View source for Liguria

{{Short description|Region of Italy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
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| seat               = [[Genoa]]
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| leader_party       = Independent
| leader_title       = President
| leader_name        = [[Marco Bucci (politician)|Marco Bucci]]
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| population_total   = 1509908
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| population_footnotes = <ref name="population">{{cite web|title=Monthly Demographic Balance|url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?l=en&a=&i=D7B|publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]]}}</ref>
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| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{citation|title=Population on 1 January by age, sex and NUTS 2 region|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/DEMO_R_D2JAN/default/table?lang=en|website=www.ec.europa.eu}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = Total
| demographics2_info1 = €48.516 billion (2021)
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| area_code          = IT-42
| blank2_name_sec1   = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2021)
| blank2_info_sec1   = 0.901<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/shdi/ITA/?levels=1%2B4&interpolation=1&extrapolation=0&nearest_real=0&years=2019|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2023-03-05}}</ref><br/>{{color|green|very high}} · [[List of Italian regions by Human Development Index|10th of 21]]
| blank_name_sec2    = [[First-level NUTS of the European Union#Italy|NUTS Region]]
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| website            = {{URL|http://www.regione.liguria.it/|regione.liguria.it}}
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}}

'''Liguria''' ({{IPAc-en|l|ɪ|ˈ|g|j|ʊəɹ|i|ə}} {{respell|lig|YOOR|ee|ə}}, {{IPA|it|liˈɡuːrja|lang}}; {{langx|lij|Ligûria}} {{IPA|lij|liˈɡyːɾja|}}) is a [[Regions of Italy|region]] of north-western [[Italy]]; its [[Capital city|capital]] is [[Genoa]]. Its territory is crossed by the [[Alps]] and the [[Apennine Mountains|Apennines]] [[Mountain chain|mountain range]] and is roughly coextensive with the former territory of the [[Republic of Genoa]]. Liguria is bordered by [[France]] ([[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]]) to the west, [[Piedmont]] to the north, and [[Emilia-Romagna]] and [[Tuscany]] to the east. It rests on the [[Ligurian Sea]], and has a population of 1,509,908 as of 2025.<ref name="population" /> The region is part of the [[Alps–Mediterranean Euroregion]].

==Etymology==
The name ''Liguria'' predates [[Latin]] and is of obscure origin. The Latin [[adjectives]] {{lang|la|Ligusticum}} (as in {{lang|la|Mare Ligusticum}}) and ''Liguscus''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dicolatin.com/|title=DicoLatin|website=DicoLatin}}</ref> reveal the original root of the name, ''ligusc-'': in the Latin name -sc- was shortened to -s-, and later turned into the -r- of {{lang|la|Liguria}}, according to [[rhotacism (sound change)|rhotacism]]. Compare {{langx|grc|λίγυς|translit=Lígus|translation=a Ligurian, a person from Liguria}} whence {{lang|grc-Latn|Ligustikḗ}} {{lang|grc|λιγυστική}} {{translation|the name of the place Liguria}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=ligus&la=greek#lexicon|title=Greek Word Study Tool|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref> The name derives from the ancient [[Ligures]] people, although the territory of this people was much larger than the current administrative region; it included all of North-west Italy south to the [[Po (river)|Po river]], and south-eastern [[France]].

==Geography==
[[File:Cinque Terre Vernazza 2.jpg|thumb|left|A view of [[Cinque Terre]]]]
The narrow strip of land is bordered by the [[Ligurian Sea|sea]], the [[Alps]] and the [[Apennine Mountains]]. Some mountains rise above {{convert|2000|m|abbr=on}}; the [[Drainage divide|watershed]] line runs at an average altitude of about {{convert|1000|m|abbr=on}}. The highest point of the region is the summit of [[Monte Saccarello]] ({{convert|2201|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}).

Liguria is the third smallest Italian region after [[Aosta Valley]] and [[Molise]], but is also one of the most densely populated, with a [[population density]] of 287 inhabitants/km<sup>2</sup>, much higher than the national average, and is fourth place after [[Campania]], [[Lombardy]] and [[Lazio]]. However, there is much difference between inland mountain areas and coastal areas.

The region is crossed east to west by the [[Ligurian Alps]] and the [[Ligurian Apennine]]s that form an interrupted chain, but discontinuous in its morphology, with stretches where the Alpine/Apennine ridge is extremely compact and high aligning very high mountain groups (north to Ventimiglia, a series of massifs which became French after the Second World War, rises up to altitudes of 2700–3000 m) while in other stretches (for example in the hinterland of Savona and Genoa) the mountain barrier is not very high and deeply crossed by short valleys and passes that do not reach 500 m above sea level ([[Colle di Cadibona|Bochetta di Altare]], Passo dei Giovi, Crocetta d'Orero).
[[File:AlpiLiguri0001.jpg|thumb|[[Ligurian Alps]]]]
[[File:Valle Trebbia-(scaled-and-sharpened).jpg|thumb|right|[[Apennine Mountains]] and [[Trebbia]] river]]

The winding arched extension goes from [[Ventimiglia, Italy|Ventimiglia]] to [[La Spezia]]. Of this, {{convert|3524.08|km2|2|abbr=on}} are mountainous (65% of the total) and {{convert|891.95|km2|2|abbr=on}} are hills (35% of the total). Liguria's natural reserves cover 12% of the entire region, or {{convert|600|km2|abbr=on}} of land. They are made up of one national reserve, six large parks, two smaller parks and three nature reserves.

The continental shelf is very narrow and so steep it descends almost immediately to considerable depths along its {{convert|350|km|adj=on}} coastline. Except for the [[Portovenere]] and [[Portofino]] promontories, the coast is generally not very jagged and is often high. At the mouths of the biggest watercourses are small beaches, but there are no deep bays and natural harbours except at [[Genoa]] and [[La Spezia]].

The hills lying immediately beyond the coast together with the sea account for a mild climate year-round. Average winter temperatures are {{convert|7|to|10|°C|°F|abbr=on}} and summer temperatures are {{convert|23|to|24|°C|°F|abbr=on}}, which make for a pleasant stay even in the dead of winter. Rainfall can be abundant at times, as mountains very close to the coast create an [[orographic]] effect. Genoa and [[La Spezia]] can see up to {{convert|2000|mm|-1|abbr=on}} of rain in a year; other areas instead show the normal Mediterranean rainfall of {{convert|500|to|800|mm|-1|abbr=on}} annually.

As of 2023, according to the report on land consumption of the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, [[Marche]] and Liguria hold the Italian record for coastal overbuilding.<ref>{{cite web|title=Liguria, the future razed to the ground|date=5 December 2023 |url=https://www.vanityfair.it/article/consumo-di-suolo-liguria}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref><ref>{{cite web |title=I dati sul consumo di suolo |url=https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/it/attivita/suolo-e-territorio/suolo/il-consumo-di-suolo/i-dati-sul-consumo-di-suolo |website=ISPRA Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale |language=it}}</ref>

===Italian Riviera===
[[File:Il Palazzo Doria- Tursi splendente.JPG|thumb|left|[[Palazzo Doria-Tursi|Palazzo Doria Tursi]] part of the [[Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli]], a [[World Heritage Site]]]]

The [[Italian Riviera]] or Ligurian Riviera is the narrow coastal strip in [[Italy]] which lies between the [[Ligurian Sea]] and the mountain chain formed by the [[Maritime Alps]] and the [[Apennine Mountains|Apennines]]. Longitudinally it extends from the border with France and the [[French Riviera]] (or {{lang|fr|Côte d'Azur}}) near [[Ventimiglia, Italy|Ventimiglia]] (a former [[customs]] post) eastwards to Capo Corvo (also known as Punta Bianca) which marks the eastern end of the [[Gulf of La Spezia]] and is close to the regional border between Liguria and [[Tuscany]]. The Italian Riviera thus includes nearly all of the coastline of Liguria. Historically the "Riviera" extended further to the west, through what is now French territory as far as [[Marseille]].<ref>{{Cite book|first=Rosa |last=Baughan |year=1880 |title=Winter havens in the sunny South, a complete handbook to the Riviera |location=London |publisher=The Bazaar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zg8IAAAAQAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|first=Charles B. |last=Black |year=1887 |title=The Riviera, Or The Coast from Marseilles to Leghorn, Including Carrara, Lucca, Pisa, Pistoja and Florence |edition=Third |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Adam and Charles Black |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KKsaAAAAYAAJ }}</ref>

