In 1814, Genoa—once proudly known as La Superba—stands on the edge of uncertainty. The fall of Napoleon has left the city in political limbo: French troops are retreating, old powers are collapsing, and foreign forces such as the British and the Savoyards circle just beyond the horizon, waiting to claim what remains.

Because some treasures are not meant to be found. And some secrets refuse to stay buried.

Der Kurs im Detail

Hier sind die einzelnen Sitzungen des Kurses mit Aufgaben dokumentiert. Sitzungen sind nach Ort oder Thema benannt.

The Port of Genoa

Players navigate a dangerous underworld of smugglers, spies, and underground dealers.

• Conversational Italian with regional dialect awareness
• Transactional vocabulary (negotiation, trading, secrecy)
• Cultural knowledge of 19th-century Genoa

Cathedral of San Lorenzo

Players investigate ancient mysteries and hidden locations.

• Historical and cultural vocabulary
• Decoding cryptic clues and symbols
• Narrative comprehension with complex backgrounds

Aristocratic Salons & Political Intrigues

Players navigate high society and political conspiracies.

• Formal register and complex sentence structures
• Persuasion and diplomatic communication
• Understanding political and social hierarchies

Within this fragile moment, the city becomes a stage for intrigue, desperation, and forgotten history. The narrow caruggi of the old town are filled with smugglers, spies, and disillusioned soldiers. The port teems with rumors of hidden French gold, secret escape routes beneath ancient warehouses, and strange occurrences at sea that defy rational explanation.

At the center of these disturbances lies a deeper mystery. Legends speak of an ancient relic buried beneath the Cathedral of San Lorenzo—an artifact from the old Republic of Genoa said to command the power of the sea itself. Others whisper of the Book of Waves, a forbidden manuscript capable of awakening forces long dormant beneath the city.

Various factions pursue these secrets for their own ends. Disgraced nobles like Domenico Doria seek to restore the Republic through conspiracy and influence. French officers, torn between duty and survival, conceal stolen relics that could shift the balance of power. British diplomats may be spies or allies—or both. Meanwhile, smugglers like Luca “il Rospo” navigate the underworld of the port, where every secret has a price.

As supernatural rumors spread—the ghost of a hanged doge, sirens in the harbor, and a bell that rings without cause—the line between political collapse and myth begins to blur. What starts as a struggle over control of a city slowly transforms into something far more dangerous: a race to determine whether Genoa will be saved, exploited, or awakened into something older than its history.

In the end, the fate of the city rests not only in the hands of empires, but in those who dare to descend beneath its streets and confront what lies beneath La Superba.