Liguria in Italy
The Liguria region is located in northwestern Italy. This is located on the picturesque coast and is one of the smallest regions of the country. The direct neighbors of Liguria are the Italian regions of Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany as well as France.
The southwest part of the region is located on the Ligurian Sea, which is part of the Tryrhenian Sea. It is also called Northern Mediterranean Sea.
Geography and landscape of the Liguria region
Liguria is framed by the Alps. The north-east in particular is lined with high mountains. A distinction is made in Liguria between the part of the Riviera dei Ponente and the Rivier dei Levante. The city of Genoa is located between these two areas. This beautiful city is also the capital of the Liguria region.
The historical development of the Liguria region
The name of the Liguria region developed from the original name Liguria, which the area already had at the time of the Roman Empire. That medieval Liguria was split into several parts. There were several city-states in what is now Liguria. One of the city-states still in existence today is Genoa. Although this is a city today, it is arguably the most famous of all. In the 14th century, a large part of the area of today’s Liguria region belonged to the city of Genoa.
Between 1797 and 1815 the entire region belonged to France. Thereafter, the royal family of Piedmont-Sardinia ruled over the area.
After many years, the Kingdom of Italy became the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 newly founded. Italy assumed a new position of power and dissolved some of the previous kingdoms. This is what happened to Piedmont-Sardinia. This made the Liguria region part of Italy again, which it has been to this day.
Living and working in the Liguria region
The favorable location on the coast and the Alps offers numerous opportunities for tourist use of Liguria. The tourism is also a major source of income of the Liguria region. There is a lot of tourist traffic here, especially on the Italian Riviera. Service industries and hotel chains are booming. Numerous residents are employed in these industries. Or they work in the construction industry, which of course benefits greatly from the construction of new hotels.
The second source of income lies in agriculture. The main focus here is on the extraction of the famous Ligurian olive oil. The olive groves thrive here particularly well due to the climate and the fruits develop excellently. The juicy aroma is almost perfect for a regional specialty. The pesto alle genovese is one of the most famous around the world. It is served with pasta and has its origin here in the Ligurian region.
You can also see vineyards everywhere in Liguria. This wine is internationally recognized and delights even the most demanding palates with its fruity and at the same time spicy taste.
In addition to the capital Genoa, which plays an important role for the region, the cities of San Remo, La Spezia and Alassio are also important. The city of Ventimiglia occupies an important position in regional transport. This is the terminus of all incoming trains from France. Imperia is known as the production site of the famous olive oil.
Lombardy in Italy
Lombardy is one regionin northern Italy. It extends over 24,000 square kilometers. Around 9.73 million people live in Lombardy. Overall, the area consists of the 12 provinces of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi, Mantua, Milan, Monza and Brianza, Pavia, Sondrio and Varese. The exact location is between Lake Maggiore, Po and Lake Garda. The capital of Lombardy is the famous metropolis of Milan.
The name comes from the Middle Ages. At that time, Lombardy was not only used to refer to the region but also to the entire north-western region of Italy. In old German songs, Lombardy is also referred to as Lampartenland. This denotes one and the same area.
Landscapes of Lombardy
Lake Maggiore is particularly famous, to which many tourists travel in summer to spend a few days of summer vacation there. You can also find great hiking routes in Lombardy. In general, one can say that the landscapes of Lombardy are extremely diverse and varied. The north is characterized by mountain ranges and alpine landscapes, while the south is dominated by the Po Valley.
The history of Lombardy
During the glorious times of the Roman Empire, what is now Lombardy was part of the Gallia Transpadana. But already in the 4th century Lombardy belonged to the province of Ligura with the main town Mediolanum, today’s Milan. The famous Bishop Ambrose of Milan lived and worked here. When the migrations of peoples reached the region, the Visigoths came to Lombardy and ruled here until the Huns invaded in 452. They traveled through northern Italy and seized power there. Later, from 493 to 540 and 544 to 549, all of Northern Italy, including Lombardy, was Ostrogothic. This later resulted in the Gothic Wars. As a result, the region of Lombardy fell back to Rome.
The Middle Ages were marked by conquests and various kings. So, for example, to King Alboin who conquered the Po Valley in 568 and built a Lombard kingdom there. Its capital became Pavia. In the year 670 his empire extended almost over all of today’s Italy. The center of the Lombard Empire was called Langobardia or Lombardia. As history progressed, the Franks came around 754 and interfered in the war between the Lombards and Pope Stephen II. The Franks emerged victorious against the Lombards and separated this region from the lower region of the Po. With the Pippin donation, this area passed to the Pope.
As 773 Charlemagne entered the country with his Franks, they fought for the Lombard kingdom. All German kings were also the owners of the Lombard crown. The Lombard region benefited from the following crusades. The entire cities of Lombardy experienced a real economic boom.
In the 15th century, Milan became the center of war between the great powers of France, Habsburg and Switzerland for about 50 years.
Recently, Lombardy has been the driving force behind secessionist efforts in Italy. Umberto Bossi founded the Lega Autonomista Lombarda in March 1982, which is known today as the nucleus of the Lega Nord political party.
