genova

Infobox Italian comune

name = Genoa
official_name = ''Comune di Genova''
native_name = ''Genova''
image_skyline = Collage Genova.jpg
imagesize = 270px
image_alt =
image_caption = A collage of Genoa
image_flag = Flag of Genoa.svg
image_shield = Armoiries Gênes.svg
shield_alt =
image_map =
map_alt =
map_caption =
pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_alt =
latd = 44 | latm = 24 | lats = 40 | latNS = N
longd = 8 | longm = 55 | longs = 58 | longEW = E
coordinates_type = region:IT-GE_type:city(620,000)
coordinates_display = title
coordinates_footnotes =
region = Liguria
province = Genoa (GE)
frazioni =
mayor_party = Democratic Party
mayor = Marta Vincenzi
area_footnotes =
area_total_km2 = 243.60
population_footnotes =
population_total = 610766
population_as_of = 30 June 2009
pop_density_footnotes =
population_demonym = Genovesi
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 20
twin1 =
twin1_country =
saint = John the Baptist
day = June 24
postal_code = 16121-16167
area_code = 010
website =
footnotes =
Genoa (; in Latin and, archaically, in English: ''Genua'') is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. The city has a population of about 610,000 and the urban area has a population of about 900,000. Genoa's Metropolitan Area has a population of about 1,400,000. It is also called ''la Superba'' ("the Superb one") due to its glorious past. Part of the old city of Genoa was inscribed on the World Heritage List (UNESCO) in 2006 (see below). The city's rich art, music, gastronomy, architecture and history, made it 2004's EU Capital of culture. Genoa, which forms the southern corner of the Milan-Turin-Genoa industrial triangle of north-west Italy, is one of the country’s major economic centres. , Ansaldo STS and Edoardo Raffinerie Garrone.

Etymology

''Genua'' was a city of the ancient Ligurians. Its name may derive from the Latin word meaning "knee" (genu; plural, genua), i.e. "angle", from its geographical position at the center of the Ligurian coastal arch, thus akin to the name of Geneva. Or it could derive from the Celtic root genu-, genawa (pl. genowe), meaning "mouth", i.e., estuary.

Flag

The flag of Genoa is simply a St George's Cross, a red cross on a lime white field, identical to the Flag of England and incorporated into the Flag of Georgia.

History

Ancient era and early Middle Ages

Genoa's history goes back to ancient times. The first historically known inhabitants of the area are the Ligures. A city cemetery, dating from the 6th and 5th centuries BC, testifies to the occupation of the site by the Greeks, but the fine harbor probably was in use much earlier, perhaps by the Etruscans. It is also probable that the Phoenicians had bases in Genoa, or in the nearby area, since an inscription with an alphabet similar to that used in Tyre has been found . In the Roman era, Genoa was overshadowed by the powerful Marseille and Vada Sabatia, near modern Savona. Different from other Ligures and Celt settlements of the area, it was allied to Rome through a ''foedus aequum'' ("Equal pact") in the course of the Second Punic War. It was therefore destroyed by the Carthaginians in 209 BC. The town was rebuilt and, after the end of the Carthaginian Wars, received municipal rights. The original ''castrum'' thenceforth expanded towards the current areas of Santa Maria di Castello and the San Lorenzo promontory. Genoese trades included skins, wood, and honey. Goods were shipped in the mainland up to important cities like Tortona and Piacenza. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Genoa was occupied by the Ostrogoths. After the Gothic War, the Byzantines made it the seat of their vicar. When the Lombards invaded Italy in 568, the Bishop of Milan fled and held his seat in Genoa. In 773 the Lombard Kingdom was annexed by the Frank empire; the first Carolingian count of Genoa was Ademarus, who was given the title ''praefectus civitatis Genuensis''. Ademarus died in Corsica while fighting against the Saracens. In this period the Roman walls, destroyed by the Lombards, were rebuilt and extended. For the following several centuries, Genoa was little more than a small, obscure fishing center, slowly building its merchant fleet which was to become the leading commercial carrier of the Mediterranean Sea. The town was sacked and burned in 934 by Arab pirates but it was quickly rebuilt. In the 10th century the city, now part of the ''Marca Januensis'' ("Genoese March") was under the Obertenghi family, whose first member was Obertus I. Genoa was one of the first cities in Italy to have some citizenship rights granted by local feudataries.

