Palazzo Rosso is one of three mansions that make up a museum complex on La Strada Nuova, or “the new street,” so named in the 16th and 17th centuries when wealthy families wished to distinguish themselves from the more crowded historic center and built this wide avenue lined with stately mansions. Today, this street is called via Garibaldi and it’s part of a network of historic streets in Genova that are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The first floor of Palazzo Rosso houses 16th and 17th century paintings from the Brignole-Sale collection, the family that built the mansion. The wealthy family members were quite the patrons of art, and their collection includes works by Van Dyck, Veronese and Genovese artists. On the second floor, the attraction is the rooms themselves, which are full of well preserved frescos. Some rooms are covered floor to ceiling and wall to wall with gentle pastel colors and whimsical scenes of cherubs and gods.

The unexpected draw for Palazzo Rosso, though, is the incredible views afforded from the small rooftop lookout. Palazzo Rosso is three giant stories tall, and the cathedral roof adds at least another story. Via Garibaldi, on which Palazzo Rosso is situated, is at the top end of centro storico, which slopes down to the harbor. Behind Via Garibaldi the residential district of Castelletto is built into the steep hillside. Everywhere you turn there is something to see, and because the Palazzo is in the middle of the city all the sites feel much more immediate than they do from more distant vantage points in the hills.

Last Modified : July 15th, 2007
Filed under : Italy, Arts and culture
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