Piazza De Ferrari

Situated in the heart of the city between the historical and the modern center, Piazza De Ferrari is renowned for its fountain, which was restored in recent years along with a major restyling of the square.

The square, dedicated to the Italian banker and politician Raffaele De Ferrari, duke of Galliera, has an irregular form due to urbanistic works which united two different urban areas.

[2] The four eclectic palaces are contrasted by neoclassic examples of buildings such as the Teatro Carlo Felice and Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti.

[4][5] During the 1990s, the square was architectonically renovated by the German urbanist and architect Bernhard Winkler and most of the attention went to the asphalt, the fountain and Palazzo Ducale.

After the incorporation of the former Ligurian Republic to the Sardinian Kingdom established in 1814 during the Congress of Vienna, a decision was made and the area were now Piazza De Ferrari is located was destined to become a social and cultural place of meeting.

In 1893, in front of Teatro Carlo Felice was inaugurated the monument dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi, built by Augusto Rivalta and during its ceremony, many important figures were present such as: Francesco Crispi, Stefano Canzio and Anton Giulio Barrili.

During World War II, an air-raid destroyed Teatro Carlo Felice almost completely; only the perimeter walls and the neoclassic façade remained standing.

In 1948, Piazza De Ferrari was where the large protest for the assassination attempt of Palmiro Togliatti (former leader of the Italian Communist Party) took place.

[12] On June 30, 1960, the majority of Genoa's population was opposed to the congress of the Italian Social Movement authorised by the government, headed by Demochristian Fernando Tambroni.

At the congress, Carlo Emanuele Basile (former prefect of Genoa during the Italian Social Republic) would have also made an appearance, a fact which contributed to the authorisation granted by Tambroni.

[1] Central access to the zona rossa (red zone) during the G8 meeting in Palazzo Ducale, the nearby areas were crowded by protestors who tried to enter the square.

Being the square closed to the public, the protest moved to different areas of the city which caused the massacres of Piazza Alimonda[13] and to Diaz School.