Point of interest

Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli

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Tips from locals

Federica
August 7, 2016
Following the new architectural models of the time, Genoa's nobility had many palaces of great splendour designed and built within the historic centre. The number and magnificence of these gave rise to a peculiar aristocratic residential system, formalised in 1576 by a Decree of the Senate that issued an official list of the dwellings (List of Public Lodgings, also known as Rolli), recognising their unique value. The same decree compelled the owners of the homes to take turns in hosting state visits, in the absence of a royal palace. Host dwellings were chosen in accordance with the importance of the visiting guest: the higher the guest's noble rank, the more sumptuous the mansion that was required and the wealthier the family given the honour - and indeed the burden - of welcoming them. The area featured on the UNESCO list also extends to the part of the historic centre that runs through Via Lomellini, Piazza Fossatello and Via San Luca to Piazza Banchi, the mercantile heart of the old town: along this stretch lie some of the most important examples of the Palazzi dei Rolli, woven in the modern age into the mediaeval fabric of the city. To this day, the Palazzi dei Rolli still partly belong to private owners, while some of the buildings today house banks or offices. The best way to experience the allure of some of these dwellings up close is to take one of the guided tours organised by the city.
Following the new architectural models of the time, Genoa's nobility had many palaces of great splendour designed and built within the historic centre. The number and magnificence of these gave rise to a peculiar aristocratic residential system, formalised in 1576 by a Decree of the Senate that issu…
Sara
July 21, 2014
Don't miss these amazing buildings
Tanya
October 26, 2021
The Strade Nuove and the system of the Rolli palaces is the name of a site included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the historic center of Genoa. The Strade Nuove are a group of roads built by the Genoese aristocracy between the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth century, when the Republic of Genoa was at the height of its maritime and financial power. The Rolli palaces are a group of noble palaces which, at the time of the ancient Republic, were obliged, on the basis of a public draw from the lists of public housing, to host the high personalities who were in Genoa on a state visit. They comprise a series of late Renaissance and Baroque buildings which typically have three or four floors "with spectacular open stairways, courtyards and arcades overlooking gardens". Many of the interiors, despite the passing of the centuries and the heavy damage due to the bombings of the Second World War, have the original decorations of the major authors of the Genoese mannerism and baroque. Le Strade Nuove e il sistema dei palazzi dei Rolli è il nome di un sito incluso nel Patrimonio dell'umanità UNESCO situato nel centro storico di Genova. Le Strade Nuove sono un gruppo di strade costruite dall'aristocrazia genovese tra la seconda metà del Cinquecento e la prima metà del Seicento, quando la Repubblica di Genova era all'apice del suo potere marittimo e finanziario. I palazzi dei Rolli sono un gruppo di palazzi nobiliari che, al tempo dell'antica Repubblica, erano obbligati, sulla base di un sorteggio pubblico dalle liste degli alloggiamenti pubblici, ad ospitare le alte personalità che si trovavano a Genova in visita di Stato. Essi comprendono una serie di edifici tardo-rinascimentali e barocchi che hanno, di norma, tre o quattro piani "con spettacolari scaloni aperti, cortili e loggiati che si affacciano su giardini". Molti degli interni, nonostante il trascorrere dei secoli e i pesanti danni dovuti ai bombardamenti della seconda guerra mondiale, presentano le decorazioni originali dei maggiori autori del manierismo e del barocco genovese
The Strade Nuove and the system of the Rolli palaces is the name of a site included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the historic center of Genoa. The Strade Nuove are a group of roads built by the Genoese aristocracy between the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of…
Elisa
June 19, 2022
Must see in Genova: UNESCO certified world heritage royal buildings
Malcolm
July 5, 2021
tutti i palazzi di via Garibaldi andrebbero visitati, per capire la ricchezza dei nostri predecessori, e la potenza economica che era Genova sino a non molto tempo fa

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Location
12r Via Garibaldi
Genova, Liguria