www.pegli.comPegliThe site of Pegli and its inhabitants

Pegli is a residential neighborhood in the western part of Genoa.

The meaning of the toponym “Pegli” does not have a certain and undisputed origin, but among the various hypotheses, the following stand out:
“… the Roman personal name PELLIUS …” – Nino Lamboglia;
“… the Latin term PILLEUS, meaning ‘pilgrim’s hat,’ a conical felt hat …” – Giambattista Pellegrini;
“… from the Greek word πηγή meaning ‘spring’ …” – Gaetano Poggi.

Pegli borders to the east with Sestri Ponente, to the west with Pra’, and to the north with Ceranesi (an autonomous municipality within the Metropolitan City of Genoa). The Rio Marotto marks the eastern boundary with Sestri Ponente, while the Rio San Michele defines the western boundary with Pra’.

Among the Urban Units that make up the former Municipality of Pegli, Multedo stands out as the largest but the least populated (approximately 4,500 residents in 2017). Multedo was a separate municipality until it was merged with the Municipality of Pegli in 1875. The union of the two municipalities had graphical consequences on the granting of the coat of arms of Pegli, which in the final official version represents more of Multedo than Pegli. Of the ancient complex of Villa Rostan in Multedo, only the villa remains, having lost the historic park behind, which now houses the training ground of Genoa C.F.C. Multedo has experienced the effects of recent industrial settlements, including a petrochemical port and chemical storage facilities. The churches of S. Maria and SS. Nazario e Celso, as well as the oratory of the Archconfraternity of the Saints Nazario and Celso, continue to be places of great religious, historical, and cultural interest.

At the far end, you’ll find the small Urban Unit of Castelluccio (with around 5,000 residents in 2017). Although the area has been built up due to relatively recent urban expansions, in Castelluccio, you can still find elements of significant historical, religious, and cultural interest, such as the parish of Sant’Antonio Abate where the hermitage of Beato Martino da Pegli once stood, Castelluccio built by the Lomellini family, and Torre Cambiaso located in the immediate hinterland.

The Val Varenna, named after the stream located at the border between the Urban Planning Units of Pegli and Multedo, although it has its own territorial identity, is divided between the aforementioned units of Pegli and mainly Multedo. Unlike these units, the population of Val Varenna is concentrated in five distinct inhabited centers, from south to north: Tre Ponti, Granara, Chiesino, Carpenara, and San Carlo di Cese. The quarries and the valley’s mill bear witness to an industrial past that included mills, paper mills, and foundries.

Pegli, as a separate Urban Unit, is the most populous (approximately 16,500 residents in 2017). Among its points of interest, it includes Villa Pallavicini and its award-winning 19th-century romantic park, the Naval Museum, the Museum of Ligurian Archaeology, the artistic Alessi pond in the Villa Centurione-Doria park, and the re-discovered beaches of the western part of the city.

The historical beauty of Pegli, partially preserved despite port, building, and industrial expansions, is evidenced by the extensive hotel offerings from the early 1900s, as well as the presence of numerous palaces and villas associated with some of the most important Genoese families: Centurione, Doria, Durazzo, Grimaldi, Lomellini, Pallavicini, Spinola, and more.

The origins of Pegli can be traced through ancient names, from east to west: Multedo, Terrarossa, Porticciolo, Laviosa, and Galello (probably an extinct Genoese trading settlement). References in the Val Varenna area include: Calcinara, Cantalupo, and Carpenara. From a religious perspective, you can find references to the parishes of San Marziano in Laviosa and San Martino in Pegli.

Until the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the former municipality experienced slow urban and building growth along the coast and in areas free from noble settlements. However, it was the overseas Pegli residents who, in the mid-1500s, were responsible for a significant demographic and settlement boom. These historical events are documented in the study of the Tabarchin epic. The residents of Pegli were responsible for establishing the flourishing colony of Tabarca in present-day Tunisia. While the Algerian and Tunisian coasts were already of great economic interest to Genoa for coral fishing and trade, Tabarca represented the peak of Genoese industry on the African shores. The Tabarchin history did not end with the loss of the Tunisian colony. Some Tabarchins had already sought new places to settle due to the evident unsustainability of their living and commercial experience on the island. The first voluntarily relocated inhabitants were joined by survivors of the captivity resulting from the occupation of Tabarca. The two streams converged in new settlements: Carloforte, Calasetta, and Nueva Tabarca. There is a recent interest in rekindling and strengthening the historical and cultural ties between the Pegli and Tabarchin communities in the Mediterranean.

It was Marquess Ignazio Pallavicini, in the mid-1500s, who ignited the great urban revolution in Pegli, through the creation of the Villa Durazzo Pallavicini complex, drawing international tourism attention to the area. Subsequent social changes in Europe and industrial developments in Genoa gradually limited the tourist potential of the former Municipality of Pegli. Pegli’s tourist offerings surpassed those of eastern Genoa, as demonstrated by the description of Pegli in 1932. Some noble villas were converted into hotels, and Villa Durazzo Pallavicini itself, along with its adjoining park, became a place of attraction for high-end tourism.

The urban revolution was accompanied by the development of mobility, which solidified the new forms of the settlement that experienced significant construction growth in place of the parks and lands of the preexisting villas. The coastal road, the parallel railway (in the mid-1800s), and the more recent highway gradually improved the connection with the city center of Genoa and the Ligurian west.

The urban expansion between 1800 and 1900 was followed by a subsequent expansion in the second half of the 1900s, directed towards the remaining open spaces of the Pallavicini plain and the initial hilly slopes.

