Molo (Genoa)
Molo () is a neighbourhood in the old town of the Italian city of Genoa. It was one of the six "sestieri" of ancient Genoa. At present is part of the Genoa's city Municipio I (Centro Est). Located close to the old harbour it had been for many centuries the seat of political and religious power of the city. Etymology. Molo takes its name from the pier (in Italian "molo") built since the 13th century by enlarging the natural spit enclosing Mandraccio cove, the oldest portion of old harbour, today filled. The "Molo" was further repeatedly expanded and  fortified; now it is called "Molo Vecchio" ("Old Pier"), as opposite to the "New Pier", built at the end of the 19th century at the western side of the port. Demographics. On 31 December 2015 there were 11,588 people living in Molo, with a population density of 33,109 people per km². Geography. Molo is located south east in the old town of Genoa and includes three zones: History. Hill of Castello was the first city settlement, founded by Ligurians in the 6th century B.C., dominating Mandraccio cove, place of commercial exchange with Etruscan people and Greek colonists from Marseille. This  settlement was destroyed by the Carthaginian general Mago Barca during Second Punic War and rebuilt by Romans in the semi-plain area immediately behind the harbour, closest to the harbour. During the Early Middle Ages large part of the Roman city area was abandoned and became a rural area again. After the destructions caused by the Fatimid raid of 934 the city was rebuilt again. The bishop, who held both religious and political power, possessed a fortified castle on the top of the hill (which gave the name to the hill itself) and a palace near St. Lawrence cathedral. The  most important feudal families built their palaces near the cathedral, in the place where later Doge's Palace was built, making this area the seat of the city power. Since the 10th century the town expanded outside the walls, in areas at that time rural (as a reference, at that time date the names of some streets, like "Luccoli", from the Latin "lucus", wood, "Campetto", small field and "Canneto", cane field). In the 12th century the noble families gave rise to the self-governing commune of Genoa which included the entire area within the new walls, known as Barbarossa's  walls, divided in "civitas" (current Molo) and "burgus "(current Maddalena). These families, constantly fighting each other, had their own private citadels in the alleys, each with a palace, a central square and sometimes a noble church, such as Doria in San Matteo and Della Volta in San Torpete. Alongside the feudal families, since 13th century grew the importance of Arts and Crafts Associations. In that same century to protect the harbour the pier which gives the name to the neighborhood was built. Over the centuries it was extended several times, the last time in 1835. In the second half of  the 19th century the harbour was expanded, creating an area for ship repairs, with the realization of the first two dry docks. During World War II the city was severely damaged by aerial bombings: on the top of the hill the monasteries of San Silvestro and S. Maria in Passione and many houses were completely destroyed. The subsequent depopulation caused the decline of this area, situation well described in the film "The Walls of Malapaga" (1949). During the last decades of the 20th century restructuring programs took place, and the neighborhood is now showing signs of recovery, with the restoration  of homes and shops, the new building of Architecture department of Genoa University and cultural institution, like the Teatro della Tosse, boarding houses for students and meeting places for young people. During Genoa Expo '92 exhibition the area of the old harbour was redeveloped by Renzo Piano, making it suitable for public access. Architecture. Doge's Palace. The Doge's Palace, overlooking Piazza Matteotti with its neoclassical facade, was for centuries the seat of the doge of the Republic of Genoa. The current building was designed in the late 16th century by , but its origins date back to the late  13th century, when it was built as a seat for the Captain of the People. The palace was partially destroyed by fire in 1777 and rebuilt later by Simone Cantoni, who designed the current façade. After the end of the republic it was used before as town hall and later, till 1970, as court. Completely renovated in the 1980s, since 1992 it houses exhibitions and cultural events. In 2001 the Heads of State and Government gathered in Genoa for the G8 summit met here in conference. The annex tower, said "Torre Grimaldina", was used as a prison for political prisoners : in 1833 here the patriot committed suicide. Contiguous to the Doge's Palace is the so-called "Criminal Palace", built at the end of the 16th century. It had been the court and the prison for commons criminals at the time of the republic, now it houses the State Archives. St. George palace. Palazzo San Giorgio was built in the mid 13th century as the seat of Commune, but soon became the Customs office; in the 15th century it passed to the Bank of Saint George, from which took its name. Expanded in the 16th century, after a period of  decline it was completely restored in the second half of the 19th century by Alfredo d'Andrade; since 1903 is the Genoa Port Authority headquarters. The building consists of two distinct parts: the oldest one, remarkable example of medieval civil architecture, with the façade facing the porch of Sottoripa and a Renaissance part, facing the harbour quays, where the main entrance is. Palazzi dei Rolli. The "Rolli di Genova" were, at the time of the Republic of Genoa, an official list of public lodging palaces of eminent Genoese families which aspired to host, by draw, foreign notable people visiting Genoa. Most  of these buildings still exist, and in 2006 forty-two of them were inscribed by UNESCO in the list of World Heritage Site. In Molo are 47 of these palaces (3 of which included in the list of World Heritage Site). Old harbour. The three neighbourhoods of the old town of Genoa overlook the old harbour. The part related to Molo includes: In the Middle Ages the harbour was strictly linked to the city, but in 1536 new city walls were built that divided for a long time the city and the port. Only in 1992, being unused this part  of the port, in the meantime enlarged towards the west, this area was redeveloped by Renzo Piano and opened to public access during Genoa Expo '92 exhibition. City walls and gates. Almost nothing remains of the oldest city wall, called "Carolingian" (9th century), but large section of the 12th century Barbarossa's walls are well preserved (Grazie and Marina walls). Some remains on the east side of the hill of Castello ("Murette del Colle") came to light after the World War II bombing that destroyed the houses in which they were incorporated. The best known gate in Barbarossa's walls  is Porta Soprana on the border between the neighbourhoods of Molo and ; this gate, restored at the end of the 19th century and again in 1938, has a monumental look, with high semicircular towers. In the 13th century the Old Pier peninsula was also included inside the walls, completing by this the fortifications on the sea side of the city. Large part of these fortifications, strengthened in the 16th century, are at present well preserved, and include Malapaga and Marinetta walls, with the city gate named "Porta Siberia", designed by Galeazzo Alessi (1553), which was at that time the main  access to the harbour. It is considered a masterpiece of 16th century military architecture. This gate was called "Porta Cibaria" because through it passed the food stocks landed in the port (from Italian "cibo", food), later corrupted in "Siberia". Nowadays it houses inside a museum dedicated to the Genoese painter and scenographer Emanuele Luzzati (1921-2007). Places of Worship. In the neighbourhood are the cathedral, devoted to Saint Lawrence and some of the oldest churches of Genoa. Cathedral of Saint Lawrence. The present church was built at the beginning of the 12th century and consecrated by pope Gelasius II in  1118, but a preceding church, that would have been in this site since the 6th century, became the cathedral in the second half of the 10th century, when the bishop's seat moved here from the basilica of St. Syrus, located outside of the city walls, so prone to Saracen forays. The construction, including the restoration after a fire in 1296, was completed only in the 16th century with the raising of the dome and the bell tower. The church has a Romanesque structure, but the façade, built in the 13th century, is in Genoese gothic style, with the typical  cladding in black and white stripes and three elaborate portals. Notable people. Besides the Embriacos, many family who gave over the centuries an important contribution to the history of the Republic of Genoa had in Molo their palaces and business, among them Doria, Cattaneo-Dalla Volta, De Marini, Giustiniani, Salvago, Sauli and Fieschi.