Historic outline

Nervi seems to be derived from Near-av-inn, close to the sea, and infact the first buildings of this nice village have been erected along the road Aurelia between the old roman bridge and the harbour little bay.
At the beginning of the Christian era Nervi was an horse changing place and later , in the following centuries, a loading-unloading point for the goods coming in and out from Val Bisagno and Val Fontanabuona.; these have been probably the reason of the foundation and expansion of this settlement. The first noteworthy buildings have been the roman bridge and the castle for preserving the passage and the trade security, in the following centuries have been built the S. Siro pieve which was important for the extension of the area of its jurisdiction comprised between Sturla and Sori.

  
 

The Nervi inhabitants were active both in the agricultural and fishing field as well as in the mariner one, both military and commercial.
Together with the farming, mostly citrus fruit, Nervi was transport logistic place were the goods were transferred from the chariot to the ships and vice versa; furthermore Nervi had a fleet connected to the genoese one which was utilised for storming Pisa harbour in 1290 by

braking the chain which was closing its adit; this victory caused the end of this Tuscan mariner republic. In 1500 the "del fieno" tower (today named Groppallo) have been erected for signalling the Muslims sea attack, in the same time in the area where now is located Emiliani college the San Francesco priests built the refectory and the chapel titled to their saint.
In XVI century paint show the small harbour of Nervi, the green and flat area laying over the sea cliff, the tower and the cliffs for the protection of the area.
In the following centuries new houses have been built along the main road, and the best area located between the Aurelia road and the sea were bought by the richest Genoese families for the construction of big villas (Grimaldi. Serra, Gnecco, Croce). As a result of the operation this area remained as it was as everyone can verify walking along the public parks.
The construction of the railway and the following opening of Viale delle Pame in the late of XIX century gave to Nervi the aspect which maintain up to nowadays

TURISMO - LIGURIA - GENOVA - NERVI