Description of the attraction
Via Garibaldi is one of the main streets of the historical center of Genoa, along which the luxurious palaces of the Genoese aristocracy are located. In 2006, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Palazzi dei Rolli neighborhood.
The history of the street dates back to 1550, when Bernardino Cantone created the first city highway project. It was originally called Strada Maggiore - "main road", then it was renamed Strada Nuova - "new road", and until the end of the 19th century it was known as Via Aurea. Germaine de Stael called it Via dei Re - “the street of the kings”. And only in 1882 she received the name of the national hero of Italy Giuseppe Garibaldi. Today, this straight street with a slight incline is about 250 meters long and 7.5 meters wide.
On Via Garibaldi, in addition to many office buildings and private buildings, there are two of the largest art galleries in Genoa - the Palazzo Bianco Gallery and the Palazzo Rosso Gallery, which together with Palazzo Doria Tursi form part of the Strada Nuova museum quarter.
The street began to be built up in the second half of the 16th century - a period that went down in history as the "Age of the Genoese". The local aristocracy wanted to move from the city hills, where at that time the main residential area of Genoa was located, closer to the sea. The design of the street and the construction of palaces lasted about 40 years - until 1588.
Today along the Via Garibaldi one of the most elegant and pompous palaces in Genoa can be seen. From Piazza Fontane Marose to Piazza della Meridiana, there are Palazzo Pallavicini Cambiaso, built at the end of the 16th century, Palazzo Gambaro with amazingly beautiful frescoes, Palazzo Lercari Parodi, Palazzo Carrega Cataldi, Palazzo Angelo Giovanni Spinola and others. Since 1848, Palazzo Doria Tursi has been the seat of the municipality of Genoa - without doubt the most important and impressive structure of Via Garibaldi. Many of the quarter's majestic palaces were badly damaged during the Second World War, but fortunately were successfully restored and still attract the attention of thousands of tourists to this day.
