The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-03-23
GENOA, PIONEER
MONEY CENTER
Had One of the First FuIl- Pledged
Banks in Europe.
SERVED AS BANKER TO KINGS

More Than 500 Years Ago lite Bank
Had Such Modern Trimmings a. .
"ReaI Estate Department"-Uniike
Rival Cities Genoese Have Kept
Much Of Financial Ability Which
Gave City Great Wealth and World
Importance in Middle Ages.
A conference on European anc
at Genoa suggests a revival OF the
city's home industry, remarks a Dulie-
tin issued by the National Geographic
society on Geneva la Surperba,' as
the Italians call their great CONNER
cial doorway, a port for 1000 years.
Genoa was one of the pioneers In
European finance" says the bulletin.
1T had one of the first full-hedged
banks in the Banca di San Giorgio, the
rival and for a long time the peer OF
the great bank of Venice. The sBanca
di San Giorgio, more than 5OO years
ago, had such modern trimmings as q
real estate department which TOOK
charge of conquered territories, admin
istered them somewhat after the fash
ion of a modern trust company, and
after putting them on a sound economic
basis, coded them back to the GenoeSe
government. Later when Spain had It's
wonderful development OF power ana
came near dominating the world, &C.
noa served as banker to its kings and
as a sort of general manager and out
filter to it's armies and navies.
Greatest Italian Port.
ssTT,l{Iro tho noon1o Of cnmQ of ira old
rival cities, the Genoese have managed
to keep much Of the financial and Dus1-
ness ability which gave their city great
wealth and world Importance in the
| Middle ages. Today it's busy harbor
| with its forest Of masts and tunnels
| t~estifes to Its position as the greatest
| Italian port, the second port Of the
| Mediterranean, and the fifth port on
the mainland Of Europe. Forty per
| cent of Italy's m is said to
pass through the harbor of Genoa.
"The wealth tina the business ability
! Of the Genoese brought to their golfers
| has been recorded in stone in the city's
many palaces, larger and more numer-
Gus than those of any other Italian
city. From the harbor Genoa sweeps
| before the observer In a great semi
| circle, it's buildings rising tier above
tier on the slope Of hills which extend
| almost from the waters edge. Be
| You'd the closely built foreground the
| hillsides are studded with cleaning
| villas set in their terraced gardens. In
| the background, on the crest OF the In
| closing hills, are the ramparts that tell
Of the days when Genoa, supreme at
| sea, must protect her rear from hostile
| neighbors on land.
"Viewing some of the most n0bly
built streets, the visitor is ready to be-
lieve The Genoa had coming laws and
strict building regulations. For block
after block the cornice Of n palace is
on a line with that Of It's neighbor, Civ
ing a consistency most pleasing to the
eve. Spacious external marble stairs
are features of man, OF the luxurious
dwellings in other streets, due to the
steep slopes on which the buildings
were erected. In some of the ancient
palaces scions Of Genoa's amOus old
families still live, but many have been
turned to public and s~emi-public uses
and house municipal offices, museums
and schools. The famous old Palazzo
di San Giorgio, first residence, then
home of the bank, now houses the har-
Dor commission.
Though in the very middle of the
Italian Riviera, winter playground,
Genoa is not itself a winter resort. But
it is a convenient doorway and transi-
ton point for the numerous resorts
both to the north and south. The very
suburbs of Genoa, reached in a few
minutes by electric trans from It's
squares, are well-known Riviera re-
sorts. And the %sojourner may find
much in Genoa itself to interest him..
MoIe-Iike Tram Cars.
1T is a paradise for the walker and
even for his less strenuous fellow
sightseer. Roads and paths wind along
the shoulders Of the hills over the city
and afford wonderful views of the pal
aces, the busy haEbor, the blue sea,
and far to the south, on clear days, the
big island of Corsica, which little Genoa
once owned. Carriages and motor
cars cannot negotiate all these vantage
points, but tram cars popping in and
out of countless tunnels, seem to bur-
row their way to many of them and
funicular railways reach others.
"GenOa lays claim to having given
the world some of its foremost citi-
zens. Columbus has long been believed
to nave been a native of a little village
near the city. A stately statue of the
great discoverer occupies a square
near the harbor from which he is said
to have sailed to take up the life of a
Amerigo Vespuchf, whose
L-- l-o~ ~.s-o~, - A. oo-kJ 4D4~
Of the hemisphere that Columbus dis
covered, was also a Genoese. In late
years Genoa produced Mazzini, Italian
patriot, who devoted his life to making
italy free. And as a foster son,
force, Genoa lays claim to still
celebrity; e he portrait
# Columbus on the walls of the Mu-
licipal palace hangs a portrait of one
# the worlds premier travellers, Marco
Polo. He was taken prisoner in one
~ tho hotf1oo in which tho Gopoacn