On this guided tour of the Rolli palaces, we'll explore some of the most luxurious Genoese residences, built by the rich and illustrious families of the city between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when the city lived its Golden Age.
Rolli Palaces Guided Tour
We'll begin our tour of the Rolli palaces at 3 pm on Via Garibaldi, one of the areas of Genoa's old town with the highest concentration of historic palaces.
The Palazzi dei Rolli were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. This breathtaking network of private mansions was registered in the so-called "Rolli", the lottery system of public hospitality. Each palace, if chosen through a public lottery, was obliged to host on behalf of the Government the most notable visitors during their visit. These residences hosted kings, princes, diplomats, ambassadors, and guests of the state of the Genoese Republic. They are therefore luxurious and elegantly decorated residences that did not escape the gaze of refined artists like the great Flemish painter Rubens, who in the early seventeenth century published in a famous book a collection of drawings of the palaces, taken as a model of housing for the nobility.
During the tour, we'll marvel at the lavish reception rooms, the splendor of the decorations, the works of important Genoese artists, beautiful frescoes, and the richness of the living spaces of the great families in these extraordinary buildings.
First, we'll visit Palazzo Rosso, a 17th-century residence that houses rich art collections and furnishings belonging to the Brignole-Sale family. We'll immerse ourselves in its history by walking through its rooms sumptuously decorated with frescoes and stuccoes.
Later, we'll go to the Nicolosio Lomellino Palace, also called Palazzo Podestà. Inside this majestic Renaissance building, we'll admire the frescoes and stucco paintings, which decorate much of the palace's ceilings.
Our visit will be to the Palace of Tobia Pallavicino, also known as the Palazzo Carrega-Cataldi. This imposing building, currently the seat of the Genoa Chamber of Commerce, houses important works by great Genoese Baroque artists such as the famous Lorenzo de Ferrari.
As a finishing touch to our tour, we'll end the tour by visiting one of the most impressive rooms of the Palazzo di Tobia Pallavicini: the Golden Gallery. Its ornamental details make this room one of the most sumptuous spaces of the Rolli palaces.
The tour will end with a visit to the Imperial Palace. We'll be ending the tour on a high as we admire the beauty of its decoration and its impressive frescoes.
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