Palazzo Spinola

The Palazzo Spinola, in Genoa

The Palazzo Spinola is one of the Rolli palaces of Genoa, become a national museum dedicated to seventeenth-century painting. The Genoa audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this dwelling of 1593 having belonged to the Grimaldi, the family of the princes of Monaco, then to the Spinola from whom it takes its name, and bequeathed to the Italian State in 1958, where the canvases of Rubens, Van Dyck or Giordano dialogue.

History

One palace, two palaces, three palaces, and it does not stop: Genoa indeed has an aristocratic DNA, which it owes to its former status of great maritime power of the Mediterranean between the sixteenth and the seventeenth century. At that time, the Republic of Genoa was at the summit of its glory and hosted many wealthy foreign visitors. To host its distinguished guests, merchant-bankers or shipowners, the city instituted the system of the Rolli palaces, an official list of public accommodation residences obliging the noble families to provide hospitality. At the start, one hundred and fifty of them figured there; today, they are only forty-two, including the Palazzo Spinola. Built in 1593, the dwelling belonged until 1641 to the Grimaldi family, the same as that of the lords and princes of Monaco, before passing to several other lineages, including the Spinola, who gave it its name. In 1958, the marquis bequeathed the palace to the Italian State, which made it a place of exhibition dedicated to pictorial art, notably of the seventeenth century, where you admire works by Rubens, Van Dyck, Giordano or Van Cleve.

What to see

Here you visit a Rolli palace built in 1593, having belonged to the Grimaldi then the Spinola, bequeathed to the State in 1958 and become a national museum; its rooms dedicated to painting, especially of the seventeenth century, gather works by Rubens, Van Dyck, Giordano and Van Cleve. The Palazzo Spinola illustrates the aristocratic and artistic DNA of Genoa. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Palazzo Spinola lies piazza di Pellicceria, in the heart of the historic centre of Genoa, reachable on foot. It is a national museum whose access and hours follow the conditions in force, which vary. It is best to enquire before coming.

What is a Rolli palace in Genoa?

It is one of the noble residences inscribed on an official list that obliged the families to host the prestigious visitors of the Republic of Genoa in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; from one hundred and fifty originally, only forty-two remain, including the Palazzo Spinola, built in 1593, having belonged to the Grimaldi then the Spinola, and become a national museum.

Where is the Palazzo Spinola in Genoa?

Piazza di Pellicceria, in the heart of the historic centre of Genoa, in Italy.