Molo | |
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![]() Map of Molo | |
Coordinates: 44°24′24″N8°55′47″E / 44.40667°N 8.92972°E | |
Country | Italy |
Region | Liguria |
Province | Province of Genoa |
Comune | Genoa |
Area | |
• Total | 0.35 km2 (0.14 sq mi) |
Population | |
• Total | 11,588 |
Area code | 010 |
Molo (Ligurian : Meu) is a neighbourhood in the old town of the Italian city of Genoa. It was one of the six sestieri of ancient Genoa. At present is part of the Genoa's city Municipio I (Centro Est).
Located close to the old harbour it had been for many centuries the seat of political and religious power of the city.
Molo takes its name from the pier (in Italian "molo") built since the 13th century by enlarging the natural spit enclosing Mandraccio cove, the oldest portion of old harbour, today filled. The Molo was further repeatedly expanded and fortified; now it is called Molo Vecchio (Old Pier), as opposite to the New Pier, built at the end of the 19th century at the western side of the port.
On 31 December 2015 there were 11,588 people living in Molo, with a population density of 33,109 people per km². [1]
Molo is located south east in the old town of Genoa and includes three zones:
Hill of Castello was the first city settlement, founded by Ligurians in the 6th century B.C., dominating Mandraccio cove, place of commercial exchange with Etruscan people and Greek colonists from Marseille. [2] [3]
This settlement was destroyed by the Carthaginian general Mago Barca during Second Punic War and rebuilt by Romans in the semi-plain area immediately behind the harbour, closest to the harbour. [3]
During the Early Middle Ages large part of the Roman city area was abandoned and became a rural area again. After the destructions caused by the Fatimid raid of 934 the city was rebuilt again. The bishop, who held both religious and political power, possessed a fortified castle on the top of the hill (which gave the name to the hill itself) and a palace near St. Lawrence cathedral. The most important feudal families built their palaces near the cathedral, in the place where later Doge's Palace was built, making this area the seat of the city power. [2] [3] [4]
Since the 10th century the town expanded outside the walls, in areas at that time rural (as a reference, at that time date the names of some streets, like "Luccoli", from the Latin "lucus", wood, "Campetto", small field and "Canneto", cane field). [5]
In the 12th century the noble families gave rise to the self-governing commune of Genoa which included the entire area within the new walls, known as Barbarossa's walls, divided in "civitas" (current Molo) and "burgus "(current Maddalena). [2] These families, constantly fighting each other, had their own private citadels in the alleys, each with a palace, a central square and sometimes a noble church, such as Doria in San Matteo and Della Volta in San Torpete.
Alongside the feudal families, since 13th century grew the importance of Arts and Crafts Associations. In that same century to protect the harbour the pier which gives the name to the neighborhood was built. Over the centuries it was extended several times, the last time in 1835.
In the second half of the 19th century the harbour was expanded, creating an area for ship repairs, with the realization of the first two dry docks.
During World War II the city was severely damaged by aerial bombings: on the top of the hill the monasteries of San Silvestro and S. Maria in Passione and many houses were completely destroyed. The subsequent depopulation caused the decline of this area, [6] situation well described in the film The Walls of Malapaga (1949).
During the last decades of the 20th century restructuring programs took place, and the neighborhood is now showing signs of recovery, with the restoration of homes and shops, the new building of Architecture department of Genoa University and cultural institution, like the Teatro della Tosse, boarding houses for students and meeting places for young people. [2] [7] [8]
During Genoa Expo '92 exhibition the area of the old harbour was redeveloped by Renzo Piano, making it suitable for public access.
The Doge's Palace, overlooking Piazza Matteotti with its neoclassical facade, was for centuries the seat of the doge of the Republic of Genoa.
The current building was designed in the late 16th century by Andrea Ceresola , but its origins date back to the late 13th century, when it was built as a seat for the Captain of the People. The palace was partially destroyed by fire in 1777 and rebuilt later by Simone Cantoni, who designed the current façade. After the end of the republic it was used before as town hall and later, till 1970, as court. Completely renovated in the 1980s, since 1992 it houses exhibitions and cultural events. In 2001 the Heads of State and Government gathered in Genoa for the G8 summit met here in conference.
