Genoa is the capital of Liguria and the 6th largest city in Italy.
This is the largest commercial and passenger Italian port - together with the French port of Marseille,
they are the most important and most active ports in the Mediterranean.
So I give you - 34 amazing facts about Genoa!
Buongiorno, Genoa!
1) Genoa is located in Liguria, in the north of Italy. Genoa - Known in history as one of the so-called
Maritime Republics (Repubblihce Marinare) - like Venice, Pisa and Amalfi.
The Republic of Genoa (Italian: Repubblica di Genova) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797.
The Republic of Genoa occupied the northwest coast of Italy,
included Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and many other territories throughout the Mediterranean.
2) The lighthouse, built in 1128 in Genoa, is considered the oldest surviving lighthouse in the world.
In the 15th century, the lighthouse keeper was Antonio Columbus, the uncle of Christopher Columbus.
The height of the lighthouse is 117 meters. In the XV century, the lighthouse was used as a prison.
3) Genoa - is the center of the Italian Riviera - located about 120 km south of Milan - in the Gulf of Genoa, in the Ligurian Sea.
The city stretches along the coast between the Ligurian Sea and the Apennine Mountains,
about 30 kilometers from the Voltri region to Nervi and 10 kilometers from the Poltsevera valley to Bisagno.
4) In the city on a small plot of land concentrated 40 palaces - it Palazzi dei Rolli, the medieval quarter of the aristocracy, the Mannerist monument.
The quarter was built in the 16th century.
Noble families settled here who hosted prominent figures. The quarter houses were divided into three categories.
The former could receive kings and princes, the latter - governors.
The third category of houses was intended for ambassadors. Families that hosted distinguished guests were selected by lot.
5) Genoa was also known as La Superba: means "Proud." The city received this name due to its glorious and impressive past.
6) In the Middle Ages, Genoa was an independent state. During the Crusades in their wealth and influence of Genoa surpassed many European kingdoms.
According to historians, this is the first project of centralized urban development in European history,
carried out in accordance with a previously approved plan.
7) Genoa also had its trading colonies and trading posts in the Crimea. Genoa had no small weight in the political and commercial sphere on the Black Sea,
along with the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) and the Crimean Khanate in this historical district of Ukraine.
They were located in the territory from Sevastopol to Feodosia.
8) Genoa is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, although Genoa is overshadowed by its more "glamorous" sisters - Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice.
9) The cemetery appeared here thanks to Napoleon: at a time when Liguria belonged to the French crown, he ordered all cemeteries to be taken out of the city.
That is how Staglieno appeared. Known for its beautiful tombstones made by Italian craftsmen. The necropolis was visited by Friedrich Nietzsche.
“I will remember the cemetery even when I forget the palaces,” said Mark Twain, who was here, about Staleno.
10) The main historical attractions of Genoa are Strade Nuove and Pilazzi dei Rolli (a group of 16th-century palaces).
On the Genoese streets you can see the complex architecture of the Renaissance (about 14 buildings),
including the town hall, banks, offices, clubs, antique shops and shops.
11) One of the most famous natives of Genoa is Christopher Columbus. True, there are several more cities that dispute this fact.
12) Superb Palazzo San Giorgio overlooking the sea, but in fact, in ancient times, the palace stood directly on the water.
After the battle of Korcula, between the Venetians and the Genoese, Marco Polo was imprisoned here.
13) A place of accumulation of old sides and delicious restaurants. The old port was used in the 5th century BC until the 20th century.
Today, its functions are performed by the new port.
14) The symbols of the city are the Laterna lighthouse, 117 meters high, the monumental fountain Piazza De Ferrari, the Teatro Carlo Felice and the Mazzini Gallery.
15) The central square of the city. The fountain built in 1936 is a symbol of the city.
The square is named after the Duke of Raphael de Ferrari. The philanthropist lived here in the 19th century.
16) Next to Via Garibaldi there is a panoramic elevator Castelletto Levante,
with a view of the most picturesque places in the city, from the Belvedere-Castelletto site.
17) Funiculars that rise and fall diagonally are one of those things
who are most surprised in Genoa, if you’re not used to living in steep terrain,
where the mountains “plunge” into the sea:
“Sometimes the fastest way to get to your destination is to go up the stairs or on one of the many elevators in Genoa, which rise and fall diagonally.
18) Genoa is often chosen for filming movies, music videos and commercials. Good luck began with the Lumiere brothers,
who made many documentaries in Genoa in 1912. And then Alfred Hitchcock picked up the baton, having shot in 1925 the “Garden of Delights”.
