Page 48 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Italian Riviera

46  INTRODUCING THE IT ALIAN RIVIER A

Genoa increa singly moved
away from commerce in order
to con centrate more on
financial investments.
The 17th and 18th
centuries passed with no great
incident, though Corsica was
finally sold to the French in 1768.
Liguria also found itself in conflict
with the expansionist policies of
Piedmont. Occupied in 1746 by
The bombardment of Genoa by the French fleet in 1684 the Austrians and the Piemontese,
Genoa responded with a revolt
The Decline of Genoa provoked by the gesture of a young boy
Two important constitutions were nicknamed Balilla, who sparked off an
established in Genoa in the 16th century: insurrection by hurling a stone at an Austrian
one by Andrea Doria, in 1528, and another cannon.
in 1576, which created the hierarchical
structures that were to rule the city. Piemontese Liguria
However, as time went by, Genoa became The arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte’s French
decidedly more important for the financial troops in Italy completely upset the political
power wielded by its banks than for its equilibrium of Liguria. In 1794 the
political or military strength. A striking troops of Massena and Bonaparte
sign of the diminished political role conquered the mountain passes
of “Genova la Superba” (Genoa the which gave access to Italy. Three
Proud) was the 1684 bombard­ years later the Republic of Liguria
ment of Genoa by the French was esta blished, becoming
fleet under Louis XIV. part of the Napoleonic empire
With the decline in Genoese in 1805. Napoleon’s defeat at
power, a series of autonomous Waterloo and the Congress of
political entities arose in the region, Genoese-born Vienna in 1815 finally put an end
such as the Magnifica Comunità Giuseppe Mazzini to the indepen dence of Genoa
degli Otto Luoghi (“magnificent and Liguria: the region was
community of eight towns”), set up in assigned to Piedmont and became part of
1686 around Bordighera. However, in a the Kingdom of Sardinia, governed by the
Europe in which the role of nation states House of Savoy.
was increas ing in importance, there was The only port of any size in the Kingdom
no longer much room for such auto­ of Savoy, Genoa was linked to Piedmont and
nomous powers. The rich families of to France by new communication routes.

1782
1576 Second 1686 The Magnifica 1768 Niccolò
constitution Comunità degli Otto Permanent loss Paganini
of Genoa Luoghi is set up of Corsica is born
around Bordighera in Genoa
1550 1600 1650 1700 1750

Louis XIV, king 1684 The French fleet 1746 Balilla sparks off a
of France bombards Genoa, causing popular revolt against the
considerable damage Austro­Piemontese

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