Where is Rapallo located?
The world-renowned seaside resort of Rapallo is located between Genoa and the Cinque Terre National Park, in the deepest bay of the Gulf of Tigullio, surrounded by hills and cliffs. Rapallo is the largest resort town on the Italian Riviera, situated in the Liguria region in northwestern Italy. It features a picturesque castle in the sea, a small harbor, delicious seafood restaurants, and a charming promenade.
The population of Rapallo exceeds 30,000 people.
History of Rapallo
The first mentions of Rapallo date back to 964, when the seaside village was part of the Republic of Genoa, after being conquered by the Lombards in 643. During the Middle Ages, a castle and fortifications were built in Rapallo to defend against pirate raids. The first settlement of the Etruscans or Greeks in the area of modern-day Rapallo dates back to the 8th century BC. The city remained under Genoese rule until the Napoleonic Wars.
In the 16th century, the town was attacked and plundered by Turks and Barbary pirates. To defend themselves, the locals built a castle, which still stands on the seafront today. At the end of the 18th century, Rapallo was captured by the French, but in 1814, the English king liberated the city, and it returned under the rule of the Principality of Genoa.
The development of Rapallo as an upscale aristocratic resort began after the railway line from Rome to Nice was completed in 1868. During the "Belle Époque", famous writers such as Guy de Maupassant, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Ezra Pound visited the city. Inspired by the Italian town, Nietzsche began writing his famous philosophical work "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" while recovering there.
In the early 20th century, English dandy Max Beerbohm hosted a literary salon in Rapallo. Nearby, in Villa Raggio, lived the influential artist Gordon Craig.
But Rapallo’s beauty also attracted diplomats and politicians. In late 1917, the Anglo-French-Italian conference took place here after Italy's disastrous defeat at Caporetto. In 1920, the governments of Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia) signed a border agreement in Rapallo.