The annex tower, said Torre Grimaldina, was used as a prison for political prisoners: in 1833 here the patriot Jacopo Ruffini committed suicide. [2]
Contiguous to the Doge's Palace is the so-called "Criminal Palace", built at the end of the 16th century. It had been the court and the prison for commons criminals at the time of the republic, now it houses the State Archives. [2] [9]
Palazzo San Giorgio was built in the mid 13th century as the seat of Commune, but soon became the Customs office; in the 15th century it passed to the Bank of Saint George, from which took its name. Expanded in the 16th century, after a period of decline it was completely restored in the second half of the 19th century by Alfredo d'Andrade; since 1903 is the Genoa Port Authority headquarters.
The building consists of two distinct parts: the oldest one, remarkable example of medieval civil architecture, with the façade facing the porch of Sottoripa and a Renaissance part, facing the harbour quays, where the main entrance is. [2] [4] [10]
The "Rolli di Genova" were, at the time of the Republic of Genoa, an official list of public lodging palaces of eminent Genoese families which aspired to host, by draw, foreign notable people visiting Genoa. Most of these buildings still exist, and in 2006 forty-two of them were inscribed by UNESCO in the list of World Heritage Site.
In Molo are 47 of these palaces (3 of which included in the list of World Heritage Site).
The three neighbourhoods of the old town of Genoa overlook the old harbour. The part related to Molo includes:
In the Middle Ages the harbour was strictly linked to the city, but in 1536 new city walls were built that divided for a long time the city and the port. [2] Only in 1992, being unused this part of the port, in the meantime enlarged towards the west, this area was redeveloped by Renzo Piano and opened to public access during Genoa Expo '92 exhibition. [2] [5]
Almost nothing remains of the oldest city wall, called "Carolingian" (9th century), but large section of the 12th century Barbarossa's walls are well preserved (Grazie and Marina walls). Some remains on the east side of the hill of Castello ("Murette del Colle") came to light after the World War II bombing that destroyed the houses in which they were incorporated. [2] The best known gate in Barbarossa's walls is Porta Soprana on the border between the neighbourhoods of Molo and Portoria ; this gate, restored at the end of the 19th century and again in 1938, has a monumental look, with high semicircular towers.
In the 13th century the Old Pier peninsula was also included inside the walls, completing by this the fortifications on the sea side of the city. Large part of these fortifications, strengthened in the 16th century, are at present well preserved, and include Malapaga and Marinetta walls, with the city gate named "Porta Siberia", designed by Galeazzo Alessi (1553), which was at that time the main access to the harbour. It is considered a masterpiece of 16th century military architecture. This gate was called "Porta Cibaria" because through it passed the food stocks landed in the port (from Italian "cibo", food), later corrupted in "Siberia". Nowadays it houses inside a museum dedicated to the Genoese painter and scenographer Emanuele Luzzati (1921–2007). [2]
In the neighbourhood are the cathedral, devoted to Saint Lawrence and some of the oldest churches of Genoa.
The present church was built at the beginning of the 12th century and consecrated by pope Gelasius II in 1118, but a preceding church, that would have been in this site since the 6th century, became the cathedral in the second half of the 10th century, when the bishop's seat moved here from the basilica of St. Syrus, located outside of the city walls, so prone to Saracen forays.
The construction, including the restoration after a fire in 1296, was completed only in the 16th century with the raising of the dome and the bell tower. The church has a Romanesque structure, but the façade, built in the 13th century, is in Genoese gothic style, with the typical cladding in black and white stripes and three elaborate portals.
Besides the Embriacos, many family who gave over the centuries an important contribution to the history of the Republic of Genoa had in Molo their palaces and business, among them Doria, Cattaneo-Dalla Volta, De Marini, Giustiniani, Salvago, Sauli and Fieschi.
Galeazzo Alessi was an Italian architect from Perugia, known throughout Europe for his distinctive style based on his enthusiasm for ancient architecture. He studied drawing for civil and military architecture under the direction of Giovanni Battista Caporali.
Genoa Cathedral or Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Lawrence is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Italian city of Genoa. It is dedicated to Saint Lawrence, and is the seat of the Archbishop of Genoa. The cathedral was consecrated by Pope Gelasius II in 1118 and was built between the twelfth century and the fourteenth century as fundamentally a medieval building, with some later additions. Secondary naves and side covers are of Romanesque style and the main facade is Gothic from the early thirteenth century, while capitals and columns with interior corridors date from the early fourteenth century. The bell tower and dome were built in the sixteenth century.
