|
Overview
Genoa may not command the
high-and-mighty spell to visitors
like Rome or Florence, it lags the
wicked charm of Naples, and does not
brag the same level of glam that
defines Milan, but its recently
designated status as the 2004's
European Capital of Culture
certainly cannot escape attention
forever. This nation's biggest sea
port is the very place where the
world's greatest seafarer
Christopher Columbus was born, and
the magnificent old town that
sprawls out on the picturesque
Italian Riviera which fascinated
Dickens back in the 1800s remains
primarily unchanged today. Genoa
does not only house Europe's biggest
aquarium and several hauntingly
beautiful cathedrals, it also offers
a convenient excursion to the
gorgeous and rustic cliffside
communities of Cinque Terre.
Whichever aspect of Genoa takes your
fancy, it's impossible to just stand
by and remain
indifferent.
History
Genoa already existed during the
pre-Roman times, but its importance
was not recognized until the 9th
century when the shipping trade
began to dominate the town's
industry. It became an independent
and powerful republic with an
outlook toward the sea during the
middle ages. However, its power
started to wane during the 14th and
16th century that France and Milan
took turn controlling it. Genoa's
power was revived by the seaman and
statesman Andrea Doria who wrote a
new constitution in 1528. It later
declined again and became part of
the French Empire until 1815 when
the Congress of Vienna sanctioned
its incorporation into Piedmont.
Genoa later became part of Italy
following the unification in the
1860s. Genoa became home to metal,
mechanical and shipbuilding
enterprises and a great merchant
port in the early twentieth
century.
Geography & Climate
Located about 120 km south of Milan
on the Gulf of Genoa, the city
occupies a narrow plain of the Po
River Valley and the western slopes
of the Apennine Mountains. It is the
capital of the Genoa province and of
Liguria. The city has a mild
Mediterranean climate with warm, dry
summers (average temperature 24º C)
and mild winters (average temperaure
8º C) where fog, snow or freezing
temperatures occur less than once a
year.
|
