GENOA, jen'o-a (ancient GENUA ) , Italy, a fortified city, situated on the Gulf of Genoa, at the foot of the Apennines, on the Bisagno River, the capital of the province and the most important seaport. While worthy of its title, °Genoa the Superb," as viewed from the sea, it is in reality built awkwardly on irregular rising ground, and consists of a labyrinth of narrow and intricate streets. Of the palaces the most famous are the ducal palace formerly inhabited by the Doges, now appropriated to the meetings of the senate; and the Doria, presented in 1529 to the great Genoese citizen Andrea Doria, whose residence it was during his presidency of the republic. The palaces Brignole-Sale, Reale, Durazzo-Pallavicini, Spinola, Balbi-Senarega, and others possess great interest on account of their historical fame and architectural beauty. Many of them contain galleries of paintings: the Brignole-Sale has works by Van Dyck, Rubens, Albrecht Diirer, Paolo Veronese, Guercino, etc. Among the churches are the Cathedral of Saint Lorenzo, in the Italian Gothic style; the Church of Saint Ambrogio (1589), containing pictures by Guido Reni and Rubens. The marble municipal palace, built in the Late Renaissance style, with a magnificent vestibule, courtyard and galleries, and the palace of the Dogana must also be mentioned. Genoa has a university, founded in 1243, a library of 116,000 volumes; also numerous technical schools, and institutions of higher education. The hospital, the asylum for the poor (capacity 2,200), the deaf and dumb institution, and the hospital for the insane are among the finest in stitutions of their kind in Italy. There are numerous excellent philanthropic foundations, as the Fieschi, an asylum for female orphans. The public library contains 50,000 volumes; and there are the Academy of Fine Arts, founded (1751) by the Doria family; the Carlo Felice Theatre, one of the finest in Italy: and the Verdi Institute of Musk. Genoa is the commer cial outlet of a wide extent of country, of which the chief exports are rice, wine, olive oil, silk goods, coral, paper, macaroni and marble. The
imports are principally raw cotton, wheat, sugar, coal, hides, coffee, raw wool, fish, petroleum, iron, machinery and cotton and woolen textiles. The total commerce in 1912 amounted to $306, 140,000. The imports equalled $207,680,100; and the exports $98,360,000. The chief imports were coal, about $20,000,000; wheat, $25,310, 000; cotton, about $44,000,000; metals, $24,000, 000. The manufactures are velvet and silk fabrics, woolen goods, cotton goods, ribbons, damask, embroidery, artificial flowers, hats, paper, leather and leather goods, furniture, ob jects in gold, silver, ivory, marble, alabaster and coral, essences, soap, preserved fruits, choco lates, macaroni and vermicelli. There are also several flour mills. The harbor has an area of over 600 acres, and consists of the Porto, with a depth of 19 feet, the Porto Nuovo with 32 feet of water, and the Avamporto with 45 feet of water. There is an elaborate system of quays, floating docks, etc. The improvements to the harbor began in 1877 and were com pleted at a cost of $12,000,000 in 1895.
The history of Genoa may be traced back in legendary traditions to a time preceding the foundation of Rome. It was one of the most considerable cities of the Ligurians, and is men tioned by Livy (under the name of Genua) as being in friendly relations with Rome at the be ginning of the second Punic war. It was sub dued and partly destroyed during that war by a Carthaginian fleet under the command of Mago. The Romans rebuilt it, and it afterward became a Roman municipiutn. After the decline of the Roman empire in the West it fell into the hands of the Lombards, and with them became subject to the Franks. After the downfall of the empire of Charlemagne, Genoa erected itself into a republic, and till the 1 1th century shared the fortunes of the cities of Lombardy.