Strada Nuova Art Galleries:

Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Tursi, architectural and residential masterpieces, are presented together in a unique and coherent exhibition.

Palazzo Rosso

A17th century mansion-museum, in a setting of noteworthy architectural and decorative interest, it houses the historical furnishings and art collections of the Brignole-Sale family. Works by Van Dyck, Durer, Guercino, Veronese, Reni, Preti, Strozzi. Paintings and, on a rotation basis, drawings and prints by Guercino, Cambiaso, Carracci and Reni, are presented in the new rooms which have been enriched with furniture of great value. The roof-top belvedere and large terrace overlooking via Garibaldi, a 300-seat auditorium and a documentation Centre on Genoa’s history, art and imagery, are available for public enjoyment.

Palazzo Bianco

This Picture Gallery, enriched with new exhibition rooms, offers a rich and articulated cross-section of Italian (Veronese, Filippino Lippi, Caravaggio, Procaccini, Morazzone) Flemish (Memling, G.David, Massys, Rubens, Van Dyck) and Genoese pictorial art from the 15th to the 18th centuries. The DVJ Damasco Velluto Jeans – Institute for the Study of Fabric and Fashion is housed on the first mezzanine floor where the rich heritage of the Textile Collection will be displayed on rotation.

Palazzo Tursi

Built in the “Century of the Genoese” and formerly the City Hall, it still maintains the Mayor’s State-rooms and now houses the extension of the Palazzo Bianco Art Gallery. Renowned pieces, such as Paganini’s violin, the “Guarneri del Gesu”, are displayed in the monumental rooms. The definitive lay-out presents an unusual exhibition of decorative art works (tapestries, furniture, Ligurian ceramics, including the outstanding collection from Genoa’s ancient pharmacies and hospitals), as well as the collections of the ancient Republic of Genoa’s official coins, weights and measures.

Castello D’Albertis / Museum of World Cultures

The home of Capitan D’Albertis is the starting point of a journey that leads, by way of the Turkish Salon, the Columbian Room, the Gothic Room and the Ship’s Cabin, to the pre-Columbian civilizations of Central and South America, the Indians of the North American plains, the Hopi of Arizona and the cultures of Oceania, taking a fresh look at other worlds. It also houses the Museum of Ethnic Music, run by Echo Art. Its splendid panoramic location makes the Castello D’Albertis the ideal setting for the organisation of special events.

Oriental Art Gallery “Edoardo Chiossone”

Set in the gardens of Villa Di Negro, a rich and precious patrimony of Japanese art (about 20,000 pieces), of paintings, polychrome prints, sculptures, porcelains, enamels, lacquers, arms and armour, bronzes, stage masks, musical instruments, costumes and fabrics, collected by Edoardo Chiossone while in Japan during the Meiji period. Works by Harunobu, Utamaro, Hiroshige and Hokusai.

Galata / Maritime Museum

The maritime evolution of the city and port is illustrated in over 6000 sqm of space. In this building, the oldest survivor of the ancient Galleys Arsenal, a 17th century Genoese galley has been reconstructed. At 40 metres long and 9 metres high at the stern, it is the result of three years of historical research. The multi-media approach is not only scientific, but also interactive. The visitor is led through more traditional rooms (on the development of the port of Genoa, Christopher Columbus, Andrea Doria and sea paintings), but can also explore the Arsenal, visit the Dock’s armoury, witness the arrival of galleys loaded with silver from the Americas, leaf through – via computer – precious 16th century atlases, board a 19th century Ligurian brig, round Cape Horn in a storm and witness the building of a wooden sailing-ship on a Ligurian beach, as well as examine charts and precious scientific instruments belonging to the Naval Hydrographical Institute.

Sant’ Agostino Museum

In the restructured cloisters of a Medieval Monastery, a fascinating trip through Genoese sculptural, architectural and pictorial documents from the 10th to 18th centuries awaits visitors. Next to works by Gagini, Parodi, Piola and Castello, Giovanni Pisano’s Margherita di Brabante, Puget’s Madonna con Bambino and Canova’s Maddalena Penitente stand out. Specific rooms are dedicated to works in wood and ivory.

The San Lorenzo Cathedral Treasure Gallery

Underground rooms of high quality architecture become fascinating caskets of antique gold and silver craft. Particularly noteworthy are the Sacro Catino, the Byzantine Croce degli Zaccaria, objects connected with the cult of St. John the Baptist (the precious Piatto di Calcedonio, the reliquary ark known as del Barbarossa and the 15th century processional ark), as well as some monumental 16th and 17th century silver craftwork.

Diocesan Art Gallery

Built in the second half of the 12th century as the collective residence of the Canons of San Lorenzo Cathedral, this monumental complex today houses an important nucleus of art work – from the Lastra dei Pavoni (10th century), to important sculptural works (Tomba Fieschi, 14th century), to G. De Ferrari’s great canvases – which represent a significant testimony of sacred art in Genoa.

The National Gallery of Palazzo Spinola

Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria, a National Gallery since 1959, maintains its aspect of a noble residence, allowing the visitor to relive the atmosphere of a 17th – 18th century mansion. Its various owners – firstly the Grimaldi family, followed by the Pallavicino, Doria and finally the Spinola family – left all the furnishings (furniture, curtains, porcelains and silverware) and a prestigious collection of paintings with works by important Genoese, Italian (Castello, Strozzi, Cambiaso, Parodi, Antonello da Messina, Giordano) and European artists (Van Cleve, Rubens, Van Dyck).

