The “Strade Nuove” and the system of the “Palazzi dei Rolli”

In the Middle Ages, the aristocratic families of merchants and navigators settled in the ancient center of Genoa.

In the sixteenth century, those same families decided to build new streets and new buildings, creating the elite district of Strada Nuova, today Via Garibaldi. The palaces became true “republican palaces” in which the Genoese hosted emperors, kings, and ambassadors.

Thus the Rolli were born, established in 1576 at the behest of Admiral Andrea Doria, that is, the lists of the most beautiful and prestigious palaces and residences of the noble families who aspired to host high personalities in transit for state visits.

In later times, the great palaces hosted important travelers, actors, and famous people, who included the Ligurian capital in their cultural, economic, or simply tourist Grand tours.

In 2006, 42 buildings among the over one hundred that make up the Rolli were included among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The following year, UNESCO placed a plaque with the motivation of this decision via Garibaldi: the beauty of these buildings expresses a unique social and economic identity that inaugurates the urban architecture of the modern age in Europe.

Today this original system of widespread hospitality is at the center of the tourist rediscovery of Genoa, destination for guided tours and periodic spectacular events such as the “Rolly Days”.

Finally, the 30 certified “historic shops” are a corollary of the fabric of the historic center, with period furniture and equipment that preserve the wisdom of the past.