Middle Ages and Renaissance

. Before 1100, Genoa emerged as an independent city-state, one of a number of Italian city-states during this period. Nominally, the Holy Roman Emperor was overlord and the Bishop of Genoa was president of the city; however, actual power was wielded by a number of "consuls" annually elected by popular assembly. Genoa was one of the so-called "Maritime Republics" (''Repubbliche Marinare''), along with Venice, Pisa, and Amalfi and trade, shipbuilding and banking helped support one of the largest and most powerful navies in the Mediterranean. The Adorno, Campofregoso, and other smaller merchant families all fought for power in this Republic, as the power of the consuls allowed each family faction to gain wealth and power in the city. The Republic of Genoa extended over modern Liguria and Piedmont, Sardinia, Corsica and had practically complete control of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Through Genoese participation on the Crusades, colonies were established in the Middle East, in the Aegean, in Sicily and Northern Africa. Genoese Crusaders brought home a green glass goblet from the Levant, which Genoese long regarded as the Holy Grail. , the ancient lighthouse of Genoa. The collapse of the Crusader States was offset by Genoa’s alliance with the Byzantine Empire, which opened opportunities of expansion into the Black Sea and Crimea. Internal feuds between the powerful families, the Grimaldi and Fieschi, the Doria, Spinola, and others caused much disruption, but in general the republic was run much as a business affair. In 1218–1220 Genoa was served by the Guelph ''podestà'' Rambertino Buvalelli, who probably introduced Occitan literature to the city, which was soon to boast such troubadours as Jacme Grils, Lanfranc Cigala, and Bonifaci Calvo. Genoa's political zenith came with its victory over the Republic of Pisa at the naval Battle of Meloria in 1284, and over its persistent rival, Venice, at the naval Battle of Curzola in 1298. However, this prosperity did not last. The Black Death was imported into Europe in 1347 from the Genoese trading post at Caffa (Theodosia) in Crimea, on the Black Sea. Following the economic and population collapse, Genoa adopted the Venetian model of government, and was presided over by a doge (see Doge of Genoa). The wars with Venice continued, and the War of Chioggia (1378–1381), ended with a victory for Venice. In 1390 Genoa initiated a crusade against the Barbary pirates with help of the French and laid siege to Mahdia. After a period of French domination from 1394–1409, Genoa came under rule by the Visconti of Milan. Genoa lost Sardinia to Aragon, Corsica to internal revolt and its Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Asia Minor colonies to the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Christopher Columbus, a native of Genoa, donated one-tenth of his income from the discovery of the Americas for Spain to the Bank of Saint George in Genoa for the relief of taxation on foods. The Spanish connection was reinforced by Andrea Doria, who established a new constitution in 1528, making Genoa a satellite of the Spanish Empire. Under the ensuing economic recovery, many aristocratic Genoese families, such as the Balbi, Doria, Grimaldi, Pallavicini, and Serra, amassed tremendous fortunes. At the time of Genoa’s peak in the 16th century, the city attracted many artists, including Rubens, Caravaggio and Van Dyck. The famed architect Galeazzo Alessi (1512–1572) designed many of the city’s splendid palazzi, as did in the decades that followed by fifty years Bartolomeo Bianco (1590–1657), designer of centerpieces of University of Genoa. A number of Genoese Baroque and Rococo artists settled elsewhere and a number of local artists became prominent. The plague killed as much as half of the inhabitants of Genoa in 1656–57. In May 1684, as a punishment for Genoese support for Spain, the city was subjected to a French naval bombardment, with some 13,000 cannonballs aimed at the city. It was occupied by Austria in 1746 during the War of the Austrian Succession. In 1768, Genoa was forced to also cede Corsica to France.

