Lavagna

Comune in Liguria, Italy

Coat of arms

Location of Lavagna

44°19′N 09°20′E / 44.317°N 9.333°E / 44.317; 9.333CountryItalyRegionLiguriaMetropolitan city Genoa (GE)FrazioniBarassi, Cavi di Lavagna, Santa Giulia di Centaura, SorlanaGovernment

• MayorGian Alberto Mangiante^[1]Area

^[2]

• Total13.7 km² (5.3 sq mi)Elevation

6 m (20 ft)Population

(30 September 2012)^[3]

• Total12,510 • Density910/km² (2,400/sq mi)DemonymLavagnesiTime zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal code

16033

Dialing code0185Patron saintMadonna del CarmineSaint day16 JulyWebsiteOfficial website

Lavagna is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, in the Italian region of Liguria.

History and culture

The village, unlike nearby Chiavari which has pre-Roman evidence, seems to have developed in Roman times with the Latin name of Lavania. The name has remained unchanged, over the centuries, until it became the current toponym of Lavagna in the following centuries.

Since 1198 it was a fief of the Fieschi family, who used Lavagna as their stronghold in the numerous inner struggles of the Republic of Genoa.

In 1564 it was sacked by the admiral of the Ottoman fleet Occhiali.^[4] From 1815 it was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia and, later, of the Kingdom of Italy.

The city recreates medieval festivities annually as the Torta dei Fieschi ("Fieschi Cake Party"), since 1949, the festivities is about a colorful parade through the Lavagna streets that reunites the inhabitants of the six medieval quarters of Lavagna, as the gigantic cake is distributed among those in the crowd who have found the matching half of their tickets.

The main city sights of Lavagna are: Church of Santo Stefano (17th century style), Church of Santa Giulia (1654), Church of Nostra Signora del Ponte (13th century), with the nearby bridge.

Controversies

In 2016, Giuseppe Sanguineti, the former mayor of Lavagna, was arrested due to the involvement of 'Ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia, in the disposal of the municipal waste.^[5]^[6]

Notable people

Fieschi family
Fanny Cadeo (1970), actress and showgirl

References

^ "Lavagna ha il suo sindaco: è Gian Alberto Mangiante". Il Nuovo Levante. 27 May 2019.
^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
^ All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat.
^ Giulio Giacchero, Pirati barbareschi, schiavi e galeotti nella storia e nella leggenda ligure, Genova 1970, p.85.
^ "'Ndrangheta, arrestato il sindaco di Lavagna Sanguineti - Liguria". ANSA.it. 20 June 2016.
^ "'Ndrangheta, traffico illecito di rifiuti in Liguria: arrestato il sindaco di Lavagna e una ex parlamentare Udc". Il Fatto Quotidiano. 20 June 2016.