Murta is a village included in the city of Genoa in northwest Italy.
Genoa is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of Genoa, which in 2015 became the Metropolitan City of Genoa, counted 855,834 resident persons. Over 1.5 million people live in the wider metropolitan area stretching along the Italian Riviera.
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates San Marino and Vatican City, as well as a maritime border with Croatia. Italy covers an area of 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. With around 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth-most populous EU member state and the most populous country in Southern Europe.
It is part of the district of Bolzaneto, in Valpolcevera municipality, of which is a separate hamlet, located on the ridge a hill at the right bank of the torrent Polcevera.
The Polcevera is a 19-kilometre (12 mi) river in Liguria (Italy).
In the past most people were farmers (the most famous product was the Polcevera white wine, also produced today, although in limited quantity).
Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol, carbon dioxide, and heat. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different styles of wine. These variations result from the complex interactions between the biochemical development of the grape, the reactions involved in fermentation, the terroir, and the production process. Many countries enact legal appellations intended to define styles and qualities of wine. These typically restrict the geographical origin and permitted varieties of grapes, as well as other aspects of wine production. Wines not made from grapes include rice wine and fruit wines such as plum, cherry, pomegranate, currant and elderberry.
Today Murta is a residential area with many small villas built along the side of the hill.
The village name derives from the plant of myrtle, in Latin language just called "murta".
Myrtus, with the common name myrtle, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae, described by Swedish botanist Linnaeus in 1753.
The first documents on the Parish of Murta dates from 1143, when it was included on the Register of Diocese of Genoa (wanted by Archbishop Siro II) as a chapel subject to the main church of Rivarolo.
Rivarolo Ligure is a quarter in the north side of the city of Genoa, and is part of the Municipality Valpolcevera of Genoa.
In Murta was born Giovanni da Murta which was the second Doge of the Republic of Genoa from 1344 to 1350.
Giovanni di Murta was elected the second doge of the Republic of Genoa after the resignation of Simone Boccanegra, on December 25, 1345. His dogate was dominated by his attempts to break the circle of political violence which had crippled the city over the past century and to reassert the Genoese domination over the Mediterranean colonies.
The Doge of Genoa was the ruler of the Republic of Genoa, a communal republic, from 1339 until the state's extinction in 1797. Originally elected for life, after 1528 the Doges were elected for terms of two years. In actuality, the Republic was an oligarchy ruled by a small group of merchant families, from whom the doges were selected.
The Republic of Genoa was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, incorporating Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean.
Like all Valpolcevera, in 1746 the village was involved in War of Austrian Succession and was occupied by an Austrian-Piedmontese army led by the General Botta Adorno, which came up to Genoa, from where was expelled after the popular revolt of December 5th, 1746, set up with the legendary episode of Balilla.
Another Austrian army returned the following year and this time the occupation, lasted from April 11 to July 19, 1747, had even more devastating effects. The Austrians had their headquarters in the Palace Bonarota (Villa Clorinda) and their troops devastated the entire village. All the church vestments and vessels were stolen and the church itself seriously damaged. Also many private houses were plundered and many of them also burnt-out. The local historian Luigi Persoglio wrote that 350 people died, some because of fighting against the invaders, but most for hardships and privations that people suffered in those tragic months.
The church, dedicated to St. Martin of Tours, was completely rebuilt in the eighteenth century on the existing one. In 1747, during the War of Austrian Succession, it suffered serious damages. The rebuilding was completed in 1770, and the inside was remade in Baroque style. Valuable paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries adorn the apse and side altars.
The most precious painting is the icon of St. Martin, attributed to Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck. The painting was saved by the looting of 1747, as it had been carried to Genoa.
In the past the village of Murta was famous also for a great and very old oak next to the church. In some feasts among the branches of this tree was set a temporary cafè (like during the St. Martin feast of 1897). The old tree, already in decay, fell down in August 1948, during a violent storm.
Since the 16th century on Murta hill were built many villas and palaces, used as summer residences by rich and noble Genoese families. Most of these palaces still exist and now, restructured, have become luxurious houses.
Among them the best known is Villa Clorinda, which belonged to several rich Genoese families (Bonarota, Doria and Costa) and today is a luxury residence.
In 1747, during the Austrian occupation of Valpolcevera, it became the headquarters of the invaders' army.
