Genoa

Genoa (Italian: Genova) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of The city has a population of about 608,000, the urban zone has a population of 718,896 and polycentric metropolitan area has a population of 859,000. Part of the old city of Genoa was inscribed on the World Heritage List (UNESCO) in 2006. The city’s rich art, music, gastronomy, architecture and history, made it 2004’s EU Capital of Culture.

The flag of Genoa is simply a Saint George s Cross, a red cross on a lime white field, identical to the Flag of England and incorporated into the Flag of Georgia.

The city of Genoa covers an area of 243 square kilometres between the Ligurian Sea and the Apennine Mountains. The city stretches along the coast for about 30 kilometres from the neighbourhood of Voltri to Nervi, and for 10 kilometres from the coast to the north along the valleys Polcevera and Bisagno.

The territory of Genoa can then be popularly divided into 5 main zones: the centre, the west, the east, the Polcevera and the Bisagno Valley.  (From here)

On this postcard you can see the Porto Antico in Genoa. 

The port of Genoa, once just a natural inlet, started to become active as early as the V century B.C. The first port facilities for which there are records date back to shortly after the year 1000.

The history of the Mandraccio, known as the Porto Antico, and the trade that Genoa had with the entire Mediterranean, coincides with the history of a landing place that followed the path of the innovations in the structure of ships and the means of loading and unloading goods, modifying the coastline and the port structures, with incessant adaptations and new interventions.

Genoa was at the centre of ancient traffic, especially in the IV century A.D., when Milan was elected capital of the Empire and did not cease to be so even though historiographical sources are scarce as late as the early Middle Age.

The leadership of the town and its port on the Mediterranean Sea intensified and became clear with the birth of the Comune (city republic) in the epoch of the crusades and, later, in the XVI century.

During the XX century, the port traffic moved more and more to the Western part of the city and the old area remained practically unused until the restructuring in 1992 gave it back to the community.


p.s. this is my first postcard from private swap :)