Palazzo Reale Art Gallery

A grand noble residence built, enriched in time and decorated in splendour by two great Genoese dynasties, the Balbi and Durazzo families, as well as by the Royal House of Savoy. A vast 17th -18th century architectural complex which has maintained its prestigious interiors intact, complete with frescos and stucco work, plus furnishings, paintings and sculptures.

Palazzo del Principe

A villa built by Andrea Doria around 1530, it is the only “Royal Palace” which existed during the Republic of Genoa’s centuries-old history. It retains Raphael’s pupil, Perin del Vaga’s, vast cycle of frescos and stucco work based on mythological themes. The richly furnished rooms hold paintings by Sebastiano del Piombo, Bronzino, Piola and an extraordinary collection of tapestries. The Italian-style garden, restored to its late-16th century lay-out, concludes the visit.

Museum of the Risorgimento / Mazzinian Institute

The home where Giuseppe Mazzini was born preserves documents and memorabilia of the Risorgimento (autographs, objects, uniforms, flags) that illustrate a historic journey from Balilla to Rome, the capital city of a united Italy, passing through the Jacobins, the Ligurian Republic, Giovine Italia,1848, the wars of Independence and the feat of Garibaldi’s Mille. Two new sections have recently been opened: the first is dedicated to Goffredo Mameli and the Italian National Anthem and the second to Garibaldi and his heroic deeds.

Natural History Museum Giacomo Doria

Founded in 1867, it is renowned in scientific circles worldwide for the rich variety of its collections, with 3,800,000 specimens from around the world. Zoological, botanical, mineralogical and palaeontological collections. In this monumental, purpose-built, 1912 building, two floors are dedicated to exhibitions open to the public, set up in twenty-four large rooms with six thousand animals and a thousand minerals. There is also a specialized Library.

National Antarctic Museum Felice Ippolito

A “window” on the Antarctic continent and on the activities carried out by researchers at the Terra Nova Bay base, revealing the unique characteristics of the Southern Ocean and the rich diversity of life found under the pack ice.

Calibri

Hosts outstanding national and international exhibitions. Promotes the search for Genoese and Ligurian artists and holds a rich collection of 20th century art, including the important Cernuschi Ghiringhelli Collection which documents abstract art in Italy from the 1930s to the early ’80s. It also houses a Library and archives on contemporary art.

Ligurian Fine Arts Academy Gallery

Collection of Ligurian paintings from the 14th to the 19th centuries (Semino, Perin del Vaga, Cambiaso, Castello, Strozzi, Ansaldo, Fiasella, Piola, Grechetto, Cominetti, Fambaldi) and European majolica (17th -19th centuries). The museum complex also includes archives, a collection of plaster casts, drawing and print collections and a library.

Museums to the East of Genoa – Nervi

Modern Art Gallery – The Mitchell Wolfson jr. Collection

Villa Saluzzo Serra, an ancient building surrounded by the historical parks of Nervi, presents a new display of important collections dedicated to art from the 19th to the 21st centuries. Romanticism, historical themes, Italian Impressionism, Symbolism, Futurism and the 19th century as depicted by the works of Barabino, Rayper, D’Andrade, Cabianca, Nomellini, Merello, Casorati, De Pisis, Messina, Baroni, Martini, Guttuso, Mafai, Cagli. Also included in the exhibition are some works of decorative art from the Mitchell Wolfson jr. collection which intertwine with the Municipal collections, supplementing and enriching the cultural offering.

The Frugone Collection

This 18th century villa houses two important collections of 19th – 20th century Italian and foreign art. Paintings, sculptures, drawings and engravings, which can be dated between 1860 and 1930, mainly portraits, scenes of everyday life and landscapes, according to criteria followed by the upper middle classes at the beginning of the 19th century. Works by some of the most important Italian and foreign artists, some of whom were part of the Belle Epoque: Boldini, Cremona, De Nittis, Fattori, Fontanesi, Messia, Michetti, Miller, Segantini, Signorini, Sorolla y Bastida, Troubetzkoy.

Luxoro Gallery

Set in a splendid park overlooking the rocky cliffs of Nervi, the rooms of this noble, early-19th century residence house collections of paintings and drawings, furniture, antique clocks, ceramics, silverware and 17th – 18th century nativity-scene statuettes. The canvases by Magnasco are particularly interesting.

Museums to the West of Genoa – Pegli

Museum of Ligurian Archaeology

Situated in one of Genoa’s most famous historical gardens, it offers a wide collection of Ligurian archaeology: the Principe and other palaeolithic tombs from the Arene Candide, personal objects found in Genoa’s pre-Roman necropolis, excavations from Liguria’s Roman cities, from Luni to Libarna, the Tavola di Polcevera, Prince Odone of Savoia’s collection. In the Egyptian Room, the extraordinary painted sarcophagus and mummy of the priest Pasherienaset. As well, there is a noteworthy selection of Roman marbles. A new thread is dedicated to the relationship between man and the sea in Liguria.

Pegli Naval Museum

Andrea Doria’s Renaissance villa houses Genoese maritime collections from the 11th to the 19th centuries, underwater archaeological finds, nautical charts, model ships, 17th century landscapes; images of the Ligurian Riviera in 19th century paintings and watercolours. This museum provides factual testimony of the cultural traditions of Liguria’s seamen and shipwrights.