In his “Stories” Titus Livius
described the port of Savona “as a safe refuge” already in 205
b. C. Between 1180 and 1525 various events occurred: after being destroyed
by the Genoese because of Savona’s military alliance with Pisa, the
port was extended and strengthened during the XIV century. In the XVI century
its huge development made it a serious rival for Genoa and in 1525 the Genoese
filled the port in and obstructed its entrance with blocks.
In the XIX century Savona regained its full operativeness: the records tell
us that in 1886 861.000 t. of goods were being handled.
At the beginning of the XX century, in 1910, after the completion
of “Calata Boselli”, a 18-km-long cableway between Savona and
S. Giuseppe di Cairo was realized, the longest one in Europe in those times.
The quays, though not very sizeable, continued to be exploited with maximum
efficiency and the port ranked as the first in Italy for goods handled for
each linear metre of quay.
The serious damages the port had suffered due to the 2nd
World War were immediately repaired and the maximum operativeness was regained,
thanks to the new areas and the new quays obtained in the historical core
and in the basin of Vado Ligure.
In 1946 the port handled 2.687.000 t. of goods. The establishment of the
“Ente Autonomo del Porto” (Port Autonomous Body) of Savona enabled
to acquire a complete administrative and managerial autonomy.
The tasks of directing, planning, promoting, maintaining
the common areas and controlling the activities are nowadays entrusted to
the Port Authority of Savona, according to the Law n. 84/1994