The Italian Riviera crosses all four [[Liguria#Administrative divisions|Ligurian provinces]] and their capitals [[Genoa]], [[Savona]], [[Imperia]] and [[La Spezia]], with a total length of about 350&nbsp;km (218 miles).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thegrandwinetour.com/en/popular-foods-of-italy/3-top-locations-to-scuba-dive-in-liguria |title= Into the Blue: 3 Top Locations to Scuba Dive in Liguria |website=www.thegrandwinetour.com}}</ref> It is customarily divided into a western section, the Ponente Riviera, and an eastern section, the Levante Riviera, the point of division being the apex of the Ligurian arc at [[Voltri]].<ref name=Britannica/> It has about 1.6 million inhabitants, and most of the population is concentrated within the coastal area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.demo.istat.it/bilmens2017gen/index.html |title=Statistiche demografiche ISTAT |publisher=Demo.istat.it}}</ref> Its mild climate draws an active tourist trade in the numerous coastal [[resort]]s, which include [[Alassio]], [[Bonassola]], [[Bordighera]], [[Camogli]], [[Cinque Terre]], [[Lerici]], [[Levanto, Liguria|Levanto]], [[Noli]], [[Portofino]], [[Porto Venere]], [[Santa Margherita Ligure]], [[Sanremo]], [[San Fruttuoso Abbey|San Fruttuoso]], and [[Sestri Levante]]. It is also known for its historical association with international celebrity and artistic visitors;<ref>{{cite web|author=Italy |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/724962/Italy-Portofino-guide.html |title=Italy: Portofino guide |date=24 August 2002 |publisher=Telegraph |access-date=2013-01-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Ross |first=Rory |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/portofino-a-port-town-that-has-evaded-the-uglier-side-of-tourism-463761.html |title=Portofino: a port town that has evaded the uglier side of tourism - Europe - Travel |work=The Independent |date=2007-09-01 |access-date=2013-01-11}}</ref> writers and poets like [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]], [[Lord Byron]], [[Ezra Pound]], and [[Ernest Hemingway]] were inspired by the beauty and spirit of Liguria.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.trips2italy.com/liguria/culture-t2i |title=Culture of Italy's Riviera and Cinque Terre Liguria Region |website=Trips 2 Italy |date=6 June 2020 |access-date=14 February 2025 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326235924/https://www.trips2italy.com/liguria/culture-t2i |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Flickr - …trialsanderrors - La Riviera italienne, travel poster for ENIT, ca. 1920.jpg|thumb|[[Italian Riviera]], travel poster for [[ENIT]], {{Circa|1920}}]]

As a tourist centre, the Italian Riviera benefits from over 300 days of sunshine per year, and is known for its beaches, colourfully painted towns, natural environment, food, and luxury villas and hotels, as well as for its popular resort facilities, major [[#Yacht clubs|yachting]] and cruising areas with several marinas, [[#Events and festivals|festivals]], golf courses, sailing, rock climbing and scenic views of centuries old farmhouses and cottages.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cottage-rental.com/italy/map-of-italy.asp|title=Map of Italy - Holiday homes and villa rentals, self catering in Italy|website=Holiday homes for rent|access-date=2020-11-10|archive-date=2021-08-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828130941/https://www.cottage-rental.com/italy/map-of-italy.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Industries are concentrated in and around Genoa, Savona, and along the shores of the Gulf of La Spezia. Genoa and La Spezia are Italy's leading shipyards; La Spezia is Italy's major naval base, and Savona is a major centre of the Italian iron industry. Chemical, textile, and food industries are also important.<ref name=Britannica>{{cite web |url= https://www.britannica.com/place/Liguria|title=Liguria - region, Italy |website=Britannica}}</ref> [[Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli|A number of streets and palaces]] in the center of Genoa and the [[Cinque Terre National Park]] (which includes ''[[Cinque Terre]]'', [[Portovenere]], and the islands [[Palmaria (island)|Palmaria]], [[Tino (island)|Tino]] and [[Tinetto]]) are two of Italy's [[List of World Heritage Sites in Italy|58 World Heritage Sites]].

The Riviera's centre is [[Genoa]], which divides it into two main sections: the Riviera di Ponente ("the coast of the setting sun"), extending westwards from Genoa to the French border; and the Riviera di Levante ("the coast of the rising sun") between Genoa and Capo Corvo. It is known for its mild climate and its reputation for a relaxed way of life, old fishing ports, and landscapes. It has been a popular destination for travellers and [[tourism|tourists]] since the time of [[Byron]] and [[Percy Bysshe Shelley|Percy Shelley]].

Many villages and towns in the area are internationally known, such as [[Portofino]], [[Bordighera]], [[Lerici]] and the [[Cinque Terre]]. Many villages of Italian Riviera are counted among [[I Borghi più belli d'Italia]] ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").<ref>{{cite web |url=https://borghipiubelliditalia.it/liguria/ |title=Liguria |website=borghipiubelliditalia.it |date=10 January 2017 |access-date=31 July 2023|language=it}}</ref> The part of the Riviera di Ponente centred on [[Savona]], is called the Riviera delle Palme (the Riviera of palms); the part centred on [[Sanremo, Italy|Sanremo]], is the Riviera dei Fiori, after the long-established [[flower]] growing industry.

==History==
{{see also|List of museums in Liguria}}
=== Prehistory ===
[[File:Le caverne.jpg|thumb|left|The Balzi Rossi caves, located on a cliff about 100 meters high, show traces of human occupation from the Middle Palaeolithic ([[Pleistocene|300,000]] years) to the foundation of the ancient city of [[Ventimiglia]] in Liguria. This constitutes the longest human occupation in the world of a geographical site.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sitiarcheologiciditalia.it/en/balzi-rossi-caves/ | title=Balzi Rossi, one of the most important prehistoric shrines in Italy |website=www.sitiarcheologiciditalia.it | date=27 March 2018 }}</ref>]]

Evidence of human presence in Liguria dates back to prehistoric times. Near the port of Nice, in Terra Amata, traces of the oldest huts built by nomadic hunters, around [[Pleistocene|300,000]] years ago, have been found. The stratigraphy showed different settlement periods, with the remains of oval huts with a central hearth, chipped pebbles, scrapers and captured animals such as wild boar, turtles, Merk's rhinoceros, southern elephants, aurochs and various birds. Traces of Neanderthal Man have been found near Loano. In the caves of Toirano, signs of frequentation dating back to the end of the Upper Palaeolithic are visible. Remains reminiscent of Cro-Magnon Man have appeared in the Balzi Rossi cave in Ventimiglia. At the Arene Candide there is evidence of Neolithic and epigravettian strata dating between 20,000 and 18,700 years ago, while in the caves along the Pennavaira stream, in the valley of the same name in the Ingauno area, human remains have been found dating back as far as 7,000 BC.
[[File:Resti del principe delle arene candide.jpg|thumb|Burial of an adolescent from the Upper Palaeolithic (29,000 years), having led archaeologists to nickname him the "[[Arene Candide|young prince]]". About fifteen years old, he lay on his back on a layer of red ocher seven meters from the surface facing south, he wore a headgear decorated with shell beads and pierced deer teeth and squirrel tails on the thorax (Liguria region).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mudifinale.com/en/il-giovane-principe/ | title=The Young Prince of the Arene Candide |website=www.mudifinale.com }}</ref>]]

Copper begins to be mined from the middle of the [[4th millennium BC]] in Liguria with the Libiola and Monte Loreto mines dated to [[37th century BC|3700 BC]].
These are the oldest copper mines in the western Mediterranean basin.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Monte-Loreto-Fourth-millennium-cal-BC-mineshaft-ML6_fig1_265409510 |title=Figure 3. Monte Loreto. Fourth-millennium cal BC mineshaft (ML6) |via=www.researchgate.net}}</ref>

From the 2nd millennium B.C. ([[Neolithic]]), there are records of the presence of Ligurians over a vast territory, corresponding to most of northern Italy.

