Palazzi dei Rolli

Genoa had no royal court, so from 1576 the Republic drew up rolli, official lists of private palaces graded by size and grandeur, and when a pope, cardinal or ambassador arrived a lottery decided which household would host them; refusing was not an option. Owners therefore built to impress, and the Strada Nuova, now Via Garibaldi, became a street of palaces built almost simultaneously with frescoed halls, hanging gardens and staircases climbing the slope. Forty-two of them were listed by UNESCO in 2006. Three on Via Garibaldi are now public museums, and others open to visitors on the Rolli Days weekends held twice a year.

History

Between the first half of the 16th and the first half of the 17th century the Genoese nobility planned a large expansion northward of the medieval city, paid for by the wealth that came from lending to European powers, above all the Spanish Crown, whose army in Flanders they financed from 1566 to 1648. The new streets were Strada Nuova, now Via Garibaldi, built from 1558 to 1583, and Strada Balbi, from 1602 to 1620, later followed by Strada Nuovissima, now Via Cairoli, in 1778-1786. From 1576 the Senate kept the Rolli, official lists of private palaces, graded by prestige, that were to lodge the Republic's notable guests, from princes and kings to diplomats and churchmen, so that the whole city served as a republican royal palace. On 13 July 2006, 42 of the 163 palaces once on the lists became a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli).

The main sights

• Via Garibaldi - a street built entirely of competing palaces.
• The lottery system - the lists that forced private houses to host guests.
• The museum palaces - Rosso, Bianco and Doria Tursi open year-round.
• The Rolli Days - twice-yearly weekends opening private interiors.

When to go

Year-round for the three museum palaces; the Rolli Days weekends in spring and autumn are the only chance to enter many of the others and require booking.

What to expect

Most of the palaces are private and closed except on Rolli Days, which book out fast. The three museums are open normally but close Mondays.

Nearby

Boccadasse lies east along the shore; the old port is below.