Via Garibaldi (Strada Nuova)
At 250 metres long and barely 7.5 metres wide, Via Garibaldi shouldn't feel monumental — and yet the scale of the palaces pressing in on either side stops you mid-stride. Twelve of Genoa's UNESCO-listed Palazzi dei Rolli line this single street, each one financed by the merchant families who quietly bankrolled the crowns of Europe in the sixteenth century.
The street was laid out from 1558 under the direction of architect Galeazzo Alessi, part of a deliberate plan to push the city northward and give its richest citizens somewhere worthy of their ambitions. Rubens came, sketched the facades with care, and published them in 1622 — spreading the street's reputation across the continent. Dickens came later and wrote about it too.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who return always mention the courtyards. Step through the door of Palazzo Podestà and you find a fountain that the street gives no hint of. Palazzo Doria Tursi rewards a slow look at its lateral hanging gardens. The Rolli Days — held twice a year in spring and autumn — open palaces that are otherwise closed, and regulars plan trips around them.
The story behind Via Garibaldi (Strada Nuova)
The street was sanctioned in 1550 and built between 1558 and 1583, conceived as an entirely new urban axis at a moment when Genoese banking families held extraordinary leverage over the Spanish crown and other European powers. Galeazzo Alessi shaped the project, and the result was a coordinated row of aristocratic palaces — not a gradual accumulation, but a planned statement.
The street went by several names — Strada Maggiore, Strada Nuova — before being renamed Via Garibaldi in 1882. The palaces changed hands across centuries: Palazzo Rosso, built between 1671 and 1677 by the Brignole Sale family, was bequeathed to the city by Maria Brignole Sale, Duchess of Galliera, in 1874. Palazzo Doria Tursi became the seat of local government in 1850, and today still holds letters by Columbus and Paganini's violin. UNESCO inscribed the whole ensemble in 2006.
Good to know
Several bus lines stop at Fontane Marose or Portello, a short walk away; from Genova Brignole station allow around fifteen minutes on foot. Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Bianco open Tuesday to Sunday; the Genova Museum Card (€15) covers both and 26 other city museums. First Sundays of the month bring free entry to many palaces.
Via Garibaldi is a street, so weather matters. Summers are warm and can be humid; the canyon effect of tall palaces on a narrow lane means shade in the morning, full sun by midday. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons for a long walk — and conveniently align with the Rolli Days openings. Winter is mild by northern European standards but expect rain.
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What travellers say about Via Garibaldi (Strada Nuova)
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