It is commonly thought that the ancient Ligurians settled on the Mediterranean coastline, divided in several tribes, from the [[Rhône|Rhone]] to the [[Arno]] (so we are told by [[Polybius]]), pushing their presence as far as the Spanish Mediterranean coast to the west and the Tiber to the south-east, colonizing the coasts of major islands such as [[Corsica]], [[Sardinia]] and [[Sicily]]. Numerous ceramic artefacts remain of them.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zamboni |first=Lorenzo |year=2022 |title=Ceramiche d'impasto decorate in Cisalpina tra seconda età del Ferro e romanizzazione - appunti per una ricerca (PDF) |url=https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/lanx/article/download/17090/15056 |website=Milano University Press}}</ref>

=== The foundation of Genoa ===
{{Main|History of Genoa}}
[[File:TavolaPolcevera.jpg|thumb|The [[Polcevera]] bronze tablet, evidence of Genoa's Roman and pre-Roman past]]

The Genoa area has been inhabited since the fifth or fourth millennium BC.<ref>The objects found during the works for the underground had been exposed in the exhibition ''Archeologia Metropolitana. Piazza Brignole e Acquasola'', held at the Ligurian Archeology Museum (30 November 2009 - 14 February 2010) ([http://www.museidigenova.it/spip.php?article479] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230235040/http://www.museidigenova.it/spip.php?article479|date=December 30, 2013|data=30 dicembre 2013}})</ref> In ancient times this area was inhabited by [[Ligures]] (ancient people after whom Liguria is named). According to excavations carried out in the city between 1898 and 1910, the Ligure population that lived in Genoa maintained trade relations with the [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscans]] and the [[Greeks]], since several objects from these populations were found.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Melli|first=Piera |title=Genova preromana. Città portuale del Mediterraneo tra il VII e il III secolo a.C. |year=2007 |publisher=Frilli |isbn=978-8875633363 |language=it}}</ref><ref>Marco Milanese, ''Scavi nell'oppidum preromano di Genova'', L'Erma di Bretschneider, Roma 1987 [https://books.google.com/books?id=Ge0mrXTQVIUC&pg=PA11 on-line] in GoogleBooks; Piera Melli, ''Una città portuale del Mediterraneo tra il VII e il III secolo a.C.'', Genova, Fratelli Frilli ed., 2007.</ref> In the 5th century BC the first town, or [[oppidum]], was founded at the top of the hill today called Castello (Castle), which is now inside the medieval old town. The ancient Ligurian city was known as Stalia (Σταλìα), referred to in this way by [[Artemidorus Ephesius]] and [[Pomponius Mela]]; this toponym is possibly preserved in the name of Staglieno, some {{convert|3|km|0|abbr=on}} from the coast. Stalia had an alliance with [[Roman Republic|Rome]] through a ''foedus aequum'' (equal pact) in the course of the [[Second Punic War]] (218-201&nbsp;BC). The [[Carthaginians]] accordingly destroyed it in 209&nbsp;BC. The town was rebuilt and, after the [[Carthaginian Wars]] ended in 146&nbsp;BC, it received municipal rights. The original ''castrum'' then expanded towards the current areas of Santa Maria di Castello and the San Lorenzo promontory. Trade goods included skins, timber, and honey. Goods were moved to and from Genoa's hinterland, including major cities like [[Tortona]] and [[Piacenza]]. An amphitheater was also found there among other archaeological remains from the Roman period.

=== Roman times ===
[[File:Regio IX Liguria.jpg|thumb|Map of [[Roman Italy#Augustan organization|Roman Regio ''IX Liguria'']], between the River [[Var (river)|Var]] and [[Magra]]]]
[[File:Luna Amphitheater1.jpg|thumb|The Roman amphitheatre of [[Luni, Italy|Luni]] (1st century AD)]]

During the first [[Punic War]], the ancient Ligurians were divided, some of them siding with [[Carthage]], others, including the inhabitants of Stalia (later [[Genoa]]), with Rome. Under [[Augustus]], Liguria was designated a [[Augustan regions of Italy|region of Italy]] (''Regio IX Liguria'') stretching from the coast to the banks of the [[Po River]]. The great Roman roads (Aurelia and Julia Augusta on the coast, Postumia and Aemilia Scauri towards the inland) helped strengthen territorial unity and increase communication and trade. Important towns developed on the coast, of which evidence is left in the ruins of [[Albenga]], Ventimiglia and [[Luni, Italy|Luni]]. In 180&nbsp;BC, the Romans, in order to dispose of Ligurian rebels in their seeking of the [[Gallic Wars|conquest of Gaul]], they deported 47,000 Liguri [[Apuani]], confining them to the Samnite area between [[Avellino]] and [[Benevento]].{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

===Middle Ages===
[[File:La Ligurie de Mercator 1576.jpg|thumb|Map of ancient Liguria, between the river [[Var (river)|Var]] and [[Magra]]. [[Cannes]] was annexed by France in the [[Middle Ages]].]]
[[File:Repubblica di Genova.png|thumb|Territories of the [[Republic of Genoa]] (shown in purple)]]

Between the 4th and the 10th centuries, Liguria was dominated by the [[Byzantine]]s, the [[Lombards]] of King [[Rothari]] (about 641) and the [[Franks]] (about 774). It was also invaded by [[Saracen]] and [[Normans|Norman]] raiders. In the 10th century, once the danger of pirates decreased, the Ligurian territory was divided into three marches: Obertenga (east), Arduinica (west) and Aleramica (centre). In the 11th and 12th centuries, the marches were split into fees, and then with the strengthening of the bishops' power, the feudal structure began to partially weaken. The main Ligurian towns, especially on the coast, became city-states, over which [[Genoa]] soon extended its rule. Inland, however, fiefs belonging to noble families survived for a very long time.{{fix|text=vague}}

Between the 11th century (when the Genoese ships played a major role in the first crusade, carrying knights and troops to the Middle-East for a fee) and the 15th century, the [[Republic of Genoa]] experienced an extraordinary political and commercial success (mainly spice trades with the Orient). It was one of the most powerful maritime republics in the [[Mediterranean]] from the 12th to the 14th century: after the decisive victory in the [[Battle of Meloria (1284)]], it acquired control over the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]] and was present in the nerve centres of power during the last phase of the Byzantine empire, [[Genoese colonies|having colonies]] up to [[Black Sea]] and [[Crimean]].

After the introduction of the title of doge for life (1339) and the election of [[Simone Boccanegra]], Genoa resumed its struggles against the [[Marquisate of Finale]] and the Counts of [[Laigueglia]] and it conquered again the territories of [[Finale Ligure|Finale]], [[Oneglia]] and [[Porto Maurizio]]. In spite of its military and commercial successes, Genoa fell prey to the internal factions which put pressure on its political structure. Due to the vulnerable situation, the rule of the republic went to the hands of the [[Visconti of Milan|Visconti family]] of [[Milan]]. After their expulsion by the popular forces under Boccanegra's lead, the republic remained in Genoese hands until 1396, when the internal instability led the doge [[Antoniotto I Adorno|Antoniotto Adorno]] to surrender the title of Seignior of Genoa to the king of France. The French were driven away in 1409 and Liguria went back under Milanese control in 1421, thus remaining until 1435.

