Loano

Loano
Comune
Comune di Loano
Loano
Loano
Flag of Loano
Flag
Coat of arms of Loano
Coat of arms
Location within Italy
Location within Liguria
Coordinates: 44°7′N 8°15′E / 44.117°N 8.250°E / 44.117; 8.250
CountryItaly
RegionLiguria
ProvinceSavona (SV)
FrazioniVerzi
Government
 • MayorLuca Lettieri
Area
 • Total
13.5 km2 (5.2 sq mi)
Elevation
5 m (16 ft)
Population
 (30 September 2017)
 • Total
11,319
 • Density838/km2 (2,170/sq mi)
DemonymLoanesi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
17025
Dialing code019
WebsiteOfficial website

Loano (Ligurian: Leua) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest of Genoa and about 30 kilometres (19 mi) southwest of Savona.

Loano borders the following municipalities: Bardineto, Boissano, Borghetto Santo Spirito, and Pietra Ligure.

History

Loano has pre-Roman origins (prehistoric finds at the San Damiano hill and pre-Roman at the current old city are recent), during the Roman era the villas was built in this territory; a Roman mosaic of the imperial age is visible on the main floor of Palazzo Doria.

In the 8th century, thanks to a Carolingian donation, the territory called Lovenis (corresponding to the first Loanese toponym) was donated to the Benedictine monastery of San Pietro in Varatella (Toirano) who founded the church-sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Loreto near the port.

In 1505, Loano became property of the Doria family, a noble genovese family, who would rule the territory for 232 years, until 1737. The Doria family made Loano into a more powerful town, and the military base for the territory was located there.

Giovanni Andrea Doria, who inherited the land from his brother Pagano in 1574, began a rapid expansion of the city, creating numerous houses, aqueducts and a hospital, turning it into an 'Imperial City'. The Doria Family had the rights to mint coins in Loano. This project was continued by his son, Andrea II, with the construction of the Convent of Monte Carmelo in 1602.

In 1795, Loano was the site of the Battle of Loano, fought by the French First Republic and the Kingdom of Sardinia, which lasted three days, and resulted in a French victory.

In 1878, Loano took control of the nearby comune of Verzi Pietra.

Historical sites and monuments

Religious Sites

The Duomo of San Giovanni Battista
  • Duomo of Loano, located in the old town. Built between 1633 and 1638 by the Doria family; it serves as the Cathedral of Loano.
The Oratorio di Nostra Signora del Rosario at night
  • Oratorio di Nostra Signora del Rosario, located near the Duomo. It was constructed in 1661 and houses the Confraternity of the Turchini.
The Oratorio of San Giovanni Battista
Church of Saint Pius X
  • Church of Saint Pius X - Built between 1975 and 1990, it is located in the outskirts of Loano and is the most recently constructed church in Loano.
Sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Loreto
  • Sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Loreto/Madonna della Neve - Founded in the 8th century, the current structure dates back to the 15th century and is located along the Port of Loano. Much of the interior was decorated during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Civil Buildings

  • Palazzo Doria, located near the Duomo. Built between 1574 and 1578 for the Doria family, it is now the Town Hall of Loano.
  • Palazzo Kursaal, located on the Riviera of Loano. It is home to the library and a museum dedicated to the sea and the city of Loano.

Notable residents

Twin towns

References

  1. ↑ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ↑ All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat and local register office.
  3. ↑ Andrea Lercari, I domini doriani nella Riviera di ponente: Loano da signoria autonoma a feudo imperiale, in Cremonini Cinzia, Riccardo Musso (a cura di), I feudi imperiali in Italia tra XV e XVIII secolo, Atti del convegno di studi, Albenga- Finale Ligure – Loano, 27-29 maggio 2004, Roma, Bulzoni editore 2010, p. 301.
  4. ↑ Ivi. p. 303.
  5. ↑ Andrea Spiriti, Loano città imperiale e ideale: problemi di metodo e tipologie, in Cremonini Cinzia, Riccardo Musso (a cura di), I feudi imperiali in Italia tra XV e XVIII secolo, Atti del convegno di studi, Albenga- Finale Ligure – Loano, 27-29 maggio 2004, Roma, Bulzoni editore 2010, pp. 321-332.
  6. ↑ La scelta va contestualizzata con la volontà dei Doria di trasformare Loano arricchendo anche la città dal punto di vista spirituale, completando il progetto con la sepoltura dei suoi fondatori. Ivi, pp.332-336.
  7. ↑ Fremont-Barnes, Gregory, ed. (2006). The Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History (PDF). ABC-CLIO. p. 619. ISBN 1-85109-651-5.
  8. ↑ "SIUSA - Comune di Verzi Pietra". Siusa-archivi.cultura.gov.it. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Duomo di Loano (Prepositurale di San Giovanni Battista)". Viqueria.com. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  10. ↑ "L'Oratorio N.S. SS del Rosario (confraternita Cappe Turchine) - Loano". Archived from the original on 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  11. ↑ "Oratorio S. G. Battista (Confraternita dei Disciplinanti Bianchi) - Loano". Archived from the original on 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  12. ↑ "La storia - Parrocchia San Pio X di Loano". Sanpiodecimoloano.it. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  13. ↑ "Storia Città - Comune di Loano". Comune.loano.sv.it. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  14. ↑ "Centro storico - Loano". Visitloano.it. June 19, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Palazzo Kursaal: Mostra permanente della Marineria Loanese - Loano". Archived from the original on 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2026-09-15.
  16. ↑ (often wrongly reported as Raimondi, but Status Animarum and Death Records all report the same name "Raimondo") Baptismal record from the Parish Church of S. Giovanni Battista in Loano: "1776, die vigesima octava Januarij. Ego Sebastianus Rocca praepositus hujus parrochialis Ecclesiae S[anct]i Joannis Baptistae praesentis loci Lodani, baptizavi infantem natam ex Josepho Raimimdi q. Bartholomei, de Cogoleto, incola Lodani, et [Maria] Magdalena Conti conjugibus, cui impositum est nomen Rosa Maria Nicolecta: patrini fuerunt D. Nicolaus Borro q. Benedicti de Petra et Angela Conti Joannis Baptistae de Alessio, incola Lodani." "Il trafugamento di Giuseppe Garibaldi dalla pineta di Ravenna a Modigliana ed in Liguria, 1849, di Giovanni Mini, Vicenza 1907 – Stab. Tip. L. Fabris.
  17. ↑ "Gemellaggio con Francheville (Lione)". Comuneloano.it. Retrieved September 19, 2026.