Savona

For other places with the same name, see Savona (disambiguation).
For The infantry division, see 55 Infantry Division Savona.
Savona
Comune
Comune di Savona

Panorama of Savona

Flag
Savona

Location of Savona in Italy

Coordinates: 44°18′N 8°29′E / 44.300°N 8.483°E / 44.300; 8.483
Country Italy
Region Liguria
Province / Metropolitan city Savona (SV)
Frazioni Bosco delle Ninfe, Ciantagalletto, Ciatti, Cimavalle, ConcaVerde, Galleria Ranco, Madonna del Monte, Maschio, Montemoro, Naso di Gatto, San Bartolomeo al Bosco, San Bernardo in Valle, Santuario
Government
  Mayor Ilaria Caprioglio
Area
  Total 65.55 km2 (25.31 sq mi)
Elevation[1] 4 m (13 ft)
Population (1 January 2016)[2]
  Total 61,345
  Density 940/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Savonesi
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 17100
Dialing code 019
Patron saint Our Lady of Mercy
Saint day 18 March
Website Official website
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy.

Savona [saˈvoːna]  listen  (Ligurian: Sann-a [ˈsaŋːa] French: Savone) 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.

Savona used to be one of the chief seats of the Italian iron industry, having iron-works and foundries, shipbuilding, railway workshops, engineering shops, and a brass foundry.

One of the most celebrated former inhabitants of Savona was the navigator Christopher Columbus, who farmed land in the area while chronicling his journeys. 'Columbus's house', a cottage situated in the Savona hills, lay between vegetable crops and fruit trees. It is one of several residences in Liguria associated with Columbus.

History

Inhabited in ancient times by Ligures tribes, it came under Roman influence in c. 180 BC, after the Punic wars in which the city had been allied to Carthage. At the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it passed under Lombard rule in 641 AD (being destroyed in the attack) after a short period as an Ostrogoth and then Byzantine possession. Later it recovered as county seat in the Carolingian Empire. In the 10th century its bishops were counts of Savona, but later the countship passed to the marquesses of Monferrato (981) and afterwards to the marquesses Del Vasto (1084).

After a long struggle against the Saracens, Savona acquired independence in the 11th century, becoming a free municipality allied with the Emperor. Savona was the center of religious culture (13th to 16th centuries) due to the work of two important monasteries: Dominican and Franciscan. Subsequently, it fought against Genoa before being definitively conquered in 1528. The Genoese destroyed the upper town and buried the port. It then shared the fortunes of the Republic of Genoa until Napoleonic times. Between April and mid-May 1800, Austrian forces besieged the city while a small British naval force maintained a blockade; the fortress surrendered on 15 May. Subsequently, Savona was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont (1815). eventually, it became part of unified Italy.

Main sights

Churches

Towers and fortress

Palaces and other places of interest

Geography

The town is situated 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Genoa and circa 150 km (93 mi) (east) of Nice, in France, on the western Italian Riviera, between the Ligurian Sea and the Ligurian Alps.

Climate

Savona has a Mediterranean climate (Csa).

The average yearly temperature is around 19 °C (66 °F) during the day and 12 °C (54 °F) at night. In the coldest months: January, February and December, the average temperature is 11 °C (52 °F) during the day and 5 °C (41 °F) at night. In the warmest month – July and August – the average temperature is 28 °C (82 °F) during the day and 20 °C (68 °F) at night. Generally, a typical summer season lasts about 4 to 6 months, from May/June to September/October. The daily temperature range is limited, with an average range of about 7 °C (45 °F) between high and low temperatures. Rain occurs mainly in autumn, the summers being generally dry. Sunshine hours total above 2,097 per year, from an average 4 hours of sunshine duration per day in winter to average 9 hours in summer. Savona usually sees snow once or twice per year.

Climate data for Savona
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 10.3
(50.5)
11.6
(52.9)
14.2
(57.6)
17.6
(63.7)
20.9
(69.6)
25
(77.0)
28
(82.4)
27.8
(82.0)
24.7
(76.5)
20.1
(68.2)
14.7
(58.5)
11.6
(52.9)
18.9
(66.0)
Average low °C (°F) 4.6
(40.3)
5.2
(41.4)
7.6
(45.7)
10.5
(50.9)
13.8
(56.8)
17.3
(63.1)
20.1
(68.2)
20
(68.0)
17.6
(63.7)
13.5
(56.3)
8.6
(47.5)
5.8
(42.4)
12.1
(53.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 74
(2.9)
79
(3.1)
94
(3.7)
66
(2.6)
71
(2.8)
41
(1.6)
20
(.8)
48
(1.9)
71
(2.8)
107
(4.2)
97
(3.8)
61
(2.4)
828
(32.6)
Source: Enea[3]

Notable people

Panorama of Savona and Priamar fortress
Savona, painted by a 19th-century tourist, 1860

Events

Twin towns and sister cities

Savona is twinned with:

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "article name needed". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Notes

  1. Elevation above sea level of the casa comunale (town hall), see comune:Savona
  2. Istat
  3. "Savona weather averages". Enea. Retrieved 5 August 2012.

Media related to Savona at Wikimedia Commons

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