Varazze
Encyclopedia
Varazze is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Savona
in the Italian
region Liguria
, located about 30 km west of Genoa
and about 11 km northeast of Savona
in the Riviera di Ponente. Nearby in the Ligurian Apennines is the Monte Beigua
with its Natural Regional Park.
Economy is mostly based on shipyards and tourism.
, due to its notable ships production. In 1227 it became an independent commune but, after a short seigniory of the Malocello, it was sold to the Republic of Genoa
in 1290.
In 1525 Hugo of Moncada
, admiral of emperor Charles V
, was defeated here in a naval battle and taken prisoner. Varazze followed the history of Genoa until it was captured by French troops in 1798. In 1815 it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia
and, from 1861, of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy.
The so-called Passeggiata Europa ("Europa Stroll") is a naturalistic path running on the former Genoa-Ventimiglia railway (closed in 1970), connecting Varazze to Cogoleto
. It passes through rocky Maquis shrubland
landscape including Aleppo Pine
vegetation, and overlooks a series of small sea harbours housing rich wildlife.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the Province of Savona
Province of Savona
The Province of Savona is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Savona.-Overview:...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Liguria
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
, located about 30 km west of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
and about 11 km northeast of Savona
Savona
Savona is a seaport and comune in the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea....
in the Riviera di Ponente. Nearby in the Ligurian Apennines is the Monte Beigua
Monte Beigua
Monte Beigua is a mountain in the Ligurian Apennines in Liguria, northern Italy, between the two communes of Varazze and Sassello...
with its Natural Regional Park.
Economy is mostly based on shipyards and tourism.
History
The burgh grew around the former Roman station named Ad Navalia. In the Middle Ages Varazze was disputed between Savona and GenoaGenoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, due to its notable ships production. In 1227 it became an independent commune but, after a short seigniory of the Malocello, it was sold to the Republic of Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
in 1290.
In 1525 Hugo of Moncada
Hugo of Moncada
Hugo de Moncada a.k.a. Ugo de Moncada, , was a Spanish political and military leader of the late 15th and early 16th century. Originally he seems to have been some sort of Abbot of Santa Eufemia in Calabria, Italy,in the quality of Prior of the military Order of Saint John in Messina, Italy...
, admiral of emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, was defeated here in a naval battle and taken prisoner. Varazze followed the history of Genoa until it was captured by French troops in 1798. In 1815 it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
and, from 1861, of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy.
Main sights
- Romanesque church of San Nazario e Celso (rebuilt in the 16th century). The façade is from 1870.
- Church of San Domenico (1419). It includes Sienese school frescoes and a 16th century polyptych. Notable is the cloister.
- Church of Sant'Ambrogio. It has a Romanesque façade and a campanile in Gothic-Romanesque style with three orders of mullioned windows. In the interior are a polyptych by Giovanni Barbagelata and a panel by Luca Cambiaso with the Madonna and Sts. John the Baptist and Francis.
- Church of Santa Maria in Latronorio, in the frazioneFrazioneA frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
Invrea. A pointed portal remains of the original 12th century edifice. The interior is home to a large 13th century fresco. - Eremo del Deserto ("Hermitage of the Desert"), in the woodland towards the Ligurian Apennine. It is in Baroque style, being built in the 18th century, with a large wall measuring 3 km and including a wood and isolated cells of the monks.
- Church of San Donato, from the 5th or 9th century, but mostly rebuilt in the 19th century.
- Remains of the medieval walls
The so-called Passeggiata Europa ("Europa Stroll") is a naturalistic path running on the former Genoa-Ventimiglia railway (closed in 1970), connecting Varazze to Cogoleto
Cogoleto
Cogoleto is a comune in the Province of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about 25 km west of Genoa. Its territory extends from the sea to the Ligurian Apennines; it is part of the Natural Regional Park of Monte Beigua....
. It passes through rocky Maquis shrubland
Maquis shrubland
thumb|220px|Low Maquis in Corsica.220px|thumb|High macchia in Sardinia.Maquis or macchia is a shrubland biome in the Mediterranean region, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs such as holm oak, tree heath, strawberry tree, sage, juniper, buckthorn, spurge olive and myrtle...
landscape including Aleppo Pine
Aleppo Pine
Pinus halepensis, commonly known as the Aleppo Pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. Their range extends from Morocco and Spain north to southern France, Italy and Croatia, and east to Greece and northern Tunisia, and Libya, with an outlying population in Syria, Lebanon, southern...
vegetation, and overlooks a series of small sea harbours housing rich wildlife.
Notable people
People from Varazze include:- Jacobus de Varagine (c. 1230–1298), Italian chronicler, archbishop of Genoa and author of the Golden LegendGolden LegendThe Golden Legend is a collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that became a late medieval bestseller. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived, compared to twenty or so of its nearest rivals...
. - Francesco CileaFrancesco CileaFrancesco Cilea was an Italian composer. Today he is particularly known for his operas L'arlesiana and Adriana Lecouvreur.-Biography:...
(1866-1950), operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, lived the last years of his life in Varazze, where he was Honorary Citizen. - Sandro Pertini (1896–1990), socialist politician and President of the Italian RepublicPresident of the Italian RepublicThe President of the Italian Republic is the head of state of Italy and, as such, is intended to represent national unity and guarantee that Italian politics comply with the Constitution. The president's term of office lasts for seven years....
. - Lelio BassoLelio BassoLelio Basso was an Italian democratic socialist politician and journalist.-Early life:Lelio Basso was born in Varazze into a Liberal bourgeois family. In 1916, he and his family moved to Milan where he attended the Berchet grammar school...
(1903–1978), anti-fascist, politician and journalist. - Raimondo SpiazziRaimondo SpiazziRaimondo Spiazzi OP was an Italian Catholic theologian, advisor to Pius XII, and Mariologist with over 2,500 publications.-Biography:Spiazzi was born in Moneglia, province of Genoa....
(1918-2002) theologian, advisor to Pius XII and mariologist, lived the last years of his life in Varazze.