Genoa / Via Garibaldi & the Palazzi dei Rolli
Architecture · UNESCO
Via Garibaldi & the Palazzi dei Rolli
A street of private palaces built to lodge kings, because the Republic never bothered building one of its own.
- Price
- From €9, one ticket covers three palaces
- Hours
- Tue–Fri 9am–7pm, Sat–Sun 10am–7:30pm, closed Mon
- Avg. visit
- 2 hours
- Book ahead
- Not usually needed
In the 16th century, the Republic of Genoa had no royal palace of its own, so it solved the problem of hosting visiting heads of state a different way: it kept an official register, the rolli, listing private houses grand enough to lodge dignitaries, with hosting duties assigned by lottery among the city's wealthiest families. Rather than a single show palace, the result was an entire street of competing architectural statements, each family building as grandly as it could afford in case its name came up.
Forty-two of these palazzi made UNESCO's World Heritage list, recognising the rolli system as a unique piece of urban and social history as much as an architectural one. Three of the finest, all on Via Garibaldi, are now open together as the Musei di Strada Nuova — Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Tursi — holding paintings by Van Dyck, Rubens and Caravaggio inside frescoed halls that are frequently as striking as the art hanging in them.
Inside
What to see
- Palazzo Rosso's frescoed halls and its rooftop terrace, with a view over the old town
- Palazzo Bianco's picture collection, including major Flemish and Genoese Baroque works
- Palazzo Tursi, now partly used as Genoa's city hall, with further painting and applied art collections
- The street itself, an unbroken run of competing 16th-century facades unlike anywhere else in the city
Practical
Good to know
- One ticket covers all three palaces — Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Tursi — making it straightforward to see the full complex in one visit.
- The roof terrace of Palazzo Rosso gives a genuinely good rooftop view over the old town, worth seeking out specifically.
- The frescoed interiors are frequently as much the point of visiting as the paintings collected inside them.
Timing
When it's busiest
- Morning
- Quiet
- Midday
- Moderate
- Afternoon
- Moderate
- Last hour
- Quiet
Nearby
Combine your visit
5-minute walk
The caruggi
Descend into the medieval alley network just south of Via Garibaldi.
Visit →
10-minute walk
Cattedrale di San Lorenzo
Continue to the striped Ligurian Gothic cathedral in the old town.
Visit →
10-minute walk
Spianata Castelletto & the public lifts
Take a public lift up to the Castelletto terrace for a wider view.
Visit →
FAQ
Common questions
What was the rolli system?
A 16th-century Genoese register of private palaces grand enough to lodge visiting heads of state, with hosting assigned by lottery among the city's leading families.
How many palaces can I visit?
Three are open together on a single ticket — Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Tursi — though forty-two palazzi in total made UNESCO's list.
What's inside?
Paintings by Van Dyck, Rubens and Caravaggio, alongside richly frescoed halls that are frequently as impressive as the collections themselves.
Is the roof terrace included?
Yes, the Palazzo Rosso roof terrace is included in the combined ticket and gives a notable view over the old town.