===Early modern===
[[File:Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio - Ritratto di Cristoforo Colombo (1520).jpg|thumb|left|upright|The Italian explorer [[Christopher Columbus]] leads an expedition to the New World, 1492. [[Voyages of Christopher Columbus|His voyages]] are celebrated as the discovery of the Americas from a European perspective, and they opened a [[Early modern period|new era]] in the history of humankind and sustained contact between the two worlds.]]
The alternation of French and Milanese dominions over Liguria went on until the first half of the 16th century. The French influence ceased in 1528, when [[Andrea Doria]] allied with the powerful king of Spain and imposed an aristocratic government, which gave the republic relative stability for about 250 years.

Genoese explorer [[Christopher Columbus]]'s speculative proposal to reach the [[East Indies]] by sailing westward received the support of the Spanish crown, which saw in it an opportunity to gain the upper hand over rival powers in the contest for the lucrative [[spice trade]] with [[Asia]]. During his first voyage in 1492, instead of reaching Japan as he had intended, Columbus landed in the [[The Bahamas|Bahamas archipelago]], at a locale he named ''San Salvador''. Over the course of three more voyages, Columbus visited the [[Greater Antilles|Greater]] and [[Lesser Antilles]], as well as the [[Caribbean Sea|Caribbean]] coast of [[Venezuela]] and Central America, claiming them for the [[Spanish Empire]].
[[File:Casa di Colombo Genova foto 2.jpg|thumb|[[Christopher Columbus House]] in [[Genoa]], Italy, an 18th-century reconstruction of the house in which Columbus grew up. The original was likely destroyed during the 1684 [[bombardment of Genoa]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Una Giornata nella Città |trans-title=A Day in the City  |first1=Corinna |last1=Praga |author2=Laura Monac |publisher=Sagep Editrice |location=Genoa |year=1992 |page=14 |language=it}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.ortidicarignano.it/files/seiitinerariinportoria.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.ortidicarignano.it/files/seiitinerariinportoria.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |chapter=Casa di Colombo |first1=Alfredo |last1=Preste |author2=Alessandro Torti |author3=Remo Viazzi |title=Sei itinerari in Portoria |publisher=Grafiche Frassicomo |trans-title=Six itineraries in Portoria  |location=Genova |year=1997 |language=it}}</ref>]]

The value of trade routes through Genoa to the Near East declined during the [[Age of Discovery]], when Portuguese explorers discovered routes to Asia around the [[Cape of Good Hope]]. The international crises of the seventeenth century, which ended for Genoa with the 1684 [[Bombardment of Genoa|bombardment]] by [[Louis XIV]]'s fleet, restored French influence over the republic. Consequently, the Ligurian territory was crossed by the [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861)|Piedmontese]] and [[Holy Roman Empire|Austrian]] armies when these two states came into conflict with France. Austria occupied Genoa in 1746, but the [[Habsburg]] troops were driven away by a popular insurrection. Napoleon's first Italian campaign marked the end of the oligarchic Genoese state, which was transformed into the [[Ligurian Republic]], modelled on the [[First French Republic|French Republic]]. After the union of Oneglia and Loano (1801), Liguria was annexed to the [[First French Empire|French Empire]] (1805) and divided by [[Napoleon]] into three departments: [[Montenotte (department)|Montenotte]] (capital [[Savona]]), [[Gênes]] (capital [[Genoa]]) and [[Apennins]] (capital [[Chiavari]]).

===Late modern and contemporary===
[[File:County of nice.svg|thumb|A map of the [[County of Nice]] western part of Liguria showing the area of the [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861)|Italian kingdom of Sardinia]] annexed in 1860 to France (light brown). The area in red had already become part of France before 1860.]]
After a short period of independence in 1814, the [[Congress of Vienna]] (1815) decided that Liguria should be annexed to the [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861)|Kingdom of Sardinia]]. The Genoese uprising against the House of Savoy in 1821, which was put down with great bloodshed, aroused the population's national sentiments. Some of the most prestigious figures of ''[[Risorgimento]]'' were born in Liguria ([[Giuseppe Mazzini]], [[Goffredo Mameli|Mameli]], [[Nino Bixio]]). Italian patriot and general [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]], who was born in the neighbouring [[Nice]] (then part of the [[Savoyard state|Sardinian state]]), started his [[Expedition of the Thousand]] on the evening of 5 May 1860 from a rock in Quarto, a quarter of Genoa.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the region's economic growth was remarkable: steel mills and ship yards flourished along the coast from [[Imperia]] to [[La Spezia]], while the port of Genoa became the main commercial hub of industrializing Northern Italy. During the [[Second World War]], Liguria experienced heavy bombings, hunger and two years of occupation by the [[Nazi|German]] troops, against whom a liberation struggle was led—among the most effective in Italy. When Allied troops eventually entered Genoa, they were welcomed by Italian partisans who, in a successful insurrection, had freed the city and accepted the surrender of the local German command. For this feat, the city was awarded the gold medal for military valour.

==Demographics==
[[File:Cervo Altstadt 20090902.jpg|thumb|left|[[Cervo, Liguria|Cervo]]]]
{{Historical populations
|1861 |829138|1871 |883864|1881 |936476|1901 |1086213|1911 |1207095|1921 |1337979|1931 |1422596|1936 |1466820|1951 |1566961|1961 |1735349|1971 |1853578|1981 |1807893|1991 |1676282|2001 |1571783|2011 |1570694|2021|1509227|source=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Popolazione residente e presente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1971|trans-title=Resident and present population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1971|url=https://ebiblio.istat.it/digibib/Censimenti%20popolazione/Censimentipopolazioneresidentedal1861/PUV0027177Pop_res_pres_cens_1861_1971_Tomo1.pdf|date=1971-10-24|lang=it|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dashboard Permanent census of population and housing|url=https://esploradati.censimentopopolazione.istat.it/databrowser/#/en/censtest/dashboards|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref>}}

The population density of Liguria is much higher than the national average (300 inhabitants per km<sup>2</sup>, or 770 per mi<sup>2</sup>), being only less than [[Campania]]'s, [[Lombardy]]'s and [[Lazio]]'s. In the [[Metropolitan City of Genoa]], it reaches almost 500 inhabitants per km<sup>2</sup>, whereas in the provinces of [[province of imperia|Imperia]] and [[province of savona|Savona]] it is less than 200 inhabitants per km<sup>2</sup>. The Spanish traveller [[Pedro Tafur]], noting it from sea in 1436, remarked "To one who does not know it, the whole coast from Savona to Genoa looks like one continuous city, so well inhabited is it, and so thickly studded with houses,"<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/tafur.html#ch1 |title=Pero Tafur |website=depts.washington.edu}}</ref> and today over 80% of the regional population still lives permanently near to the coast, where all the four major cities above 50,000 are located: [[Genoa]] (pop. 610,000), [[La Spezia]] (pop. 95,000), [[Savona]] (pop. 62,000) and [[Sanremo]] (pop. 56,000).

The population of Liguria has been declining since the census in 1971, most markedly in the cities of Genoa, Savona and La Spezia. The age pyramid now looks more like a 'mushroom' resting on a fragile base.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/regportraits/info/data/en/itc3_pop.htm |title=Eurostat |publisher=Circa.europa.eu |access-date=5 May 2009 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721132604/http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/regportraits/info/data/en/itc3_pop.htm |archive-date=21 July 2011 }}</ref> The negative trend has been partially interrupted only in the last decade when, after a successful economic recovery, the region has attracted consistent fluxes of immigrants. {{As of|2008}}, the Italian national institute of statistics, ISTAT, estimated that 90,881 foreign-born immigrants live in Liguria, equal to 5.7% of the total regional population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://demo.istat.it/strasa2008/index.html |title=Statistiche demografiche ISTAT |publisher=Demo.istat.it |access-date=5 May 2009}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Aerial view - Harbour of Genoa, Italy - DSC01156.JPG|thumb|left|The [[port of Genoa]] is the busiest in Italy.]]

