pirates. The town was destroyed by Venetian galleys in 1432. After the French domination , Bogliasco, together with the whole Liguria, was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia , and then to the newly unified Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Bogliasco has

15494-416: Was destroyed by General Mago Barca , Hannibal 's brother, in 205 BC. A few years later the propraetor Spurius Lucretius undertook the reconstruction, probably because of the strategic importance of the city and its port, due to its location that allowed both sea access to the western Mediterranean and land access to the Po Valley . The new post-reconstruction settlement probably had its center no longer on

15621-611: Was famous, and was "used for work clothes in general". The Genoese navy equipped its sailors with jeans, as they needed a fabric which could be worn wet or dry. During the Aragonese–Genoese War , Genoa was besieged and sacked by Guillem de Cervelló. As a result of the Genoese support to the Aragonese rule in Sicily , Genoa was granted free trading and export rights in the Kingdom. Genoese bankers also profited from loans to

15748-541: Was founded. From 1935 to 1940 Torre Piacentini was built in Genoa. It was one of the first skyscrapers built in Europe and, until 1954, the tallest habitable building in Italy. In 1956 Genoa took part in the Regatta of the Historical Marine Republics . In 1962 Genoa International Boat Show was established. In 1966 Euroflora was established. In 1970 Genoa was hit by a serious flood, which caused

15875-536: Was hosted in the city of Genoa; however, it was overshadowed by violent protests ( Anti-globalisation movement ), with one protester killed. In 2003, the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) was established. In 2004, the European Union designated Genoa as the European Capital of Culture for that year, along with the French city of Lille . In 2015, work began to secure the Genoa area, hit by

16002-587: 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 on 14 June 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

16129-629: Was the first cathedral of Genoa, and where lovers of historical memories can find interesting things (n. : Our Lady was crowned queen of Genoa in 1657); the Neapolis, situated behind the Oppidum , in a gorge where only the connoisseurs and the intrepid curious dare to venture; the Statio , or military city, which later became the residential city, and finally the Emporium , the raison d'être of all

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