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Holidays Camogli, in the Portofino's coast, near Recco
There has been much speculation about the origin of the name “Camogli”. One theory is that the name comes from the dialectical description “Cà a muggi”, or “heaps of houses” while another possible derivation is from “Cà de mogee” or “houses of wives” referring to the fact that the wives remained at home awaiting their husbands’ return from sea. Another less romantic but more plausible theory is that the name comes from “Camulio” or “Camulo”, the name given to Mars by the Sabines and Etruscans or from “Camolio”, the sun god of the Gauls and Celts.
In 1877, by decree of King Vittorio Emanuele II, Camogli was declared a city, thereby earning the right to a heraldic crest, described as “blue, showing an old vessel with three lateen sails, gliding on a silvery green sea toward a golden tower.”
Camogli’s origins can be traced to prehistoric times as attested by three huts dating back to the 12th and 13th century B.C. found on the Castellaro hill, the same place where Roman ruins from the 2nd century B.C. were discovered. Written mention is made of “Vila Camuli” in a medieval text and from that time on its name appears more frequently in the annals of Genoese history.
Under the threat of raids by the Turk pirate Dragut, Camogli strengthened its ties to Genoa.
The city was fortified and its port completed in 1624. After the battle of Abukir in 1798, when the Ligurian fleet dispatched by Napoleon was destroyed, Camogli’s shipowners invested their capital in building mercantile sailing vessels, ultimately leading to a fleet twice as large as the fleet in the port of Hamburg. At this point, it became necessary provide protection for Camogli’s shipowners and in 1852, Niccolò Schiaffino founded the “Mutua Assicurazione Marittima Camogliese”, the first mutual marine insurance company of its kind, which guaranteed reimbursement for losses in the event of sinking.
The company’s motto was “All for one, one for all.”
In 1856 a total of 580 vessels were registered with the company, which remained operative until 1888.
With the advent of the steamship at the end of the 19th century, Camogli’s sailing traditions were re-directed to the growing tourist industry.
Camogli’s Ship Museum houses artefacts, paintings, models, instruments, and religious relics donated by the town’s families.
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