Modern history

With the shift in world economy and trade routes to the New World and away from the Mediterranean, Genoa's political and economic power went into steady decline. In 1797, under pressure from Napoleon, Genoa became a French protectorate called the Ligurian Republic, which was annexed by France in 1805. This affair is commemorated in the famous first sentence of Tolstoy's ''War and Peace'':

"Well, Prince, so Genoa and Lucca are now just family estates of the Buonapartes.(...) And what do you think of this latest comedy, the coronation at Milan, the comedy of the people of Genoa and Lucca laying their petitions [to be annexed to France] before Monsieur Buonaparte, and Monsieur Buonaparte sitting on a throne and granting the petitions of the nations?" (spoken by a thoroughly anti-Boanapartist Russian aristocrat, soon after the news reached Saint Petersburg).

Although the Genoese revolted against France in 1814 and liberated the city on their own, delegates at the Congress of Vienna sanctioned its incorporation into Piedmont (Kingdom of Sardinia), thus ending the three century old struggle by the House of Savoy to acquire the city. . The city soon gained a reputation as a hotbed of anti-Savoy republican agitation (having its climax in 1849 with the Sack of Genoa), although the union with Savoy was economically very beneficial. With the growth of the Risorgimento movement, the Genoese turned their struggles from Giuseppe Mazzini's vision of a local republic into a struggle for a unified Italy under a liberalized Savoy monarchy. In 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi set out from Genoa with over a thousand volunteers to begin the campaign. Today a monument is set on the rock where the group departed from. During World War II the British fleet bombarded Genoa and one shell fell into the cathedral of San Lorenzo without exploding. It is now available to public viewing on the cathedral premises. The city was liberated by the partisans a few days before the arrival of the Allies. Since 1962, the Genoa International Boat Show has evolved as one of the largest annually recurring events in Genoa. The 27th G8 summit in the city, in July 2001, was overshadowed by violent protests, with one protester, Carlo Giuliani, killed amid accusations of police brutality. In 2007 15 officials, who included police, prison officials and two doctors, were found guilty by an Italian court of mistreating protesters. A judge handed down prison sentences ranging from five months to five years. In 2004, the European Union designated Genoa as the European Capital of Culture, along with the French city of Lille.

Geography

climate chart

Genoa
5|10.9|106
5.7|11.8|95
8|14.2|106
10.6|16.8|85
14|20.5|76
17.5|23.9|53
20.6|27.2|27
20.5|27.2|81
17.7|24.3|99
14|20.3|153
9.3|15.1|111
6.1|12|81
float=right
clear=right
source=EuroWeather
The city of Genoa covers an area of 243 square kilometres (151 sq miles) between the Ligurian Sea and the Apennine Mountains. The city stretches along the coast for about 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the neighbourhood of Voltri to Nervi, and for 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the coast to the north along the valleys Polcevera and Bisagno. The territory of Genoa can then be popularly divided into 5 main zones: the centre, the west, the east, the Polcevera and the Bisagno Valley. Genoa is adjacent to two popular Ligurian vacation spots, Camogli and Portofino.

Climate

Genoa has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: ''Csa''), with oceanic influences. Winter is mild, with an average temperature of between high and low temperatures. The driest month is July, while the wettest months are October and November. Snow generally falls once a year. Genoa is also a windy city, especially during winter when northern winds often bring cool air from central and northern Europe (usually accompanied by lower temperatures, high pressure and clear skies). Another typical wind blows from southeast, mostly as a consequence of atlantic disturbances and storms, bringing humid and warmer air from the sea.

