The Republic of Genoa History Essay Sample

The Republic of Genoa was an early modern maritime republic from the 11th to 18th century on the northwestern Italian coast. The republic not only established numerous colonies in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea but also was one of the major financial centers in Europe. However, except for its capital city Genoa, most of other Genoese cities along the Mediterranean coast were rarely mentioned by Grand Tour travelers in the 18th century. For instance, only 32 travelers in the database recorded having been to Lerici (another major port city) and even fewer for Leghorn, Sestri, and the others. Despite the overall low popularity of Genoese cities, they were essential stops on the path between Venice and Florence, two of the most popular destinations in northern Italy. Through further analyzing the written accounts by travelers, we can infer that the Genoese cities were likely overlooked due to the culture’s foreignness to aristocratic travelers.

Genoa was a republic instead of a monarchy, which means that the aristocrats who went on the Grand Tour could not present themselves to any court in Genoese cities. The social etiquette that aristocratic travelers had been used to elsewhere in Europe was not applicable in Genoa. Charles Abbot and his travel partner Huge Leycester complained in their letters about the lack of courtesy and disconcerting manners of the Genoese people they encountered with. John Holyrod,  the later Earl of Sheffield, cared less about the etiquette and thought that the Genoese culture was a relief to him without having to bow to any local aristocrats or travelers of note. Furthermore, travelers such as Edward Thomas considered the republic to be a lawless place populated predominantly by extortioners and ugly women. The Reverend John Swinton seconded his opinion by comparing Genoa to “the land of the Gorgons.”  For these reasons, it seems that visiting the Genoese cities was not a pleasant memory for most Grand Tour travelers. Their statuses as aristocrats were not well-respected by people of the republic, which was infuriating to many travelers. The looks of the Genoese people were also exotic to the travelers, which could be another reason that they did not spend a lot of time there or write about their experiences. Nevertheless, my proposed methodology revealed that the Genoese cities were essential stops for the travelers despite of their lack of popularity. My method gave weight to destinations neglected in the conventional edge maps and led to further qualitative research based on the primary sources.