Murta is a village included in the city of
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
in northwest
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
Geography
Murta is part of the district of
Bolzaneto
Bolzaneto is a quarter of the city of Genoa, in northwest Italy, and is part of the Municipality Valpolcevera of Genoa.
Geography
Bolzaneto was once a hamlet located outside of the city limits in the Polcevera valley, but in the recent centuries ...
, in the Valpolcevera municipality, of which is a separate hamlet, located on the ridge a hill at the right bank of the torrent
Polcevera River.
In the past most people were farmers (the most famous product was the Polcevera white
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
, also produced today, although in limited quantity).
Today Murta is a residential area with many small villas built along the side of the hill.
History
The village name derives from the plant of
myrtle, in
Latin language
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
just called "murta".
The first documents on the Parish of Murta dates from 1143, when it was included on the Register of
Diocese of Genoa (wanted by Archbishop
Siro II) as a chapel subject to the main church of
Rivarolo.
In Murta was born
Giovanni da Murta which was the second
Doge of the
Republic of Genoa
The Republic of Genoa ( ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Maritime republics, maritime republic from the years 1099 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italy, Italian coast. During the Late Middle Ages, it was a major commercial power in ...
from 1344 to 1350.
Like all Valpolcevera, in 1746 the village was involved in
War of Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King George's War in Nort ...
and was occupied by an Austrian-Piedmontese army led by the General
Botta Adorno, which came up to Genoa, from where was expelled after the popular revolt of December 5th, 1746, set up with the legendary episode of
Balilla.
Another Austrian army returned the following year and this time the occupation, lasted from April 11 to July 19, 1747, had even more devastating effects. The Austrians had their headquarters in the Palace Bonarota (Villa Clorinda) and their troops devastated the entire village. All the church vestments and vessels were stolen and the church itself seriously damaged. Also many private houses were plundered and many of them also burnt out.
The local historian Luigi Persoglio wrote that 350 people died, some because of fighting against the invaders, but most for hardships and privations that people suffered in those tragic months.
Main sights
Church of San Martino
The church, dedicated to
St. Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours (; 316/3368 November 397) was the third bishop of Tours. He is the patron saint of many communities and organizations across Europe, including France's Third Republic. A native of Pannonia (present-day Hungary), he converted to ...
, was completely rebuilt in the eighteenth century on the existing one. In 1747, during the
War of Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King George's War in Nort ...
, it suffered serious damages.
The rebuilding was completed in 1770, and the inside was remade in
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
style. Valuable paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries adorn the
apse
In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
and side
altars
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in Christian ...
.
The most precious painting is the icon of St. Martin, attributed to Flemish painter
Anthony van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy.
The seventh child of ...
. The painting was saved by the looting of 1747, as it had been carried to Genoa.
In the past the village of Murta was famous also for a great and very old
oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
next to the church. In some feasts among the branches of this tree was set a temporary cafè (like during the St. Martin feast of 1897). The old tree, already in decay, fell down in August 1948, during a violent storm.
Villas and palaces
Since the 16th century on Murta hill were built many villas and palaces, used as summer residences by rich and noble Genoese families. Most of these palaces still exist and now, restructured, have become luxurious houses.
Among them the best known is Villa Clorinda, which belonged to several rich Genoese families (Bonarota, Doria and Costa) and today is a luxury residence.
In 1747, during the Austrian occupation of Valpolcevera, it became the headquarters of the invaders' army.
Events
Pumpkin exhibition
The village of Murta is known for the Pumpkin Exhibition called ''Dalla A alla ... Zucca'' (“Zucca” in Italian means “Pumpkin”). It takes place for two consecutive weekends, during the feast of Saint Martin, on the middle of November.
This show is an interesting exhibition of
pumpkins
A pumpkin is a cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many different sq ...
,
squashes
Squash most often refers to:
* Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets
* Squash (plant), the fruit of vines of the genus ''Cucurbita''
Squash may also refer to: Sports
* Squash (professional wrestling), an extr ...
and
gourds
Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly ''Cucurbita'' and ''Lagenaria''. The term refers to a number of species and subspecies, many with hard shells, and some without. Many gourds have ...
, including traditional and exotic as well. During the feast the bigger (in 2007 an
Atlantic Giant of 325 kg), the longest and the most strange pumpkins are rewarded.
At this exhibition people can enjoy many dishes and drinks based on pumpkin: pumpkin
fritters
A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, or other ingredients which have been battered or breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-fried. Fritters are prepared in both sweet and savory var ...
, sweet and savoury, Genoese savoury pumpkin
pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts ( pecan pie), fruit preserves ( jam tart ...
and pumpkin
grappa
Grappa is an alcoholic beverage: a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin that contains 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume (70 to 120 Alcohol proof, US proof). Grappa is a protected name in the European Union.
Grappa is made by ...
.
web site
Murtaezucche.it
References
*
*
{{coord, 44, 27, 42, N, 8, 53, 22, E, type:landmark_source:kolossus-itwiki, display=title
Quartieri of Genoa
Geography of Genoa