Welcome to Genoa, one of Italy’s most captivating cities and one of the country’s most historic ports. Tucked between the Apennines and the Ligurian Sea, the wealth accumulated as a major maritime power transformed the city, already home to one of the largest medieval centres in Europe, between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.
Within Genoa’s historic centre stand the Palazzi dei Rolli, an extraordinary collection of aristocratic residences built to display the wealth of the city’s merchant and noble families while providing accommodation for visiting dignitaries. Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, they are reason enough to visit the city. But those who stay a little longer will discover countless cultural, culinary, historical and natural treasures hidden throughout magnificent Genoa.
Genoa is a city to fall in love with. Its palaces, cuisine and coastal atmosphere make it easy to stay far longer than planned in a city whose narrow caruggi conceal centuries of history.
I first arrived in Genoa in 2000 by train. What struck me immediately was its grandeur. During the Middle Ages, this was one of Italy’s most influential ports, a true Mediterranean superpower.
Signs of that extraordinary wealth were everywhere: gilded statues, marble floors and elaborate façades decorated with noble faces gazing down upon the streets.
My affection for the city deepened in 2005, when I married an Italian. Tired of Milan, just ninety minutes to the north, my wife chose Genoa as our seaside escape.
It became a feast for every sense: the scent of the sea, the sight of fresh red mullet at the Mercato Orientale, the salty crunch of Genoese focaccia, the taste of hazelnut gelato and the sound of the funiculars climbing toward the elegant hilltop neighbourhoods.
Italians affectionately call Genoa “La Superba”—The Proud One—and our weekend visits soon turned into weeks.
Back then, however, one thing was missing: visitors.
Tourists were few. Most preferred the better-known destinations along the Ligurian coast—Portofino, Rapallo and the Cinque Terre. For many years, Genoa’s defining characteristic was under-tourism rather than over-tourism.
Gradually, that changed.
The UNESCO inscription of the Palazzi dei Rolli in 2006 encouraged visitors to discover the city’s cultural heritage. Then, in 2020, the municipality invested more than €100 million in the historic centre to improve lighting, mobility and quality of life.
Today, my British-Italian children enjoy wildflower gelato in the caruggi and Peruvian ceviche at the Mercato Orientale.
Visit Genoa today and you may well fall in love with it too.
PALAZZI DEI ROLLI – UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE
By the fifteenth century, Genoa ranked among the wealthiest cities in the world. Its powerful fleet protected trade routes stretching from Lisbon to Crimea, while the city’s state-run deposit bank—the first of its kind—helped finance voyages to the Americas.
This immense mercantile wealth was expressed through Le Strade Nuove, the elegant new streets commissioned by Genoa’s aristocracy.
Their residences, the Palazzi dei Rolli, were lavishly frescoed, architecturally innovative and admired throughout Italy.
Because Genoa was a republic rather than a kingdom, it had no royal palace. Instead, approximately 150 noble palaces took turns hosting distinguished guests.
The residences were organised into three categories, or bussoli. Minor princes stayed in the first rank, ambassadors and governors in the second, while emperors, popes and the highest-ranking dignitaries were welcomed into the most prestigious palaces.
By the time they departed, every guest had experienced first-hand not only Genoa’s political influence but also its extraordinary wealth. In many ways, Genoa was the Dubai of its time.
In 2006, forty-two of these residences, together with the surrounding streets, were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as “Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli.”
Today these palaces are anything but static museums.
They continue to live as university buildings, cultural institutions, art galleries and private residences that still enchant visitors from around the world.
The best opportunity to discover them comes during Rolli Days, held every May and October, when many of the buildings open their doors to the public.
THE PERFECT YEAR TO DISCOVER THEM
The twentieth anniversary of the UNESCO inscription makes 2026 the ideal year to explore the Palazzi dei Rolli.
A perfect starting point is Via Garibaldi, one of Genoa’s most elegant streets, lined with cafés, galleries and magnificent palaces.
Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Bianco, immediately recognisable by their red and white façades, form part of the Musei di Strada Nuova, Genoa’s principal art museum.
Crossing their courtyards and loggias reveals an extraordinary collection of Flemish, Spanish and Italian masterpieces by artists including Veronese, Caravaggio and Anthony Van Dyck.
The museum continues into Palazzo Tursi, distinguished by its striking Carrara marble façade.
Its rooms preserve the weights and measures once used in medieval maritime trade, the economic engine that financed treasures such as Antonio Canova’s Penitent Magdalene.
For visitors wishing to understand the city’s history in greater depth, bilingual guided tours depart every Saturday afternoon from the Tourist Office on Via Garibaldi.
BANKING ON GENOA
Several Palazzi dei Rolli still perform their original financial role.
Today Deutsche Bank occupies Palazzo Angelo Giovanni Spinola, while Banco di Chiavari e della Riviera Ligure is housed in Palazzo Pantaleo Spinola.
The façade of Palazzo Angelo Giovanni Spinola depicts members of the Spinola family—many of whom served as Doges—as Roman military leaders.
Palazzo Pantaleo Spinola instead celebrates Prudence and Vigilance, virtues particularly appropriate for a banking institution, while its lavish ceiling frescoes testify to the extraordinary wealth invested in these buildings.
Other palaces preserve Genoa’s political history.
Palazzo Reale, on Via Balbi, was originally built for a wealthy financier before becoming a royal residence in the nineteenth century, when Genoa entered the Kingdom of Savoy alongside Turin, Nice and Sardinia.
Purchased by the House of Savoy, the palace retained its furniture, sculptures and artworks, preserving an extraordinary historical time capsule.
Its throne room and royal apartments evoke Italy’s monarchical past, which ended with the birth of the Republic in 1946.
Nearby, Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria reflects centuries of noble history.
Owned successively by the Grimaldi, Doria and Spinola families, it was donated in its entirety to the Italian State during the 1950s.
Its remarkable collection includes works by Anthony Van Dyck, who spent many formative years portraying Genoa’s aristocracy.
ROLLI DAYS
Twice each year, in May and October, Rolli Days offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore dozens of normally inaccessible historic residences.
More than fifty sites participate, including private palaces, archives and institutional buildings, many of them with free admission.
Visitors can admire magnificent staircases, formal gardens and sumptuous reception rooms that once welcomed Europe’s most powerful figures.
Among the highlights is Palazzo Tobia Pallavicino, today home to the Genoa Chamber of Commerce.
Guests enter through an imposing portal celebrating maritime victories before reaching the spectacular Golden Gallery, where gilding and mirrors once impressed merchants and diplomats alike.
Equally remarkable is Palazzo Nicolosio Lomellino, whose hidden gardens remain one of Genoa’s most enchanting surprises.
Once animated by elaborate hydraulic fountains, the palace also preserves a fresco cycle by Bernardo Strozzi, rediscovered only in 2002, depicting the discovery of the New World and possibly including a portrait of Christopher Columbus, Genoa’s most famous son.
A short walk away stands Villa delle Peschiere, owned by the same family since 1560.
Its Renaissance frescoes rival those of Rome and have inspired artists and writers for centuries.
Peter Paul Rubens included the villa in his celebrated publication on Genoese palaces, while Charles Dickens completed one of his novellas here, praising its unforgettable views.
To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the UNESCO inscription, Rolli Days 2026 includes special events such as the opening of noble floors along Via Garibaldi and Via Balbi, together with The Country Rolli (16–18 October), dedicated to Genoa’s suburban villas.
Tristan Rutherford
