Sampierdarena

Sampierdarena (also Sampiardarena; Ligurian: San Pè d'ænn-a) is a major port and industrial area of Genoa, in northwest Italy. With San Teodoro it forms the West Central (Centro Ovest) "municipio".

Geography

Sampierdarena lies on the coast about 4 km west of the centre of Genoa. In 2000 the population was 67,741.

History

Sampierdarena was an ancient fishing village, named after the church of San Pietro d'Arena ("St Peter of the Sands"). During the Renaissance it became a residential area, with great palaces being built such as the Palazzo Spinola and the Palazzo Scassi, both probably built by Galeazzo Alessi (1512–72). After the coming of the railways it became one of the great industrial centres of Italy. Gio. Ansaldo & C. was one of the leading companies of the area involved in shipbuilding and armaments, before it was finally taken over by Finmeccanica in 1993.

In 1926 the "comune" of Sampierdarena was absorbed by Greater Genoa, becoming in 1969 a "delegazione", and in 1978 a "circoscrizione" of the city.

Economy

Historically the area was dominated by heavy industry such as shipbuilding.

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