Weather box

location = Genoa
metric first = yes
single line = yes
Jan high C = 10.9
Feb high C = 11.8
Mar high C = 14.2
Apr high C = 16.8
May high C = 20.5
Jun high C = 23.9
Jul high C = 27.2
Aug high C = 27.2
Sep high C = 24.3
Oct high C = 20.3
Nov high C = 15.1
Dec high C = 12.0
year high C = 18.6
Jan mean C = 7.9
Feb mean C = 8.7
Mar mean C = 11.0
Apr mean C = 13.7
May mean C = 17.3
Jun mean C = 20.7
Jul mean C = 23.9
Aug mean C = 23.8
Sep mean C = 21.0
Oct mean C = 17.1
Nov mean C = 12.2
Dec mean C = 9.0
year mean C = 15.5
Jan low C = 5.0
Feb low C = 5.7
Mar low C = 7.9
Apr low C = 10.6
May low C = 14.1
Jun low C = 17.5
Jul low C = 20.6
Aug low C = 20.5
Sep low C = 17.7
Oct low C = 14.0
Nov low C = 9.3
Dec low C = 6.1
year low C = 12.4
Jan precipitation mm = 106.4
Feb precipitation mm = 95.1
Mar precipitation mm = 105.8
Apr precipitation mm = 85.3
May precipitation mm = 75.6
Jun precipitation mm = 53.2
Jul precipitation mm = 26.8
Aug precipitation mm = 80.8
Sep precipitation mm = 98.6
Oct precipitation mm = 153.0
Nov precipitation mm = 110.5
Dec precipitation mm = 81.1
year precipitation mm = 1072.2
Jan precipitation days = 7.3
Feb precipitation days = 6.9
Mar precipitation days = 8.1
Apr precipitation days = 7.5
May precipitation days = 7.0
Jun precipitation days = 4.9
Jul precipitation days = 2.8
Aug precipitation days = 5.6
Sep precipitation days = 5.9
Oct precipitation days = 7.6
Nov precipitation days = 8.0
Dec precipitation days = 6.1
year precipitation days = 77.7
Jan sun = 117.8
Feb sun = 130.5
Mar sun = 158.1
Apr sun = 192.0
May sun = 220.1
Jun sun = 246.0
Jul sun = 294.5
Aug sun = 266.6
Sep sun = 201.0
Oct sun = 173.6
Nov sun = 111.0
Dec sun = 111.6
year sun = 2222.8
source 1 = Italiano della Meteorologia

cite web

|url=http://www.meteoam.it/modules.php?name=viewClinoFile&station=120&name_station=Genova |title=Visualizzazione tabella CLINO della stazione / CLINO Averages Listed for the station Genova |accessdate=

date=August 2010

Main sights

.

Infobox World Heritage Site

WHS = Genoa: ''Le Strade Nuove'' and the system of the ''Palazzi dei Rolli''
Image =
State Party =
Type = Cultural
Criteria = ii, iv
ID = 1211
Region = Europe and North America
Year = 2006
Session = 30th
Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1211
.

Churches

St. Lawrence Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Lorenzo) is the city's Cathedral, and is built in a Romanesque-Renaissance style. Other important and major churches in Genoa include the Church of San Donato, the Church of Sant'Agostino, the Oratory of San Giacomo della Marina, the Church of Santo Stefano, San Torpete and the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato. Most of these churches and basilicas are built in the Romanesque style, even though the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato is built in a rich and elaborate Baroque style.

Buildings and Palaces

The main features of central Genoa include Piazza De Ferrari, around which are sited the Opera and the Palace of the Doges. There is also a house where Christopher Columbus is said to have been born. Strada Nuova (now Via Garibaldi), in the old city, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2006. This district was designed in the mid-16th century to accommodate Mannerist palaces of the city's most eminent families, including Palazzo Rosso (now a museum), Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Grimaldi and Palazzo Reale. The famous art college, Musei di Strada Nuova and the Palazzo del Principe are also located on this street. Other landmarks of the city include the Old Harbour (Porto Antico), transformed into a mall by architect Renzo Piano, and the famous cemetery of Staglieno, renowned for its monuments and statues. The Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art has one of the largest collections of Oriental art in Europe. Genoa also has a large aquarium located in the above-mentioned old harbour. The port of Genoa also contains an ancient lighthouse, called "La Lanterna".

