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SPEZIA

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Originally appearing in Volume V25, Page 646 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SPEZIA , a See also:

city of See also:Liguria, See also:Italy, in the See also:province of See also:Genoa, 56 m. S.E. of that See also:town by See also:rail, 49 ft. above See also:sea-level. Pop. (1906), 41,773 (town); 75,756 (See also:commune); in 1861 only 11,556. It is the See also:chief See also:naval See also:harbour of Italy, having been adopted as such in 1861. The See also:Bay of Spezia is sheltered from all except southerly winds, and on its western See also:shore are numerous openings, which afford perfectly safe anchorage in all weathers. The entrance is protected by forts, while a submarine See also:embankment, 2 M. See also:long, renders it secure. The See also:arsenal consists of three departments, the See also:principal of which is 3937 ft. long, with an See also:average width of 2460 ft. The chief See also:basin is 23 acres in extent, and the second—connected with the first by a See also:canal 91 ft. wide—36 acres. Both basins have an average See also:depth of between 33 and 35 ft. The second basin gives See also:access to the docks, of which there are six; two 390 ft. long, two 420 ft. long, one Soo ft. long, and one 65o ft. long. The See also:establishment of See also:San Vito is devoted entirely to the See also:production of See also:artillery; that of San Bartolomeo is exclusively used for See also:electrical See also:works and the manufacture of submarine weapons, especially torpedoes.

The arsenal wasconstructed by See also:

General Chiodo (d. 1870), whose statue rises at the entrance, and near it are the naval See also:barracks and See also:hospital: Though the town itself, with the barracks and military hospital as its principal buildings, presents little to attract the See also:foreign visitor, the beauty of the gulf and of the neighbouring See also:country has brought Spezia into some repute as a See also:winter resort, and it is also visited in summer for sea-bathing. The walls and See also:gates of the old city are for the most See also:part destroyed. The opening of a railway across the See also:Apennines (there is a See also:branch leaving the See also:coast See also:line at Vezzano, and joining the line from See also:Sarzana at S. Stefano di Magra), placed Spezia in communication with See also:Parma and the most fertile regions of the Po valley, and so stimulated See also:commerce that a new commercial See also:port to the See also:east of the city was built. This harbour consists of a broad See also:quay with 657 ft. of wharfage, and of a See also:mole 1639 ft. long with 984 ft. of wharfage. The basin of the harbour is about 26 ft. deep. A branch railway connects the wharves directly with the See also:main line. Since the opening of the new port the See also:traffic has considerably increased, and it exports oil, See also:pig-See also:lead, See also:silver, See also:flour, See also:wine, See also:marble and See also:sandstone for paving' purposes, while it imports quantities of See also:coal, See also:iron, cereals, See also:phosphates, See also:timber, See also:pitch, See also:petroleum, and See also:mineral See also:oils. The import of coal in 1906 was 439,494 tons, being nearly See also:double the average for 1901-1905. The See also:tonnage of vessels entered was over 600,000, an increase of about 25% on that of 1905. Several important See also:industrial establishments See also:lie along the bay, including large lead and silver works at Pertusola (see Laiuci), submarine See also:cable works, a shipyard at Muggiano for the construction of See also:mercantile vessels up to ro,000 tons, a branch of the Vickers See also:Terni works for See also:armour See also:plate, several motorboat works, See also:brick and See also:tile works, &c.

The origin of Spezia is doubtful; but it probably See also:

rose after the destruction of See also:Luna. Sold by one of the See also:Fieschi in 1276 to Genoa, the town was fortified by its new possessors and made the seat of a See also:governor of some importance. It became a city in the 16th See also:century. The See also:idea of making the Gulf of Spezia a See also:great naval centre was first broached by See also:Napoleon I.

End of Article: SPEZIA

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