Giovanni Battista Paggi was an Italian painter, sculptor, and writer. His style spans the Late-Renaissance and early-Baroque.
The Palazzo San Giorgio or Palace of St. George is one of the most important and well-known historic buildings in Genoa. It currently houses the headquarters of the Port System Authority of the Western Ligurian Sea.
The walls of Genoa constitute in their whole the several circles of walls that protected and defended the city of Genoa, former capital of the homonymous republic. To this day, large portions of these walls remain, and Genoa has more and longer walls than any other city in Italy.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Genoa, Liguria, Italy.
San Fruttuoso Abbey is a Romanesque religious building located in a secluded bay in the Italian Riviera near Genoa, between Camogli and Portofino, The abbey used to be under the patronage of the Genoese aristocratic Doria family, who protected it with a watchtower built by the architect Giovanni Ponzello in 1562.
Genoa 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.
Prè is a neighbourhood in the old town of the Italian city of Genoa. It was one of the six sestieri of ancient Genoa. At present it is part of the Genoa's city I Municipio. Located close to the old harbour, it is likely the best-known neighbourhood of the old town of Genoa.
Maddalena is a neighbourhood in the old town of the Italian city of Genoa. It was one of the six sestieri of ancient Genoa. At present it is part of the Genoa's city Municipio I.
Villa Gruber De Mari was built by the noble Genoese family De Mari in the second half of the 16th century in the suburban area between the Sant'Anna and San Rocchino walkways linking the center of the city to the New Walls, in the Castelletto neighborhood of Genoa, Italy. The villa includes a 16th-century guard tower and the 17th-century former private chapel, now the Abbatial Church of Santa Maria della Sanità. The villa is located in a panoramic position within a large park, which has been opened to the public after the villa was acquired by the Municipality of Genoa in the 20th century.
Villa Pallavicino delle Peschiere is a 16th-century villa in Genoa, Northwestern Italy, built in 1560 for the nobleman Tobia Pallavicino. It is situated in via San Bartolomeo degli Armeni 25, in the quarter of Castelletto, in an area that, at the time when the villa was built, was still outside of the city walls. After the urban expansion of the 19th century, it is now located in the center of the city. The villa still belongs to the Pallavicino family.
The Palazzo Doria-Spinola or Palazzo Antonio Doria is a palace located in largo Eros Lanfranco in the historical center of Genoa, Northwestern Italy. The palace was one of the 163 Palazzi dei Rolli of Genoa, one of those selected private residences where notable guests of the Republic of Genoa were hosted during State visits. On 13 luglio del 2006 it was added to the list of 42 palaces which now form the UNESCO World Heritage Site Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli. The palace now hosts the Prefecture of Genoa and the seat of the Province of Genoa. It is possible to visit the areas of the building which are open to the public.
Owing to the importance of its port and industries, the Italian port city of Genoa, the regional capital and largest city of Liguria, was heavily bombarded by both Allied air and naval forces during Second World War, suffering heavy damage.
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The Palazzo Cattaneo Della Volta, also called Palazzo Cattaneo di San Torpete or Palazzo di Nicolò Cattaneo, is a building located in Piazza Cattaneo at number 26 in the historical centre of Genoa. The building was included in the list of palaces inscribed in the Rolli di Genova.
The Conservatorio Niccolò Paganini, better known in English as the Genoa Conservatory, is a music conservatory in Genoa, Italy. The school was founded in 1829 as the Scuola Gratuita di Canto, and was originally intended as a private institution to train singers performing at the Teatro Carlo Felice. When instrumental music instruction was added in 1830 the school's name was changed to the Istituto di Musica – Scuola gratuita di Canto e Strumentale. After evolving into a public music conservatory operated by the Government of Genoa in 1849, the school was renamed the Civico Istituto Musicale. In 1904 its name was changed again in honor of the composer Niccolò Paganini. Since 1933 the institution has operated as a national conservatory managed by the Ministry of Public Education of the Government of Italy.
Marcello Sparzo was an Italian sculptor of the 17th century, renowned particularly as a master plasterer.
The Villa del Principe, Palazzo del Principe, or Palace of Andrea Doria in Fassolo is one of the main historical suburban villas of Genoa, Italy. It was built in the 16th century in an area that it is now located in the city center, but at the time of the construction of the villa was just outside of the city walls towards Capo di Faro and the Lanterna.