The Palazzo Doria or Palazzo Andrea e Gio. Batta Spinola is a

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

located in

Via Garibaldi Via or VIA may refer to the following: Science and technology * MOS Technology 6522, Versatile Interface Adapter * ''Via'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae * Via (electronics), a through-connection * VIA Technologies, a Taiwan ...

, in the historical center of

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

, in Northwestern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It was one of the 163

Palazzi dei Rolli Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes a number of streets and palaces in the center of Genoa, in Northwestern Italy. * The ''Strade Nuove'' (Italian language, Italian for "Ne ...

of Genoa, the selected private residences where the notable guests of the Republic of Genoa were hosted during State visits. On 13 luglio del 2006 it was included in the list of 42 palaces which now form the UNESCO World Heritage Site Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli. The palace is the property of the

Doria family The House of Doria ( lij, Döia ) originally ''de Auria'' (from ''de filiis Auriae''), meaning "the sons of Auria", and then ''de Oria'' or ''d'Oria'', is an old and extremely wealthy Genoese family who played a major role in the history of the ...

and has a residential use. Only the exterior and limited internal areas are open to the public.

The Rolli of Genoa

The ''Rolli di Genova'' - or, more precisely, the ''Rolli degli alloggiamenti pubblici di Genova'' (Italian for "Lists of the public lodgings of Genoa") were the official lists at the time of

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the Lat ...

of the private palaces and mansions, belonging to the most distinguished Genoese families, which - if chosen through a public lottery - were obliged to host on behalf of the Government the most notable visitors during their State visit to the Republic. Later, these palaces hosted many famous visitors to Genoa during their

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

, a cultural itinerary around Italy

History

The ground where the palace is located was purchased in an auction in 1551 by Constantino Gentile, who later sold it for double the price to the brothers Giambattista and Andrea

Spinola Spinola is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Agostino Spinola (d. 1537), Italian cardinal * Alberto Spinola (born 1943), Italian water polo player * Ambrogio Spinola, 1st Marquis of the Balbases (1569–1630), Genoese banker an ...

, who commissioned the construction of the palace in 1563. In 1566, Andrea passed his share of ownership to his brother Giambattista and the construction continued at a high pace, so that in 1567 the construction was almost completed. Up to recently,

Giovan Battista Castello Giovanni Battista Castello (1500 or 1509–1569 or 1579) was an Italian historical painter. Born in Gandino near Bergamo, he is ordinarily termed Il Bergamasco to distinguish him from the other painter (of miniatures) with the identical name f ...

was believed to be the main architect. In 1968, however,

Bernardino Cantone Bernardino is a name of Italian, Hispanic, or Portuguese origin, which can refer to: Given name *Bernardino Baldi (1533–1617), Italian mathematician and writer * Bernardino Bertolotti (born 1547), Italian composer and instrumentalist * Bernar ...

was documented as chief architect and building master of the palace. Today its construction is primarily attributed to Cantone, while the fireplace on the piano nobile and the courtyard remain attributed to Castello. The piano nobile features the fresco ''Legate of Obertus Spinola to Frederik I Barbarossa'' by Andrea Semino and frescoes by Luca Cambiasi. Palazzo Doria was the only palace in Strada Nuova to be seriously damaged by the French naval bombing in 1684, which required a serious renovation, completed by architect Gio. Antonio Ricca with the adding of a story and the redesign of the façade. However, the 17th-century restoration did not alter the original sequence of atrium, courtyard and garden planned by Castello. The palace was purchased by Gio. Batta Spinola, then it passed to the Doria family in 1723. The Dorias did not see the need for a refurbishing of the palace, beyond routine repairs and the addition of a notable lantern in the atrium with the coat of arms of the Doria family.

References

Bibliography

* Gioconda Pomella (2007), ''Guida Completa ai Palazzi dei Rolli Genova''. Genova: De Ferrari Editore () * Mauro Quercioli (2008), ''I Palazzi dei Rolli di Genova.'' Roma: Libreria dello Stato () * Fiorella Caraceni Poleggi (2001), ''Palazzi Antichi e Moderni di Genova raccolti e disegnati da Pietro Paolo Rubens'' (1652), Genova, Tormena Editore () * Mario Labò (2003), ''I palazzi di Genova di P.P. Rubens.'' Genova, Nuova Editrice Genovese * Ennio Poleggi (1968), ''Strada Nuova: una lottizzazione del Cinquecento a Genova.'' Genova: SAGEP Editrice. * Ennio Poleggi (2008), ''Genova Le Strade Nuove e il sistema dei Palazzi dei Rolli''. Genova: SAGEP Editrice ().

Gallery

File:PalazzoGBSpinola2.jpg, Palazzo Doria, or Gio. Battista Spinola, Genoa. Facade on via Garibaldi File:PalazzoGBSpinola3.jpg, Palazzo Doria, gia Gio. Battista Spinola, Genova. Facciata su via Garibaldi File:Palazzo Doria Genova via Garibaldi 2.jpg, Palazzo Doria, gia Gio. Battista Spinola, Genova. Facciata su via Garibaldi File:PalazzoGBSpinola4.jpg, Palazzo Doria, gia Gio. Battista Spinola, Genova. Facciata su via Garibaldi. Portal File:Palazzo Doria Genova via Garibaldi.jpg, Palazzo Doria, gia Gio. Battista Spinola, Genova. Facciata su via Garibaldi. Portal File:Palazzo Doria Gio Battista Spinola via Garibaldi Genova 1.jpg, Palazzo Doria, gia Gio. Battista Spinola, Genova. Atrium File:Palazzo Doria Gio Battista Spinola via Garibaldi Genova 3.jpg, Palazzo Doria, gia Gio. Battista Spinola, Genova. Lantern in the atrium File:PalazzoGBSpinola5.jpg, Palazzo Doria, gia Gio. Battista Spinola, Genova. Courtyard File:Palazzo Doria Gio Battista Spinola via Garibaldi Genova 6.jpg, Palazzo Doria, gia Gio. Battista Spinola, Genova. Courtyard File:Palazzo Doria Gio Battista Spinola via Garibaldi Genova 2.jpg, Palazzo Doria, gia Gio. Battista Spinola, Genova. Courtyard File:Palazzo Doria Gio Battista Spinola via Garibaldi Genova 5.jpg, Palazzo Doria, gia Gio. Battista Spinola, Genova. Garden File:Palazzo Doria Gio Battista Spinola via Garibaldi Genova 4.jpg, Palazzo Doria, gia Gio. Battista Spinola, Genova. Staircase

External links