In the context of Pegli, there are still historical places of cultural interest, such as Villa Centurione Doria with its adjoining park and Alessi’s little lake, and the park of Villa Durazzo Pallavicini. In addition to these complexes, there are other public parks: Villa Rosa (Lomellini) and Villa Banfi (Lomellini). Other historical sites that have survived include Villa Rostan (Lomellini), Castelluccio, Torre Cambiaso (Spinola), the Fortilizio (Hotel Miramare), and Palazzo Lomellini (Hotel Mediterranee).

The main religious buildings are still in existence today: the parish church of Saints Martino and Benedetto, the oratory of Santa Rosalia, the Doria Chapel (Santa Maria delle Grazie), the parish church of Santa Maria Immacolata, the parish church of Santa Maria and Saints Nazario and Celso, the oratory of the Archconfraternity of Saints Nazario and Celso, the parish church of Sant’Antonio Abate (modern reconstruction), the parish church of San Francesco d’Assisi (modern construction), the parish church of Nostra Signora Assunta and San Nicola, and the Chiesino. Lost over time are San Rocco (disappeared), the oratory of the Disciplinanti – Holy Trinity (disappeared), San Marziano (a residential building), and the chapel of the xenodochio (a residential building).

Current places of cultural interest include the Naval Museum in the historic palace of Adamo Centurione and later Giovanni Andrea Doria (Villa Centurione Doria), the Museum of Ligurian Archaeology (Villa Durazzo Pallavicini), and the Clelia Durazzo Botanical Garden. Other notable buildings are the Vianson Castle (built in 1907 in place of the houses on the rock), Villa Moliè (founded by Elah), the former Martinez Hospital (disused), the Konak (Lomellini), and the Della Chiesa Palace (Pope’s Palace).

The analysis of the Vinzoni map, dating back to a not-so-distant past, allows for some hypotheses about the evolution of the road layout in Pegli. The Varenna stream seems to impose a wide, non-buildable mouth on the settlement, especially devoid of bridges to easily connect Pegli to Multedo and, consequently, to Genoa. The western relief, now identifiable as Castello Vianson – Salita Rapalli, represented a significant limitation to potential urban expansion and effectively forced the road to abandon the coastal route to climb the steep slope towards Sant’Antonio or along the current path of Salita Rapalli. The road layout was thus forcibly limited to the coastal area with three main vertical connections to the hinterland: Carruggio (closed at the top – Vico Sinope), Crosa (towards San Martino – Vico Condino), and Fossato (along the Rexello – apparently more at the service of the western settlements of the Lomellini than common houses). Possible internal connections parallel to the sea were effectively made impossible by parks and land associated with noble villas. Of the ancient Roman road layout in the center of Pegli, it seemed that nothing survived because all the land in the immediate hinterland seemed to be divided into private properties.

The original road layout, rather basic and limited, was accompanied by the so-called “Porticciolo.” The port, a natural inlet near the Lomellini Palace (Hotel Mediterranee), was defended by the same family through the “Fortilizio” (Hotel Miramare) built on the western pier. To the east, there didn’t seem to be adequate artificial defense for Pegli’s boats, which, in the “Porticciolo” as well as on the coast towards Varenna, were still beached on the shore. Contrary to common belief, there don’t appear to be traces of real mooring structures for large vessels like galleys or similar in the “Porticciolo” that would have had to stay in the bay. The lack of a proper road network also suggests that the “Porticciolo” and the coast were regularly frequented by small boats.

The road layout evolved with the construction of the bridge over the Varenna in place of the ford and, to the west, with the coastal bypass of Salita Rapalli. In 1880, the project from 1862 for the construction of a road (the current Via Sabotino and Via Ignazio Pallavicini) parallel to the coastal one (the current Lungomare of Pegli) was partially completed. This urban restructuring opened up Vico Sinope, originally closed, and created valuable spaces for new residential and public buildings: the Town Hall and the parish church of Santa Maria Immacolata.

The current urban layout of Pegli, compared to the late 1800s, has changed through successive construction expansions at the expense of noble parks and land and hillside slopes. Tourist interest has gradually waned, despite retaining all the attractive places, due to the expansion of the port and industrial activities that have encircled the town to the east and west. Despite losing its label as a holiday destination, Pegli has nevertheless maintained important tourist and cultural attractions, foremost among them being the Villa Durazzo Pallavicini park, as well as the museums housed in the Doria and Pallavicini palaces.

In addition to Pegli, one cannot forget the illustrious Pegliesi by birth or adoption whose studies provide insights of considerable interest in various fields. Among the Pegliesi (by birth, residence, and adoption), we remember: Pope Benedict XV (whose pontificate is associated with the history of World War I), Enrico Piaggio (the creator of Vespa and other industrial successes), Armando Piaggio (associated with the aeronautical branch of the company), Rinaldo Piaggio (the progenitor of the industrial family), Cristoforo Bonavino, the highly decorated hero Admiral Luigi Rizzo, Blessed Martino Ansa, and more…

The Coat of Arms of Pegli dates back to 1882 and was granted by King Umberto I.

The Samnite shield is quartered with: the Cross of St. George, a palm tree on a golden field, an uprooted olive tree on a golden field, and the Caduceus of Mercury.

An invitation to Pegli, for those who wish to visit or stay in Pegli: the central railway station, proximity to Cristoforo Colombo Airport, and direct connection via NaveBus to the Old Port of Genoa make the neighborhood easily accessible and a starting point for visiting Genoa.

Pegli offers a diverse commercial offering. Of interest is the availability for tourist accommodation.

Approfondimenti:
♦ Hotel e Bed & Breakfast
♦ NaveBus orario