Genova: Palazzi dei Rolli e Strade Nuove
The Palazzi dei Rolli of Genova (UNESCO 2006) constitute the first regulated system of private palaces used as state guesthouses in European history — the 42 palaces on the 1576 Rolli list (the roster drawn by lot to assign which noble house would host visiting heads of state) line the Strada Nuova (today Via Garibaldi) and surrounding streets, where Rubens studied and published them in 1622 CE as the model for all northern European palatial architecture.
At a glance
Genova Strade Nuove e Palazzi dei Rolli (the most precisely Genova zone Genova Liguria Italy 44.4100 N 8.9339 E UNESCO WHS 2006 reference 1211: the historical context (why Genova? the specific achievement: Genova was the most financially sophisticated city-state in Europe from approximately 1450 CE to 1630 CE; the specific mechanism: the Genoese merchant banking families (the Doria, Grimaldi, Spinola, Pallavicino, Balbi, Brignole) operated the primary credit network of the Spanish Empire — they financed the Habsburg military operations in the Netherlands, Germany, and the Mediterranean from 1528 to 1627 CE (the “Genoese century” of the Spanish Empire); the specific advantage: Spain had silver but not credit systems; Genova had credit systems (the Banco di San Giorgio, founded 1407 CE, was the first public bank in Europe to operate with systematic credit instruments)); the Strada Nuova (Via Garibaldi): the specific urban project (1550–1558 CE: the Genoese republic commissioned the architect Bernardino Cantone to design a new street on the slope above the medieval city; the specific innovation: all palaces were required to be built to a uniform facade height (approximately 18 m) and uniform setback (the facades align on both sides); this was the first street in Europe designed with mandatory facade alignment — the precursor of the regulated street of the 18th century CE; the street is 230 m long and 6.5 m wide; it was (and is) too narrow for 2 carriages to pass simultaneously — it was a pedestrian prestige street from the beginning)); the Rolli system (the 1576 Rolls list: the decree of 1576 CE by the Genoese Senate established the “Palazzi dei Rolli” (the list of palaces; “rollo” = roll / list) — 42 palaces classified into 3 categories by size (bussole prime, seconde, terze) that would host visiting foreign royalty and heads of state; the assignment was by lottery (bossolo) from the appropriate category; the specific reason for the lottery: to prevent any single noble family from monopolizing the patronage relationships formed during a royal visit; the Rolli lists were updated in 1599 CE and 1664 CE; a total of 113 palaces appeared on the lists over time)).
Key facts
- Rubens’s “Palazzi di Genova” (1622 CE) and why it made Genova the most influential city in northern European architectural history: the specific publication (Rubens (Peter Paul Rubens; 1577–1640 CE; the Flemish painter; Rubens visited Genova in 1607 CE as the painter-diplomat for the Gonzaga court of Mantova; he spent several months in the city; in 1622 CE, he published “Palazzi di Genova” in Antwerp — 2 volumes of measured engravings of 71 Genoese palaces; the introduction states that he is publishing the designs because the “new architecture” of Genova — by which he means the palazzo typology with central courtyard + lateral staircase + piano nobile ceremonial suite — was more useful for the construction of Northern European town houses than the Italian villa tradition (which required large gardens)); the specific diffusion (the Rubens palazzi engravings were the primary source for: (1) the architecture of Inigo Jones in England (Jones visited Genova before London; his Banqueting House (1619 CE) uses the Genoese palazzo street-level / piano nobile proportion system); (2) the standard Northern European burgher house (the wide cornice + arched ground-floor + central window arrangement that became the default Dutch, Flemish, and English merchant house from 1630 CE onward)); Paganini’s violin (the Palazzo Doria Tursi, Via Garibaldi 9 (now the Palazzo del Comune); the city owns and displays Nicolò Paganini’s 1743 CE Guarneri del Gesù violin (“Il Cannone”) in the Sala del Sindaco; the violin is played publicly twice per year (Christmas Day and October 27, Paganini’s birthday) by invited soloists)
- GPS (Via Garibaldi): 44.4100° N, 8.9339° E