Genoa, ’La Superba’: The Rise and Fall of a Merchant Pirate Superpower

Genoa has an incredible story to tell. It rose from an obscurity imposed by its harsh geography to become a merchant-pirate superpower that helped create the medieval world. It fought bitter battles with its great rival Venice and imprisoned Marco Polo, as the feuding city-states connected Europe to the glories of the East. It introduced the Black Death to Europe, led the fight against the Barbary Corsairs, bankrolled Imperial Spain, and gave the world Christopher Columbus and a host of fearless explorers. Genoa and Liguria provided the brains and the heroism behind the Risorgimento, and was the last place emigrants saw before building new lives across the Atlantic. It played host to writers and Grand Tourists, gave football to the Italians, and helped build modern Italy. Today, along with the glorious Riviera coast of Liguria, Genoa provides some of the finest places on earth to sip wine, eat pesto and enjoy spectacular views. This book brings the past to life and paints a portrait of a modern port city and region that is only now coming to terms with a past that is as bloody, fascinating and influential as any in Europe. 1 The Medieval Heart of Genoa 1 2 Nowhere to Turn but the Sea 11 3 The Downtrodden 21 4 The Ligurian Menu 33 5 La Superba against La Serenissima 45 6 The Plague 55 7 From Francesco the Spiteful to the Flowerseller of Seborga 61 8 When is a Pirate not a Pirate? 73 9 The Steve Jobs of the Mediterranean 79 10 Lepanto and the End of the Mediterranean Era 89 11 A City of Adventurers 99 12 The Grand Tourists 109 13 Napoleon and the French Influence 121 14 Unification and Emigration 127 15 The Green Fist of Pesto 141 16 The English Gift of Football 151 17 Shipbuilding in Modern Italy 159 18 Surviving Mussolini 169 19 Golden Years on the Riviera 179 20 Strung Out Along a Brutal Coastline 187 21 The Derby della Lanterna 197 Notes 203 Bibliography 211 Index 215