The village of Murta is known for the Pumpkin Exhibition called Dalla A alla ... Zucca (“Zucca” in Italian means “Pumpkin”). It takes place for two consecutive weekends, during the feast of Saint Martin, on the middle of November.
This show is an interesting exhibition of pumpkins, squashes and gourds, including traditional and exotic as well. During the feast the bigger (in 2007 an Atlantic Giant of 325 kg), the longest and the most strange pumpkins are rewarded.
At this exhibition people can enjoy many dishes and drinks based on pumpkin: pumpkin fritters, sweet and savoury, Genoese savoury pumpkin pie and pumpkin grappa. web site: Murtaezucche.it
Galata was a neighbourhood opposite Constantinople, located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn, the inlet which separates it from the historic peninsula of old Constantinople. The Golden Horn is crossed by several bridges, most notably the Galata Bridge. The medieval citadel of Galata was a colony of the Republic of Genoa between 1273 and 1453. The famous Galata Tower was built by the Genoese in 1348 at the northernmost and highest point of the citadel. At present, Galata is a quarter within the borough of Beyoğlu (Pera) in Istanbul, and is known as Karaköy.
Beyoğlu is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city by the Golden Horn. It was known as Pera during the Middle Ages.
Luca Cambiasi, also known as Luca Cambiaso and Luca Cangiagio was an Italian painter and draftsman and the leading artist in Genoa in the 16th century. He is considered the founder of the Genoese school who established the local tradition of historical fresco painting through his many decorations of Genoese churches and palaces. He produced a number of poetic night scenes. He was a prolific draughtsman who sometimes reduced figures to geometric forms. He was familiarly known as Lucchetto da Genova.
Diano Castello is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Imperia in the Italian region Liguria, located about 90 kilometres (56 mi) southwest of Genoa and about 5 kilometres (3 mi) northeast of Imperia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,061 and an area of 6.0 square kilometres (2.3 sq mi).
Genoa, Italy has historically been one of the most important ports on the Mediterranean.
Albaro is a residential neighbourhood of the Italian city of Genoa, located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of the city centre. It was formerly an independent comune, named San Francesco d'Albaro, included in the city of Genoa in 1873. At present, together with the neighbourhoods of Foce and San Martino d'Albaro is part of the Genoa's city VIII Municipio.
Domenico Piola was a Genoese painter of the Baroque period. He was the leading artist in Genoa in the second half of the 17th century, working on ceiling frescoes for many Genoese churches and palaces and canvas paintings for private collectors. His family studio was highly prolific and frequently collaborated with other artists.
Tommaso Aldrovandini was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. He mainly painted perspective views and architectural subjects (quadratura), in which the figures were painted by Marcantonio Franceschini and Carlo Cignani. He decorated churches, palaces, and theaters in Forlì, Verona, Venice, Parma, Turin, Ferrara, and Genoa, and especially in his native Bologna. Among his pupils was Giovanni Benedetto Paolazzi.
Giovanni Maria delle Piane was an aristocratic Genovese who served as primary court painter for over 60 years in the late-Baroque period. He is also known as "il Molinaretto".
Anton Maria Maragliano was an Italian sculptor of the Baroque period, known primarily for his wooden statues. He was born in Genoa, where he led an important workshop.
Bolzaneto is a quarter of the city of Genoa, in northwest Italy, and is part of the Municipality Valpolcevera of Genoa.
The Shrine of Nostra Signora della Guardia is a Roman Catholic place of pilgrimage located on the top of Monte Figogna in the Municipality of Ceranesi, about 20 kilometres from the city of Genoa, in the northwest of Italy.
Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes a number of streets and palaces in the center of Genoa, in Northwestern Italy.
The walls of Genoa constitute in their whole the several circle of walls that protected and defended the city of Genoa, former capital of the homonimous Republic. To this day, large portions of these walls remain, and Genoa has more and longer walls than any other city in Italy.
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.
Anna Pieri Brignole-Sale (1765–1815) was a Sienese noble and court official. She was a supporter of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, and became a lady-in-waiting to his second wife, Marie Louise of Austria.
Via Balbi is a street in the historical centre of Genoa, in Northwestern Italy, named after the aristocratic Genoese Balbi family. It is one of the Strade Nuove built by the Genoese aristocracy during the Renaissance. Since July 2006 it is inscribed in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site Genoa: the Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli.