History of Chiavari

About the etymology of Chiavari, there have been various proposals in the past, so that, effectively, we have not some orientation for any time. In the '80s came, however, an important study, which even today enjoys a large consideration, of the scholar T. Franceschi, who established “ […] a parallelism between ‘Klava’ and ‘grava’ (a probably Celtic or Mediterranean term, which seems to mean ‘pebbles producted  and conveyed from the water,’ ‘gravel’, ‘pebbly of the stream’) […].” (See T. Franceschi, “Sull’ etimologia di Chiavari e dintorni, in “Atti del convegno di studi internazionali per l'VIII centenario dell'urbanizzazione di Chiavari”  ["About the etymology of Chiavari and its surroundings, in “Proceedings of International Studies for the eighth centenary of urbanization of Chiavari”, Genoa, 1980, pp. 122-127”].

Another etymology that seems to have some reasonableness is one for which Chiavari would have its root in the word "key" (Latin "Clavis"), for its  "key" position  at the confluence of four valleys, the “Val Fontanabuona”, “Val Sturla”,  “Val Graveglia” and “Val Aveto.”

The foundation of the city dates back to ancient times, probably between the eighth and seventh centuries BC, as testified by the remains of a necropolis found in the city center. In Roman times, it assumed the name “Tigullia”. The village appeared under the name "Chiavari" in twq document of 980 and 1031, which sanctioned the donation of the Bishop of Genoa Landolfo to Tedisio, Count of Lavagna. The expansion of Genoa led to the conquest of the city, the construction of the wall (1167), the Castle and the clash with the Counts of Lavagna, the Fieschi. These, accompanied by the Malaspina, lords of Bobbio, attempted unsuccessfully to conquer the Castle (12th century).

Under Genoa, Chiavari had an urban and economic development, and it became a free Municipality (1242), but the Fieschi managed to regain political control of Chiavari. These exercise it until 1332, when the Republic of Genoa recaptured the village, making it the seat of the captaincy of the territory of Tigullio. There was a last attempt of the Fieschi to conquer the city in 1393, then Chiavari remained for centuries alongside Genoa, and it obtained the title of Town (1646).

In 1797 Napoleon ended the secular life of the Republic, and he annexed it in the territory of the Ligurian Republic (1797-1805) and then in the French Empire (1805-1814). The city was the chief town of the Apennines until 1815, the year of the Restoration made by the Congress of Vienna (1815), which  annexed it to the Kingdom of Sardinia (1815-1861). In 1861 Chiavari and  Liguria became part of the Kingdom of Italy.