Ligurian agriculture has increased its specialisation pattern in high-quality products (flowers, [[Italian wine|wine]], [[olive oil]]) and has thus managed to maintain the gross value-added per worker at a level much higher than the national average (the difference was about 42% in 1999).<ref name="regportraits1">{{cite web |url=http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/regportraits/info/data/en/itc3_eco.htm |title=Eurostat |publisher=Circa.europa.eu |access-date=5 May 2009 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916185647/http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/regportraits/info/data/en/itc3_eco.htm |archive-date=16 September 2008 }}</ref> The value of flower production represents over 75% of the agriculture sector turnover, followed by animal farming (11.2%) and vegetable growing (6.4%).
[[File:Vernazza and the sea, Cinque Terre, Italy.jpg|thumb|[[Cinque Terre]] on the [[Italian Riviera]], one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy]]
[[File:Sanremo Casino 2.jpg|thumb|[[Sanremo Casino]]]]

[[Sanremo Casino]] (official {{langx|it|Casinò Municipale di Sanremo}}) is a gambling and entertainment complex located in [[Sanremo]], on the [[Italian Riviera]]. The Casino's building was designed by French architect Eugène Ferret, opening 14 January 1905. Seven different projects were submitted, resulting in the victory of Ferret, who adhered to the [[Art Nouveau]] movement, so much in vogue in France back then. Ferret was also to be the first manager of the proper gaming activities by an agreement signed on 5 November 1903. From 1913 the Casino had its own tram connection. From 1927 to 1934 the Casino was managed by Luigi De Santis who proved to be, among other things, a first-rate gamester for its knowledge of the game and the particularities of the world around it. In the 1930s, [[Pietro Mascagni]], [[Luigi Pirandello]] and Francesco Pastonchi were regular clients of the Casino. De Santis invited Marta Abba to Sanremo and offered her the Compagnia Stabile (Theatre Company) of which Pirandello was to be its Artistic Director. It also granted funds to Pastonchi for the organisation and setting up of the Literary Mondays. The Sanremo Casino closed its doors on 10 June 1940. Still, undamaged by the war and two German and allied occupations, the Casino resumed its activities seven months after the end of [[World War II]]. From its first edition in 1951 until 1976, the Sanremo Casino was home of the [[Sanremo Music Festival]].

Steel, once a major industry during the booming 1950s and 1960s, phased out after the late 1980s crisis, as Italy moved away from the heavy industry to pursue more technologically advanced and less polluting production. So the Ligurian industry has turned towards a widely diversified range of high-quality and high-tech products (food, shipbuilding, electrical engineering and electronics, petrochemicals, aerospace etc.). Nonetheless, the region still maintains a flourishing shipbuilding sector (yacht construction and maintenance, cruise liner building, military shipyards).<ref name="regportraits1"/>
In the services sector, the gross value-added per worker in Liguria is 4% above the national average. This is due to the increasing diffusion of modern technologies, particularly in commerce and tourism.

=== Economical statistics ===
The [[Gross domestic product]] (GDP) of the region was 49.9 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 2.8% of Italy's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 32,000 euros or 106% of the EU27 average in the same year.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58 |title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018 |website=Eurostat}}</ref>

The unemployment rate stood at 8.3% in 2020 and was slightly lower than the national average.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=lfst_r_lfu3rt&lang=en |title=Unemployment NUTS 2 regions Eurostat |website=appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!2006
!2007
!2008
!2009
!2010
!2011
!2012
!2013
!2014
!2015
!2016
!2017
!2018
!2019
!2020
|-
|'''Unemployment rate'''<br />(in %)
|4.8%
|4.8%
|5.4%
|5.8%
|6.6%
|6.4%
|8.1%
|9.8%
|10.8%
|9.2%
|9.7%
|9.5%
|9.9%
|9.6%
|8.3%
|}

===Wine===
{{Main|Liguria wine}}
[[File:Cinque Terre white wine.jpg|right|thumb|A bottle of [[Colline di Levanto DOC]] white wine]]

Liguria is an [[Italian wine]] region located in the northwest region of [[Italy]] along the [[Italian Riviera]]. It is bordered by the [[Piedmont wine]] region to the north, the [[Alps]] and [[French wine]] region of [[Provence (wine)|Provence]] to the west, the [[Apennine Mountains]] and the [[Emilia-Romagna wine]] region to the east with a small border shared with [[Tuscany (wine)|Tuscany]] in the south-east along the [[Ligurian Sea]].<ref name="Dummies">M. Ewing-Mulligan & E. McCarthy ''Italian Wines for Dummies'' pg 83-87 Hungry Minds 2001 {{ISBN|0-7645-5355-0}}</ref>

Liguria has several ''[[Denominazione di origine controllata]]'' regions with the most notable being the [[Cinque Terre DOC]] from cliff side vineyards situated among the five fishing villages of [[Cinque Terre]] in the [[province of La Spezia]]. The DOC produces light white wines made from [[grape varieties]] such as [[Bosco (grape)|Bosco]], [[Albarola]] and [[Vermentino]]. In the west is the red wine-producing region of [[Dolceacqua]], producing wine from the [[indigenous (ecology)|indigenous]] [[Rossese di Dolceacqua|Rossese]] grape.<ref name="Saunders">P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pp. 139–209 Firefly Books 2004 {{ISBN|1-55297-720-X}}</ref>

The following is a list of DOCs in the Liguria region along with the grapes that may be included in the blend under varying percentages that are regulated under the DOC label.<ref name="Saunders" />

*[[Cinque Terre DOC]] – White wine only DOC producing wine from the [[Bosco (grape)|Bosco]], [[Albarola]] and [[Vermentino]] grapes. A ''[[passito]]'' and ''[[liquoroso]]'' style made from the same grapes can also be produced under the [[Sciacchetra]] designation.
*[[Colli di Luni DOC]] – Red and white wine DOC producing wine from [[Sangiovese]], [[Canaiolo]], [[Ciliegiolo]], [[Pollera nera]], [[Bracciola nera]], [[Trebbiano]] and Vermentino.
*[[Colline di Levanto DOC]] – Red and white wine DOC producing wine from Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, Vermentino, Albarola and Bosco.

===Tourism===
Liguria has many small and picturesque villages, 20 of them have been selected by {{lang|it|[[I Borghi più belli d'Italia]]}} ({{langx|en|The most beautiful Villages of Italy}}),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://borghipiubelliditalia.it/basilicata/|title=Basilicata|date=10 January 2017 |access-date=1 August 2023|language=it}}</ref> a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.repubblica.it/viaggi/2023/01/16/news/borghi_piu_belli_italia_14_nuovi_2023-383794441/ |title=Borghi più belli d'Italia. Le 14 novità 2023, dal Trentino alla Calabria |website=www.repubblica.it |date=16 January 2023 |access-date=28 July 2023|language=it}}</ref> that was founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities.<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://borghipiubelliditalia.it/ |title = I Borghi più belli d'Italia, la guida online ai piccoli centri dell'Italia nascosta |website=borghipiubelliditalia.it |access-date=3 May 2018|language=it}}</ref> These villages are:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://borghipiubelliditalia.it/piemonte/ |title=Piemonte |website=borghipiubelliditalia.it |date=9 January 2017 |access-date=31 July 2023|language=it}}</ref>
[[File:Apricale-scorcio3.JPG|thumb|right|[[Apricale]]]]
[[File:Framura-Frazione Costa-2435.JPG|thumb|right|[[Framura]]]]
[[File:Piazza Dante Alighieri di sera - Noli.jpg|thumb|right|[[Noli]]]]

*[[Apricale]]
*[[Badalucco]]
*[[Brugnato]]
*[[Campo Ligure]]
*[[Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena]]
*[[Celle Ligure]]
*[[Cervo, Liguria|Cervo]]
*[[Colletta di Castelbianco]]
*[[Deiva Marina]]
*[[Diano Castello]]
*[[Finale Ligure|Finalborgo]]
*[[Framura]]
*[[Laigueglia]]
*[[Cipressa|Lingueglietta]]
*[[Millesimo]]
*[[Moneglia]]
*[[Montemarcello]]
*[[Noli]]
*[[Perinaldo]]
*[[Seborga]]
*[[Taggia]]
*[[Tellaro]]
*[[Triora]]
*[[Varese Ligure]]
*[[Borgio Verezzi|Verezzi]]
*[[Vernazza]]
*[[Zuccarello]]

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of Liguria}}
[[File:Genova-palazzo regione liguria.jpg|thumb|right|Palazzo della Navigazione generale italiana, the seat of the regional government]]
The politics of Liguria takes place in a framework of a [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[representative democracy]], whereby the President of Regional Government is the [[head of government]], and of a pluriform [[multi-party system]]. [[Executive power]] is exercised by the Regional Government. [[Legislative power]] is vested in both the government and the Regional Council.

