La Spezia

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Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

La Spezia

La Spezia , city (1991 pop. 101,442), capital of La Spezia prov., in Liguria, NW Italy, on the Gulf of La Spezia (an arm of the Ligurian Sea) and at the eastern end of the Riviera . It is the chief Italian naval station and arsenal and the seat of a navigation school. It is also a commercial port, with shipyards and industries producing machinery, metal products, and refined petroleum. Once a fishing village, La Spezia has been fortified since the Middle Ages. It was badly damaged by Allied bombing in World War II. There is a notable cathedral (14th-16th cent.) in the city; nearby are the ruins of Luna, a Roman town destroyed in the Middle Ages. Along the picturesque Gulf of La Spezia there are several villages celebrated for their beauty, especially Portovenere, Lèrici, and San Terenzo.

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La Spezia

Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names | 2005 | | Â© Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

La Spezia, Liguria/Italy Spezia The definite article was added in 1930. The meaning or origin of the name is not known for sure, but it is possible that it derives from the Greek aspidia, a diminutive of aspis and in Italian scudo ‘shield’, meaning ‘defence’ or ‘a defender’.

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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "La Spezia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. Oxford University Press. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "La Spezia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. Oxford University Press. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (July 10, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-LaSpezia.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "La Spezia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. Oxford University Press. 2005. Retrieved July 10, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-LaSpezia.html

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