Parks

Genoa has 82,000 square metres 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 (96,000 sq m.) overlooking the sea, in the west the beautiful gardens of Villa Durazzo Pallavicini (265,000 sq m.). The numerous villas and palaces of the city also have their own gardens, like Palazzo del Principe, Villa Doria, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Tursi, Palazzo Nicolosio Lomellino, Albertis Castle, Villa Croce, Villa Imperiale Cattaneo, Villa Bombrini, and many more.

Promenades

. Corso Italia runs for 2.5 kilometres in the quartiere of Albaro, linking the two other neighbourhood of Foce and Boccadasse. The promenade, which was originally built in 1908, overlooks the sea, towards the promontory of Portofino, and the main landmarks are the small lighthouse of Punta Vagno, the San Giuliano Abbey, the Lido of Albaro.

Old harbour

The old harbour ("porto antico" in Italian) is the ancient part of the port of Genoa. The Genoese architect Renzo Piano 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 attractions had almost 1.7 million visitors.

Walls and Fortresses

The city of Genoa during its long history at least since IX century had been defended by different line of walls. To this day, large portions of these walls remain, and Genoa has more kilometers of walls than any other city in Italy. The main city walls are known as “Ninth century walls”, "Barbarossa Walls" (XII century), "Fourteenth century walls", "Sixteenth century walls" and "New Walls" ("Mura Nuove" in Italian), the more imposing, built in the first half of XVII century on the ridge of hills around the city, having a length of almost 20 kilometers. Some fortresses stand along the perimeter of the "New Walls" or close them.

Demographics

Historical populations

type =
footnote = Source: ISTAT 2001
1861 |242447
1871 |256486
1881 |289234
1901 |377610
1911 |465496
1921 |541562
1931 |590736
1936 |634646
1951 |688447
1961 |784194
1971 |816872
1981 |762895
1991 |678771
2001 |610307
2009 |610741
In 2007, there were 610,887 people residing in Genoa, located in the province of Genoa, Liguria, of whom 47% were male and 53% were female. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled 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 average age of Genoa residents is 47 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Genoa grew by 1%, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.85%. The current birth rate of Genoa is 7.49 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births. Genoa has the lowest birth rate and is the most aged of any large Italian city. As of 2006, 94.23% of the population was Italian. The largest immigrant group is from the Americas (mostly Ecuador): 2.76%, other European nations (mostly Albania, Ukraine, the former Yugoslavia and Romania): 1.37%, and North Africa: 0.62%. The city is predominantly Roman Catholic, with small numbers of Protestant adherents.

Administration

The Municipal Council of Genoa is led by a left-wing majority, elected in May 2007. The mayor is Marta Vincenzi, member of the Democratic Party.

Administrative subdivision

The city of Genoa is subdivided into 9 Municipi (administrative districts), as approved by the Municipal Council in 2007. _

See also

Amoco Haven tanker disaster
Genoese dialect
Ligurian language
Metropolitana di Genova

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, pp.�3–28. 1977.
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, ISBN 88-87822-16-6 (www.giuseppefelloni.it)

References

External links

Official Site

The official lighthouse website
Palazzi dei Rolli of Genoa
The Italian Institute of Technology
Genoa CFC
Unione Calcio Sampdoria
Food Wine the Italian Riviera & Genoa ISBN 978-1-892145-64-2
Genoa Video: Port of Genoa
Genoa on Wikitravel
Wikipedia in Ligurian language

genova