The Regional Government is presided by the Governor, who is elected for a five-year term, and is composed of the President and the Ministers, who are currently 11, including a vice president.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.regione.liguria.it/MenuSezione.asp?Parametri=1_2_2_$1_2_2_$Giunta$0$ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021209233825/http://www.regione.liguria.it/MenuSezione.asp?Parametri=1_2_2_$1_2_2_$Giunta$0$ |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 December 2002 |title=Regione Liguria – - sito ufficiale |publisher=Regione.liguria.it |access-date=5 May 2009 }}</ref>

The Regional Council has 40 members and is elected for a five-year term, but, if the President suffers a vote of no confidence, resigns or dies, under the ''simul stabunt vel simul cadent'' clause (introduced in 1999), also the council will be dissolved and there will be a fresh election.

In the last regional election, which took place on 31 May 2015, [[Giovanni Toti]] ([[Forza Italia (2013)|Forza Italia]]) defeated Raffaella Paita ([[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]]), after 10 years of regional left-wing government by [[Claudio Burlando]] ([[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]]).

At both national and local level, Liguria is considered a swing region, where no one of the two political blocs is dominant, with the two eastern provinces leaning left, and the two western provinces right.

Liguria is one of 20 regions (administrative divisions) of Italy.

==Administrative divisions==
[[File:Via Olivo, 101, 19025 Portovenere SP, Italy - panoramio.jpg|thumb|right|View of [[Portovenere]]]]
Liguria is divided into four provinces:

{{stack begin|float=left}}
{| class="wikitable centered"
|-
! style="background:#ccf;"|Province
! style="background:#ccf;"|Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
! style="background:#ccf;"|Population
! style="background:#ccf;"|Density (inhabitants/km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
|[[Metropolitan City of Genoa]]
|1,838
|884,945
|481.5
|-
|[[Province of Imperia]]
|1,156
|220,217
|190.5
|-
|[[Province of La Spezia]]
|881
|222,602
|252.7
|-
|[[Province of Savona]]
|1,545
|265,194
|185.2
|}
{{stack end}}

{{stack begin|float=left}}
[[File:Map of region of Liguria, Italy, with provinces-en.svg|400px|Provinces of Liguria]]
{{stack end}}

{{clear}}

==Culture==

===Cuisine===
{{Main|Cuisine of Liguria}}
[[File:PastaWithPesto.JPG|thumb|[[Linguine|Linguine with pesto]]]]
Liguria is the original source of [[pesto]], one of the most popular sauces in Italian cuisine, made with fresh [[basil (herb)|basil]], [[pine kernel]]s, [[olive oil]], [[garlic]] and [[Parmesan cheese]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mangiareinliguria.it/consorziopestogenovese/pestogenovese.php |title=La Ricetta del Pesto Genovese |language=it |author=Della Gatta, Andrea |publisher=Consorzio del Pesto Genovese |access-date=13 May 2016}}</ref>

[[Seafood]] is a major staple of [[Mediterranean cuisine]], the Ligurian variety being no exception, as the sea has been part of the region's culture since its beginning. ''Ciuppin'' soup is made from fish leftovers and stale bread, flavoured with white wine, onion, and garlic.<ref name=MadeInItaly>{{cite web |url=http://www.made-in-italy.com/italian-food/regions/liguria |title=The Food and Cuisine of Liguria |publisher=Made in Italy |access-date=13 May 2016}}</ref>

Vegetables, especially beans, are important in Ligurian cooking. ''Mesciua'' soup is made from beans, olive oil and [[farro]] (old kinds of wheat including [[emmer]]).<ref name=MadeInItaly/> The Badalucco, conio and pigna beans are a [[Slow Food]] Presidium.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/slow-food-presidia/badalucco-conio-and-pigna-beans/ |title=Badalucco, Conio, and Pigna Beans - Presìdi Slow Food |website=www.fondazioneslowfood.com |access-date=18 December 2022}}</ref>

Ligurian pasta includes ''[[trenette]]'' and ''[[trofie]]'', and the fresh pasta pockets called ''pansòuti''.<ref name=MadeInItaly/>

===Museums===
{{Main|List of museums in Liguria}}
[[File:Palazzo Ducale Genoa.jpg|thumb|[[Doge's Palace, Genoa]]]]
[[File:La Spezia - Ingresso Arsenale.JPG|thumb|[[Technical Naval Museum at La Spezia]]]]
* [[Mackenzie Castle]]
* [[Lighthouse of Genoa]]
* [[Technical Naval Museum at La Spezia]]
* [[Istituto Internazionale di Studi Liguri]]
* [[Pinacoteca Giovanni Morscio]]
* [[Palazzo Bianco]]
* [[Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria]]
* [[Christopher Columbus House|House of Cristoforo Colombo]]
* [[Museum of Contemporary Art Villa Croce|Museum of Contemporary Art, Genoa]]
* [[Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art]]
* [[Diocesan Museum (Genoa)|Diocesan museum of Genoa]]
* [[Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini]]
* [[Archaeological Museum of Savona]]
* [[Palazzo Reale (Genoa)|Palazzo Reale]]
* [[Bicknell Museum]]
* [[Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova|Giacomo Doria Museum of Natural History]]
* [[Palazzo Rosso (Genoa)|Palazzo Rosso]]
* [[Doge's Palace, Genoa]]

===Sports===
[[File:Stadio Luigi Ferraris di Genova.jpg|thumb|[[Stadio Luigi Ferraris]]]]
[[File:Petacchi MSR 2005.jpg|thumb|Italian [[Cycling sprinter|Sprinter]] [[Alessandro Petacchi]] winning the [[2005 Milan–San Remo]] in a group sprint on the Via Roma]]

The two main men's football clubs are [[Genoa C.F.C.]] and [[U.C. Sampdoria]], which have played for decades in [[Serie A]]. They share the [[Stadio Luigi Ferraris]], and face each other in the [[Derby della Lanterna]]. The third most successful club is [[Spezia Calcio]], which debuted in Serie A in 2020. [[Pro Recco]] is a men's water polo club that has a record 36 [[Serie A1 (water polo)|Serie A1]] titles and 11 [[LEN Champions League]] titles.

The [[Milan–San Remo]]  (in [[italian language|Italian]] ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual [[road bicycle racing|road cycling]] race between [[Milan]] and [[Sanremo]]<!--CORRECT name is Sanremo, please-->, in [[Northwest Italy]]. With a distance of 298&nbsp;km (~185.2 miles) it is the longest  professional one-day race in modern cycling. It is the first major [[Classic cycle races|classic]] race of the season, usually held on the third Saturday of March. The first edition was held in [[1907 Milan–San Remo|1907]].<ref name="Storia" >{{cite web |title=Storia della Milano-Sanremo |url=http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/GrandiClassiche/2005/St_milano-sanremo.html |website=[[La Gazzetta dello Sport]] |publisher=[[RCS MediaGroup]] |access-date=17 March 2015 |language=it}}</ref> It is traditionally the first of the five ''[[Cycling monument|Monuments]]'' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycling. 

