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Writings, notes and papers > Genoa and the history of finance: a series of FIRSTS? > Dedication
To the Genoese all over the world
To the Genoese who do not know
To those who do not know GenoaDedication
Travelling through many countries it is very common to bump into a Genoese: I don’t refer so much to Genoese tourists but rather to people living and working in important roles, in foreign lands. These children of Liguria, for the most part are unaware of or unable to express their inherited characteristics; namely, the creativity and ability of their forefathers to adapt to different environments, jobs and geographic locations. The majority of to-day’s Genoese (citizens of the world but who never forget their roots) do not always know the breadth, frequency and lengthy time span over which their predecessors, over several generations, scattered themselves amongst foreign people and lands, penetrating deep into unknown territories and seas. Already in the 12th century Beni-amino di Tudela - an erudite rabbi of Iberian birth, himself a seasoned traveller between West and East who knew the Mediterranean well - called them “the masters of the sea”. Some founded the prosperous trading communities vaunted by an anonymous 3rd-4th century poet:
“And all over the world
“there are so many Genoese,
“that wherever they are or go
“they create another Genoa”Some pushed on into the Asian steppes to the furthest corners of China and others explored the oases of the Sahara in search of African gold or were seduced by the vastness of the oceans. Seafaring and trading prowess can put other more subtle abilities in the shade: Perhaps because these were easy to emulate and to be adopted by others, it is often forgotten that the Genoese were also masters of finance.
Guido Laura
