A short history
Click here for a map
Slideshow (click on thumbnail)
Chiavari is a lively seaside resort and market
town on the east side of the Italian Riviera, just in the middle of Tigullio
Gulf, to the right of the alluvial plain at the mouth of the Entella river,
some 40 km from Genoa.
The town has an ancient medieval part with narrow streets,
most of them flanked by arcades, and a modern residential one which started
being built at the end of the 19th century.
The first historical hints about Chiavari can be found
in works by Pliny the Younger and Ptolemy where "Tigullia" or
"Segesta Tigulliorum" is mentioned as an important pre-Roman
town. There are some important archaeological remains of the 8th and 7th
centuries B.C. coming from a necropolis discovered by professor Nino Lamboglia
in the area of the Rupinaro brook.
The Technical High School stands exactly on the site of
the necropolis which dated back to the early Iron Age and included 44
tombs some of which can be seen in the local Archaeological Museum.
The pre-Roman part extended in the area between the Rupinaro
and the Castle as far as the sea testifying the commercial vocation of
its inhabitants of those ancient times.
The name "Chiavari" derives from the word "clavaro",
meaning "key", which appears in a document of 980 A.D.
and in fact the town is the key to reach four valleys: Aveto, Fontanabuona,
Sturla and Graveglia.
Expanding to the east Genoa took possession of Chiavari
to damage the rival town of Pisa and the Malaspinas, masters of Lunigiana.
The Genoese built the Castle and defensive walls and repelled the Malaspinas
who tried to conquer Chiavari in 1172.
In 1243 Chiavari became a free commune but in 1272 the
Malaspinas and their allies, the Fieschis, conquered it. In 1332 it was
again under Genoese power then the Malaspinas took possession of it again
in 1393 but later it became part of the Republic of Genoa for good.
The Genoese contributed to its development and Chiavari
became the most important centre of Tigullio and in 1648 received the
title of "town". Towards the middle of the 18th century it was
occupied by German and French armies and in 1805 Napoleon made it the
chief town of the Appennine Province. In 1815 it became part of the kingdom
of Sardinia and from 1817 to 1859 it was a provincial capital.
In more recent times Chiavari developed its vocation for
the tertiary increasing its tourist facilities (harbour, hotels, bathing
establishments) while small and medium industries settled in its area
and crafts flourished.
What to see
The centre is still a tangle of narrow medieval streets
and arcades where the main commercial and economic activities take place.
The castle was built in 1167 and
part of its walls and towers can be visited.
The building housing the law-courts
dates back to the early 15th century but was completely remade at the
end of the last one while the near-by Tower,
built in 1537, is still in its original form.
There are a lot of gentlemanly houses built in the 17th
century, for example Palazzo Torriglia
,housing a picture gallery with paintings by Grechetto,
Magnasco, Piola and others, and Palazzo
Rocca (Via Costaguta,2) ,housing the Archaeological
Museum and surrounded by a large garden.
The Archaeological Museum
shows a lot of remains coming from the pre-Roman necropolis, such as reconstructed
tombs and funeral ornaments (studs,fibulas, armillas, earrings and so
on) and precious potteries.
The Palazzo Vescovile (Piazza
N.S. dell'Orto,7) houses the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art with valuable
paintings and liturgical objects besides a small but efficient meteorologic
and seismic observatory.
Next to the Palazzo Vescovile there is the
Cathedral devoted to N.S. dell'Orto (Our Lady of
the Orchard) dating back to the 17th century to which an imposing neo-classic
pronaos was added in the 19th century. The high altar dates back to the
16th century and there is also a remarkable wooden group by Anton Maria
Maragliano.
Among the most noteworthy churches there are the one devoted
to San Giovanni Battista
(via delle Vecchie Mura), which was built in 1182 and shows baroque additions
(17th century); the Santuario delle
Grazie (Via Aurelia,43), which stands in an enchanting
position overlooking the sea and was built in 1430; and the Santuario della Madonna dell'Olivo
(loc. Bacezza) built in medieval times but remade during the baroque period.
The Società Economica ( Economic Society ),
which promotes important cultural events, houses the main library in Chiavari
with more than 50,00 books, manuscripts and incunabula.
Schools in Chiavari
Since Chiavari is the main tertiary town of the
area, a lot of state and private schools are situated here.
Scuole elementari (Primary Schools)
-
Scuola elementare statale Direzione
didattica II circolo, via Parma 61, tel. 0185382489
-
Scuola elementare statale Direzione
didattica I circolo, vico Malpertuso, tel. 0185306434
-
Scuola elementare statale Direzione
didattica II circolo, piazza Sanfront, tel. 0185307780
-
Scuola elementare statale Direzione
didattica II circolo, via San Pier di Canne, tel. 0185309874
-
Scuola elementare statale Direzione
didattica II circolo, via Prandina, tel. 0185308023
-
Scuola elementare statale Direzione
didattica II circolo, via Rivarola, tel. 0185308072
-
Scuola elementare statale Direzione
didattica II circolo, via Preli, tel. 0185310341
Scuole Medie inferiori
(Secondary Schools)
-
Scuola media statale " G.B. Della
Torre", via Rivarola 7, tel. 0185308022
-
Scuola media statale "G. Garibaldi",
via G.B. Ghio 2, tel. 0185313364
Scuole Medie superiori
(High Schools)
-
Liceo scientifico con annessa sezione
classica "G. Marconi", piazza del Popolo 14, tel. 0185308385
-
Istituto professionale di stato per
l'industria "G.V. De Ambrosis" ed ITIS "G.Natta",
via S.Antonio 2, tel. 0185309674
-
Istituto professionale di stato per
i servizi commerciali "G. Caboto", piazza N.S. dell'Orto
2, tel. 0185322108
-
Istituto statale d'Arte, via Ghio 14,
tel. 0185314052
-
Istituto tecnico statale commerciale
e per geometri "In memoria dei morti per la patria", corso
Millo 1 , tel. 0185325003
Useful Information
-
-
Azienda Promozione Turistica Tigullio
(Tourist Information Board): corso Assarotti 1, tel 0185325198,
fax. 0185324796
-
Unità Sanitaria Locale n.4 "Chiavarese"
(Health National Service): via G.B. Ghio 9, tel. 01853291, fax.
0185304795
-
Ospedale di Lavagna (Hospital): via
Don Bobbio 25, tel. 01853291
-
Società Economica (Economic Society):
via Ravaschieri 15, tel. 0185324713
-
Carabinieri (Headquarters), via F.
Bancalari 2, tel. 0185312323
-
Polizia (Headquarters), via Brizzolara
7, tel. 0185307772
-
Polizia Stradale (Traffic Police):
via Brizzolara 7, tel. 0185312222
-
Guardia di Finanza ( Customs Officers
): via Zara 33, tel. 0185309876
-
Vigili del Fuoco (Fire Department):
piazza Sanfront , tel. 0185308131
-
Ufficio Locale Marittima (Coast Guard):
Porto Turistico, box 14, tel. 0185308240.
-
Porto Turistico (Tourist Harbour):
corso Colombo, tel. 01853161
by prof. Rosa Maria Colombi
|
Questa pagina è disponibile anche in Italiano
Cette Page est disponible en Français aussi