Genova (newspaper 1642–1684)
Genova was a weekly Italian newspaper published in Genoa from 1642 to 1684. Sometimes it appeared with extra titles like Il Sincero or Il Botticelli, and in a few issues only the year in Latin digits was shown. It was founded by Alessandro Botticelli (editor until 1646) and then edited by Luca Assarino from 1646 to 1660. The paper supported Genoa’s pro-French faction and should not be confused with a pro-Spanish Genova started in 1639 by Michele Castelli.
The earliest surviving issue is dated 11 June 1644; the title was Di Genova until 9 July 1644, then Genova. It was published every Saturday. Early printers included Giovanni Maria Farroni, with later printers changing over time. The newspaper grew from handwritten news sheets and used reports from France, Spain, Lyon, Milan, and occasionally government sources, usually without advertisements. News about Genoa itself was brief.
In 1646 the pro-French faction influenced the paper’s direction, and the April 28, 1646 issue was prepared by Giacomo Maria Veronese before Luca Assarino took over. Under Assarino Genova supported Christine of France as ruler of Savoy against rivals backed by Spain. Botticelli continued to write handwritten news items and, at times, supported the pro-Spanish side.
From 1660 Botticelli returned to running Genova, at least until 1665, working with other journalists such as G.B. Noceti and Tommaso Oderico. In 1669 Genoa’s Senate tightened censorship, and in December 1671 banned printing the name of the town of printing to avoid trouble. On 7 January 1682 the Republic forbade printing newspapers and handwritten news sheets, but Genova continued, with two known issues dated 8 and 29 July 1684—the last issue.
There is a record of plagiarism: the July 1 and 22, 1656 issues were illegally copied and printed in Bologna by Giacomo Monti.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 19:50 (CET).