The [[Rallye Sanremo]] is a [[Rallying|rally]] competition held in [[Sanremo]], [[Italy]]. Except for the 1995 event, the event was part of the [[FIA]] [[World Rally Championship]] schedule from [[1973 World Rally Championship|1973]] to the [[2003 World Rally Championship|2003]]. It was a round of the [[Intercontinental Rally Challenge]] and is currently a round of the [[Italian national rally championship]]. The first "Rallye Internazionale di Sanremo" was held in 1928. The rally name's [[French language|French]] word "rallye", as opposed to [[Italian language|Italian]] "rally", was inspired by [[Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo]]. After another successful rally in 1929, the event was given to new organisers who decided to set up a street race through the town of Sanremo instead. The first one, 1° Circuito Automobilistico Sanremo, was held in 1937 and won by [[Achille Varzi]]. Rallye Sanremo was restarted in 1961 as Rallye dei Fiori ("Rally of the Flowers") and has been held every year since.<ref>{{cite web | title=Una storia quasi ottantennale (PDF) | work=Automobile Club Sanremo | url=http://www.acisanremo.it/rallysanremo/2006/albo.pdf | access-date=2007-02-09 | language=it}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>

The [[Piatti Tennis Center]] is a tennis academy and training center located in [[Bordighera]], Italy, on the [[Italian Riviera]]. It was founded in 2018 by [[Riccardo Piatti]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Di Paola |first1=Giuseppe |title=Novità per il Piatti Tennis Center: inserimenti nello staff e l'opportunità degli stage |url=https://www.ubitennis.com/blog/2023/10/28/novita-per-il-piatti-tennis-center-inserimenti-nello-staff-e-lopportunita-degli-stage/ |website=Ubitennis |access-date=25 July 2024 |language=it |date=28 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Martucci |first1=Vincenzo |title=Quel vulcano di Riccardo Piatti, sempre all'avanguardia, ha aperto un'accademia con la moviola per l'allenamento… |url=https://www.sportsenators.it/21/02/2018/quel-vulcano-riccardo-piatti-sempre-allavanguardia-aperto-unaccademia-la-moviola-lallenamento/ |website=Sport Senators |access-date=25 July 2024 |language=it |date=21 February 2018}}</ref> It was the original training base of tennis player [[Jannik Sinner]]

==Transport==
A good motorways network ({{convert|376|km|0|abbr=on}} in 2000) makes communications with the border regions relatively easy. The main motorway is located along the coastline, connecting the main ports of Nice (in France), Savona, Genoa and La Spezia. The number of passenger cars per 1000 inhabitants (524 in 2001) is below the national average (584).
In average, about 17 million tonnes of cargo are shipped from the main ports of the region and about 57 million tonnes enter the region.<ref name="regportraits1"/> The [[Port of Genoa]], with a trade volume of 58.6 million tonnes<ref name="genova1">{{cite web |url=http://www.porto.genova.it/dati/traffico_porto/traffico_porto.jsp |title=Autorità Portuale di Genova&nbsp;— Traffico porto |publisher=Porto.genova.it |access-date=26 December 2008 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202145356/http://www.porto.genova.it/dati/traffico_porto/traffico_porto.jsp |archive-date= 2 December 2008 }}</ref> is the first port of Italy,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.istat.it/dati/catalogo/20070406_00/inf_07_05_statistiche_trasporti_marittimi_2002_2004.pdf |website=www.istat.it |title=Inf_07_05_Statistiche dei trasporti marittimi 2002–2004 |access-date=26 December 2008|archive-date=19 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419165834/http://www3.istat.it/dati/catalogo/20070406_00/inf_07_05_statistiche_trasporti_marittimi_2002_2004.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> the second in terms of [[twenty-foot equivalent units]] after the port of [[transshipment]] of [[Gioia Tauro]], with a trade volume of 1.86 million TEUs.<ref name="genova1"/> The main destinations for the cargo-passenger traffic are Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Barcelona and Canary Islands.

===Motorways===
[[File:Voltri mare 02.jpg|thumb|[[Autostrada A10 (Italy)|Autostrada A10]] near [[Voltri]]]]
* {{symbol|Autostrada A6 Italia.svg}} [[Autostrada A6 (Italy)|Autostrada A6]]: [[Savona]]-[[Turin]]. It is an ''[[autostrade of Italy|autostrada]]'' ([[Italian language|Italian]] for "[[motorway]]") {{convert|124.3|km}} long located in the [[Regions of Italy|regions]] of [[Piedmont]] and Liguria which connects [[Turin]], the southernmost area of Piedmont, especially the [[province of Cuneo]], to the west coast of Liguria and the city of [[Savona]].
* {{symbol|Autostrada A7 Italia.svg}} [[Autostrada A7 (Italy)|Autostrada A7]]: [[Milan]]-[[Genoa]]. It is {{convert|135.5|km}} long located in the [[Regions of Italy|regions]] of [[Lombardy]], [[Piedmont]] and Liguria which connects [[Milan]] to [[Genoa]]. It is a part of the [[European route E25|E25]] and [[European route E62|E62]] European routes.
* {{symbol|Autostrada A10 Italia.svg}} [[Autostrada A10 (Italy)|Autostrada A10]]: [[Genoa]]-[[Ventimiglia]]. It is {{convert|158.1|km}} long located in the [[Regions of Italy|region]] of Liguria which connects [[Genoa]] and [[Ventimiglia]] to [[France]]. It is a part of the [[European route E25|E25]], [[European route E74|E74]] and [[European route E80|E80]] European routes. It connects to the French [[A8 autoroute]], which finishes in [[Aix-en-Provence]]. 
* {{symbol|Autostrada A12 Italia.svg}} [[Autostrada A12 (Italy)|Autostrada A12]]: [[Genoa]]-[[Livorno]]. It is {{convert|275.4|km}} long located in the [[Regions of Italy|regions]] of Liguria, [[Tuscany]] and [[Lazio]] composed of two unconnected parts. The first one connects [[Genoa]] and [[San Pietro in Palazzi]], the second connects [[Tarquinia]] and [[Rome]]. The road is one of the motorways on the Italian west coast. It is a part of the [[European route E80|E80]] European route.
* {{symbol|Autostrada A15 Italia.svg}}  [[Autostrada A15 (Italy)|Autostrada A15]]: [[Parma]]-[[La Spezia]]. It is {{convert|108.5|km}} long located in the [[Regions of Italy|regions]] of [[Emilia-Romagna]], [[Tuscany]] and Liguria connecting [[Parma]] and [[La Spezia]] through the valleys of the [[Taro River|Taro]] and [[Magra]] rivers. It is a part of the [[European route E33|E33]] European route. The road is also known as Autostrada della Cisa because it crosses the [[Apennine Mountains|Northern Apennines]] at the [[Cisa Pass]].
* {{symbol|Autostrada A26 Italia.svg}} [[Autostrada A26 (Italy)|Autostrada A26]]: [[Genoa]]-[[Ornavasso]]. It is {{convert|197.1|km}} long located in the [[Regions of Italy|regions]] of Liguria and [[Piedmont]]. It is named the ''Autostrada dei Trafori'' ("Tunnels motoway") after the numerous tunnels through which it passes, both [[Apennines|Apennine]] and [[Subalpine]]. It runs northwards from [[Genoa]] on the Ligurian coast, over the Apennines, and across the wide [[Padan plain|plain of the Po valley]] to the environs of [[Lake Maggiore]] and the mouth of the [[Val d’Ossola]].

