Abstract

According to correspondence and reports of a Tuscan secret agent sent to Genoa in the years 1744-45, the essay presents an unusual portrait of the Republic of Genoa from a perspective of particular interest and in a historical period quite neglected by historians. From a comparative perspective, the paper analyses the information collected by captain Cicambelli, a high ranking officer of the public administration assigned to the port of Leghorn, dedicating particular attention to the Genoese aristocracy, the main magistrates of the city and the institutions responsible for the political, social and maritime safety of the "Superba".