19) Genova is the most British city in Italy: English-speaking tourists have chosen it.
And some are so fond of the Ligurian capital that they decide to move here to live.
English influence is manifested in the creation of the Genoa football team in 1893 (the very first football association in Italy) and the tennis club,
which was founded in the same year. And the stereotype of poverty is attributed to the Scots.
20) In Genoa, house numbers are divided into red and black: red ones are for commercial buildings, and black ones are for private houses.
Finding the right number often becomes difficult and discourages people who come to Genoa from other Italian cities where this system does not exist.
A joke is known that "Genovez’s people save even on numbering, which they use twice."
21) The city is closely connected with the resort area of Versilia;
it is located in the immediate vicinity of the Cinque Terre, and has a motorway (A12) connecting Genoa with Tuscany.
22) The charm of this city is divided between past and present. As a crossroads of different peoples and cultures, it is no coincidence that the medieval name of Genoa is Yanua,
which in Latin means "door."
23) Genoa is in a single “industrial triangle” with Milan and Turin. Since the 19th century, massive shipyards have been operating in the city,
steel mills and the solid financial sector.
24) Often, foreigners confuse Genoa (Italy) with Geneva (Switzerland), because of the consonant name of Geneva - Genova
25) Genoa has been an important seaport since the 12th century, when this city turned into a shopping center for luxury goods from the East.
Genoa plays an important role as a shipbuilding center. During the Second World War, the Genoese port suffered great damage from bombing,
but was rebuilt and modernized after the war.
26) Genoa - the city of Columbus (here he was born). Yes, the great navigator Christopher Columbus was actually a Genoese born in 1451.
In fact, he donated part of his income from discovering the Americas to his hometown in favor of the poor.
It was from this port that he went on a trip in 1492. Today his house is a monument.
27) The popular lottery or "lotto", which is now practiced in all countries of the world,
was introduced by the Genoese Benedetto Gentile in his hometown of Genoa in the 17th century.
In fact, the residents were so passionate about the lottery that the authorities finally had to ban this lottery game.
28) Although the American Levi Strauss is considered the inventor of jeans, but that Genoa produced fabric called «jean» or «jeane» sew blue pants.
Cotton velvet, which was used for jeans, actually originates in Genoa. When Strauss left Europe and departed for New York in 1851,
he took these fabrics with him, and later the legendary Levy jeans appeared. The term jeans comes from Genes, that is, Genoa.
29) In Genoa, meat is not a priority of local cuisine: due to the location of the city (near the sea,
where it is difficult to grow cattle), seafood, fish, olives and various types of bread are popular in national cuisine.
Also popular are green garlic, nuts, parmesan, olive oil and basil - the basis of Italian pesto sauce - an invention of the 16th century Genoa.
Pesto alla Genovese - from the Genoa verb pesta, which means "to crush."
30) The first insurance company and the first bank in the world did not appear in Switzerland at all:
- The oldest insurance company in the world, Tam Mari Quam Terra, opened in Genoa in 1424
- Bank BANCA MONTE DEI PASCHI DI SIENA dates back to the 12th century.
The first registered Public Bonds Agreement and the Foreign Currency Agreement relate to 1150 and 1156, respectively.
31) The largest aquarium in Italy, Acquario di Genova, is one of the largest aquariums in Europe.
It was built in 1992 by the local architect Renzo Piano; covers an area of 27,000 square meters
and accommodates approximately 15,000 animals brought from different reservoirs of the world.
The aquarium maintains conditions very similar to the natural habitats of animals. Genoa aquarium attracts more than a million visitors annually.
32) Every year in October in Genoa, there is a violin festival - the Paganiniana festival - in honor of the most famous violinist in the world, Niccolo Paganini.
This is one of the most famous festivals of its kind in the world. The Paganini Festival takes place at the Palazzo Doria-Tursi Museum on Strade Nuova.
And every year one of the violinists gets a happy opportunity to play the violin by the maestro, which was made in 1743.
33) Genoa has a border subtropical and Mediterranean climate.
In the coldest months: December-January-February, the average temperature is 12 ° C during the day and 6 ° C at night.
In the warmest months - July and August - the average temperature is 27.5 ° C during the day and 21 ° C at night.
Genoa's temperate climate contrasts sharply with areas beyond the Ligurian mountains, such as Parma, where summers are hotter and winters colder.
34) Genoa Airport is geographically located in the most protected part of the Ligurian Sea;
Genoese airport occupies about five hundred hectares of land and is partially located on the surface of the water.
Thank the Аuthor
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