===Highways===
[[File:Arenzano-IMG 0632.JPG|thumb|[[Strada statale 1 Via Aurelia]] in [[Arenzano]]]]
* {{symbol|Strada Statale 1 Italia.svg|30px}} [[Strada statale 1 Via Aurelia]]: [[Rome]]-[[Ventimiglia]]. It is an [[State highway (Italy)|Italian state highway]] {{convert|697.3|km}} long located in the [[Regions of Italy|regions]] of [[Lazio]], [[Tuscany]] and Liguria. It is one of the most important state highways in Italy and derives from an ancient Roman consular road, the [[Via Aurelia]]. It connects [[Rome]] with [[France]] following the coast of [[Tyrrhenian Sea]] and [[Ligurian Sea]] and touching nine provincial capitals as well as important tourist locations. It constitutes a section of the [[European route E80]] from [[Tarquinia]] to [[Rosignano Marittimo]].

===Railway lines===
[[File:Treno Andora Cervo.jpg|thumb|[[Genoa–Ventimiglia railway]]]]
* [[Genoa–Ventimiglia railway]] runs along the coast of the Liguria region of [[Italy]]. It was opened as a single track line between [[Genova]] and [[Savona]] in 1868, and between [[Savona]] and [[Ventimiglia, Italy|Ventimiglia]] in 1872, mostly running along a coastal [[corniche]].
* [[Genoa–Pisa railway]] is one of the trunk lines of the [[rail transport in Italy|Italian railway network]]. It runs along the Ligurian coast from [[Genoa]] to [[Pisa]] through the [[Italian Riviera|Riviera di Levante]] and the [[Versilia]]. It passes through the cities of [[Massa, Tuscany|Massa]], [[Carrara]] and [[La Spezia]]. South of Pisa the [[Pisa–Livorno–Rome railway|Pisa–Rome line]] continues along the [[Tyrrhenian Sea|Tyrrhenian]] coast to Rome.
* [[Parma–La Spezia railway]] is the railway line that connects [[Parma]], Italy with the [[Genoa–Pisa railway]] near [[La Spezia]] over the [[Cisa Pass]] through the [[Apennines]]. Its Italian name (''ferrovia Pontremolese'') derives from the town of [[Pontremoli]], one of the main towns it passes through.
* [[Tenda line]] is a cross-border railway line in the Alpine regions of France and Italy, connecting the [[Maritime Alps|Maritime]] and [[Ligurian Alps]]. The line includes an {{convert|8|km|mi|adj=on}} tunnel under the [[Col de Tende]] mountain pass. The line connects [[Cuneo railway station|Cuneo]] and [[Ventimiglia railway station|Ventimiglia]], both stations in [[Italy]], but it passes through territory now belonging to [[France]]. This historical peculiarity is due to the fact that at the time of its design and construction, the route was located entirely within the [[Kingdom of Sardinia]].
* [[Genova–Casella railway]] is a railway in Liguria that connects the city of [[Genoa]] to [[Casella, Liguria|Casella]], a village in the mountains inland from the city. It operates nine trains per day and it is used for both commuting and tourist purposes. It crosses three valleys.

===Ports===
[[File:A.preziuso lanterna con gru genova.jpg|thumb|The [[Lighthouse of Genoa]], known as ''La Lanterna'', is the main [[lighthouse]] serving the [[Port of Genoa]]. Rebuilt in its current shape in 1543 replacing the former lighthouse, it is the world's fourth oldest lighthouse, following the [[Tower of Hercules]] in [[A Coruña]], [[Spain]], [[Hook Head Lighthouse]] in [[Ireland]], [[Kõpu Lighthouse]], on the island of [[Hiiumaa]], [[Estonia]].]]

* [[Port of Genoa]] is one of the most important [[seaports]] in [[Italy]]. With a trade volume of 51.6 million tonnes, it is the busiest port of Italy after the [[port of Trieste]] by cargo tonnage.<ref>{{cite news |title=Top 100 ports 2013 |url=http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/informa/ci_top100ports2013/index.php?startid=78#/76 |access-date=19 November 2013 |newspaper=[[Lloyd's List]] |date=29 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309090803/http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/informa/ci_top100ports2013/index.php?startid=78#/76 |archivedate=9 March 2014}}</ref> There are two major lighthouses: the historical [[Torre della Lanterna|Lanterna]], {{convert|76|m|ft|abbr=off}} tall, and the small [[Punta Vagno Lighthouse|lighthouse of Punta Vagno]], at the eastern entrance of the port.<ref>{{cite rowlett|itanw|accessdate=2008-12-26}}</ref>
* [[Port of Savona]] is a port in [[Savona]]. It is the fourth cruise port by number of passengers in Italy, with 1,300,000 people in 2013. Adjacent to the historic centre of Savona, the port of Savona has been active from the [[Middle Ages]] and has always been crucial for the economy of the regional capital and its hinterland. A major terminal for ferries, there are ferry links to [[Corsica]] and [[Sardinia]].
* [[Port of La Spezia]] is a port in [[La Spezia]]. The port of La Spezia is one of the largest commercial ports in the [[Ligurian Sea]], and is located in the northernmost part of the Gulf of La Spezia. Its development dates from the late nineteenth century and has since grown to become one of the main ports of the Mediterranean Sea, specializing in container handling in particular.

===Airports===
[[File:Aeroporto di Genova - Cristoforo Colombo.jpg|thumb|[[Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport]]]]
* [[Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport]]—commonly Genoa-Sestri Ponente Airport, after [[Sestri Ponente|the city district]] where it is located—is an [[international airport]] built on an artificial peninsula, {{convert|4|NM|abbr=on|lk=in}} west of Genoa, Italy. The airport began construction in 1954 and opened in 1962, at a cost of 12.8 billion [[Italian lira|lira]]. Building an offshore airport was not a strange or unique solution only for [[Genoa]]. Among the most conspicuous examples are other airports in [[Nice]], [[Venice]], [[Gibraltar]], or [[Hong Kong]]. The current terminal building was opened in 1986. It is the most important airport in Liguria and it serves the city and [[Port of Genoa]], as well as a considerable population in Southern [[Piedmont]] ([[Asti]] and [[Alessandria Province]]s, southern areas of [[Cuneo Province]]).
* [[Riviera Airport]], former known as Villanova d'Albenga Airport, is on the [[Italian Riviera]] between [[Savona]] and [[Imperia]], approximately {{Convert|7|km|mi}} west of the town of [[Albenga]], in the community of [[Villanova d’Albenga]]. Riviera Airport is mainly used for [[general aviation]] in the [[Northern Mediterranean]], with international travel and transport facilitated by the presence of Italian Customs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Private Jet Charter {{!}} Air Hire {{!}} Riviera Airport |url=https://www.privatefly.com.de/private-jet-hire/riviera-airport-A2679.html |access-date=2022-03-12 |website=PrivateFly |language=en}}</ref> The airport is also used by the Italian aeroplane manufacturer [[Piaggio Aerospace]]. Riviera Airport is well connected to all financial and tourist centres on the Italian and French Riviera by means of highway A10 and the [[Via Aurelia]] (SS1). While [[Monte-Carlo]] is less than an hour's travel by car, a helicopter company based at the airport can connect passengers from the runway directly to the Principality of [[Monaco]] in less than 20 minutes.<ref>[http://www.ivg.it/2017/07/taxi-aereo-arriva-al-panero-villanova-dalbenga-montecarlo-18-minuti/ Article 6 July 2017 in il vostro giornale] www.ivg.it</ref> The airport opened in 1922.

== See also ==
* [[Italian Riviera]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|Liguria}}
{{Wikivoyage inline}}
* [http://www.regione.liguria.it/inglese/index.html Official Region website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090312054404/http://www.regione.liguria.it/inglese/index.html |date=12 March 2009 }}
* [http://italiantourism.us/italy-travel-guide/liguria-sightseeing/ Video Introduction to Liguria]

{{Liguria}}
{{Regions of Italy}}
{{Italy topics}}
{{Mediterranean cuisine}}

{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Liguria| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Italy]]
[[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union]]
[[Category:Wine regions of Italy]]