GENOA 



The people are hardy and indus- 

 trious, and make excellent sea- 

 men. Iron-working and textile 

 manufactures are carried on. Pop. 

 1,119,877. 



Genoa (Ital. Genova). City 

 and seaport of Italy, capital of the 

 It stands at the 

 head of the Gulf 

 of Genoa, between 

 the rivers Bisagno 

 and the Polce- 

 vera, 74 m. S.E. 

 of Turin. The 

 chief commercial 

 port of the coun- 

 try, it J3 the 

 seat of an arch- 



3466 



GENOA 



prov. of Genoa. 



Genoa city arms 



bishop, and possesses a university. 

 The present walls, the third of a 

 series, extend up the slopes of 

 surrounding hills whose summits 

 are crowned with strong forts, 

 batteries, and outworks, enclosing 

 detached houses, terraced gardens, 

 orange groves, and open country. 

 Erected in 1626-32, their circuit is 

 nearly 12 m., and they are pierced 

 by eight gates. 



The old city has short, narrow, 

 and dark streets ; the modern quar- 

 ters have broad, straight thorough- 

 fares and fine parks and squares, 

 while suburbs stretch for miles on 

 each side. The cathedral, founded 

 in 985, and rebuilt early in the 

 12th century, has since been much 

 altered. There are many other 

 churches of the llth, 12th, 13th, 

 and 15th centuries. Of the many 

 Renaissance palaces, the most im- 

 portant are the Palazzo Municipale, 

 the Doria, the Eosso, the Bianco, 

 the Durazzo-Pallavicini, the Spin- 

 ola, the Royal, the Balbi-Senarega, 

 and the old palace of the doges. 

 Many are triumphs of architecture, 

 and most contain art treasures and 

 collections of antiquities. 



The city, which is rich in benevo- 

 lent and educational establish- 

 ments, has a university, a large 

 public library, an academy of fine 

 arts, a handsome theatre, the Carlo 

 Felice, and a Verdi institute of 

 music. The cemetery is remarkable 

 for its wealth of sepulchral monu- 

 ments. The well-appointed har- 

 bour, co-vering about 550 acres, 

 admits ships of 30 ft. draught. 

 There are a naval harbour, a ma- 

 rine arsenal, and graving, dry, and 

 floating docks. The chief exports 

 are rice, fruit, wine, oil, silk, hats, 

 hemp, flax, cheese, flour, paper, 

 soap, and marble. The main indus- 

 tries include iron- working, fruit- 

 preserving, sugar -refining, tanning, 

 vesta match and filigree making, 

 and the manufacture of cotton 

 cloth and macaroni. 



Genoa was inhabited by Greeks 

 in the 5th and 4th centuries B.C., 

 and was already important in the 



Genoa. Map of the province, showing the principal resorts of the Italian Riviera 



second Punic War. It was de- 

 stroyed by Hannibal 205 B.C., and 

 rebuilt by the Romans. On the 

 decline of the Roman Empire it 

 fell under the sway of the Lom- 

 bards and Franks. Sacked by the 

 Saracens in 936, it developed the 

 spirit of patriotism and indepen- 

 dence and the naval prowess for 

 which it has always been distin- 

 guished. Allying itself with Pisa 

 against the Saracens, Corsica and 

 Sardinia were jointly won from the 

 Moslems about 1017-1021, but the 

 division of the spoil led to jealousy 

 and a long naval war which ended 

 in the defeat of the Pisans at 

 Meloria, Aug. 6, 1284. During the 

 llth century Genoa began to take 

 under its protection the towns and 



territory of the adjoining coast ; 

 from the close of the 13th to the 

 middle of the 15th century the 

 Genoese divided with the Venetians 

 the exclusive commerce of Europe 

 in the productions of Asia. Their 

 success in commerce and banking 

 excited the jealousy of the Vene- 

 tians, and ultimately entailed open 

 hostilities. The Genoese were de- 

 feated at the naval battle of 

 Chioggia in 1380. 



Meantime intestine struggles 

 between the classes, between rival 

 noble families, and the Guelph and 

 Ghibelline feuds, weakened the 

 state, which fell successively under 

 German, Neapolitan, and Milanese 

 dominance. After Chioggia Genoa 

 became subject to France until 



Genoa. Flan of the city and harbour of the chief port of Italy 



