Sampierdarena

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Sampierdarena, also called San Pier d’Arena, is a busy port and industrial area of Genoa in northwest Italy. It sits on the coast about 4 km (2 miles) west of Genoa’s center and, with the nearby district of San Teodoro, makes up the Centro Ovest (West Central) borough. The population in 2017 was 43,463.

History and highlights
- It began as a small fishing village named after the church of San Pietro d’Arena (St. Peter of the Sand).
- During the Renaissance it became a fashionable residential area, home to grand palaces such as Palazzo Imperiale Scassi and Palazzo Spinola di San Pietro.
- After railways arrived in 1854, Sampierdarena developed into one of Italy’s great industrial centers.
- The shipbuilding and arms company Gio. Ansaldo & C. was a key local firm and built Italy’s first locomotive, named Sampierdarena; the company was later taken over by Finmeccanica in 1993.

Administration
- In 1926 Sampierdarena merged into Greater Genoa. It became a delegazione in 1969 and a circoscrizione in 1978.
- Today it is part of Genoa’s Municipio II (Centro Ovest), together with San Teodoro.

Sports
- The Genoa football club Sampdoria gets its name from the former Sampierdarenese club, which merged with Società Andrea Doria in 1946.

Landmark
- At the border with San Teodoro stands Genoa’s lighthouse, the oldest working lighthouse in the world.