GÊNES, a history

GÊNES, ITALIE

• One of Italy and Europe's largest cities on the Mediterranean
• Largest seaport in Italy
• Known for shipyards and steel building since the 1800s
• Today, Gênes continues to thrive

Untitled Slide

GÊNES

• From the Latin word for knee
• "Genu"
• Like French "genoux"
• Because of its location at he center of the Ligurian coastal arch

MANY NAMES

• Italian: Genova
• French: Gênes
• English: Genoa
• Nickname: "la Superba" (the Proud One)

ORIGINS OF GÊNES

• Occupied by many peoples throughout history
• Quiet town on the Mediterranean at first
• Greeks possibly the first to live there around 5th century BC
• Later part of the Roman Empire, Ostrogoths, Byzantines
• 773 becomes a part of the Frankish Empire

ORIGINS OF GÊNES CONT.

• 934-the Fatmids burn down the city
• After leaving the Roman Empire, Genoa's citizens were given some
• Independence and political rights
• The people rebuilt the city
• Over the next few hundred years, Gênes became a very strong port city

ORIGINS OF GÊNES CONT.

• The city continued to thrive until the Black Death on 1347
• The city fell to Milan as it weakend
• The cities sailors looked elsewhere for fortune
• The most famous being Christopher Columbus (but he did donate some of his fortune to the city)
• Still, the city was able to thrive, reaching a strong point in the 16th century, a time of many artists

ANOTHER PLAGUE

• Sadly, in 1656, the city was hit by the Naples Plague
• Nearly half the city died from it
• Thankfully, Gênes has not faced a plague since this one
• 30 years later, the city was bombarded by 13,000 French cannonballs
• No longer under Spanish rule, Gênes was occupied by the French for the next 100 years

BALILA

• In 1746, Gênes was occupied by Austria
• A boy named Giovan Battista Perasso (Balila) started the revolt against Austria
• He threw a stone at an Austrian official
• "Little boy" went down in history as a Genoan and Italian hero

THE NEW WORLD

• With the discovery of the New World, the Mediterranean no longer held its power
• Gênes' influence started to decline around the year 1800
• It was still a major port in the Mediterranean, but the Mediterranean was no longer the most important sea
• This was close to the time of the story of le Comte de Monte-Cristo
• Again, Gênes is not irrelevant, just less important than in the past

THE SIEGE OF GENOA

• 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte ruled over the French territory
• Austrians captured Gênes
• But in a pyrrhic (not entirely beneficial) victory
• The Austrians focused on Gênes
• Napoleon was able to focus on the more important Battle of Marengo

THE SACK OF GENOA

• Gênes went back to Napoleon, and then defeated Napoleon themselves
• Under the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, civilians revolted
• The city fought back and massacred its people
• Soldiers shouted, "They are all Balilla, we must kill them all!"
• This happens about ten years after Dantes' story is over

GÊNES STAYS A PART OF ITALY

ITALIAN FOOD

• Pasta was a heavy staple in the south
• The North ate mostly cornmeal in the 19th century
• Poverty led to the rise of the tomato, which changed Italian food forever
• It was once thought to be poisonous

MUSIC

• Opera was very popular
• The Teatro Carlo Felice was built in 1828, housing theater, music
• Niccolò Paginini was born in Gênes
• Known for trallero--five male voices (tenor, baritone, alto, chit area, and bass)

PALAZZO REALE

• Palace built in the seventeenth century
• Still intact
• The Savoie family lived here during the time period of Dantès

PIAZZA DE FERRARI

• Built in 1893
• The fountain connects old Gênes with the new side of Gênes
• Center of the city, surrounded by banks

BANCA DI GENOVA

• Bank opened in 1870
• One of the first to do trans-Atlantic business with Buenos Aires
• Long-lasting bank, as Gênes has been a major city in Italy
• Opened offices in London, Paris, NYC, Berlin

PORTO ANTICO

• The port of Gênes has thrived at different levels over the centuries
• The location of Gênes has always and will always be its greatest asset
• Though, since the sixteenth century, the port has slowed

WORKS CITED

• History for Kids "Genoa"
• Wikipedia: Genoa, Balilla, The Sack of Genoa, The Siege of Genoa
• Life in Italy during the 19th Century