A sumptuously frescoed and decorated 17th-century palace; a 16th-century palace renovated in the early 18th century and transformed into a painting gallery in the 20th; and a 16th-century ‘royal court’, the residence of the richest man in the city, Nicolò Grimaldi, nicknamed ‘The Monarch’, are the three venues of The Strada Nuova Museums tour, a monumental complex dedicated to the display of the most important pre-modern art in Genoa.
At Palazzo Rosso, the historical residence of the Brignole-Sale family, frescoed rooms painted by the best Genoese Baroque artists are filled with works by exceptional painters: Veronese, Dürer, Guido Reni, Guercino, Van Dyck.
At Palazzo Bianco, the best of the Genoese painting tradition is exhibited alongside masterpieces from the Flemish, Italian, Spanish school: among others, Filippino Lippi, Caravaggio, Rubens, Murillo.
At Palazzo Tursi, the tour continues with a moving room devoted to Antonio Canova’s Magdalene, concluding with an important collection of decorative arts and the world-famous ‘Cannone’, Nicolò Paganini’s violin.
The Miradore on the roof of Palazzo Rosso and the gardens of Palazzo Bianco offer stunning views of the whole city and pleasant spots for a break out of doors, all in the Renaissance setting of Strada Nuova, “the most beautiful street in the world” (Charles Dupaty, Lettres sur l’Italie, 1785).
