Among the best-known of these palaces is the Palazzo Doria-Tursi, Genoa’s City Hall, built by the Grimaldi Family and once the home of Giovanni Andrea Doria, nephew of Admiral of the Empire Andrea Doria. Others include the Palazzo Pallavicino Cambiaso (now home of the Banca Popolare di Brescia) designed by Alessi, the Palazzo Bianco built in 1565 by the Grimaldi Family, and the Palazzo Rosso, built in 1671 by Gio Francesco and Ridolfo Brignole Sale, which are now among the most visited museums in Genoa.

Both Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Rosso were inherited by Maria Brignole Sale, Duchessa di Galliera, who donated them to the City of Genoa. The generous cultural patroness also donated much of the homes’ priceless contents, including collections of Genovese paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries by artists such as Cambiaso, Strozzi, Assereto, Castiglione, Castello, De Ferrari, Piola, and Magnasco; Italian paintings by Veronese and Caravaggio, among others; and Flemish works by the likes of Memling, Rubens, and Van Dyck. Other significant works include a selection of Dutch, French, and Spanish paintings.

From Via Garibaldi, walk to nearby Piazza Portello where the Ascensore Portello Castelletto (an Art Nouveau period elevator) carries the weary effortlessly to the top of the Belvedere Montaldo and its magnificent panoramic view of the city.

If you’d like to see more of the city, plan visits to other important churches and museums around the city. For further information, visit the official Musei di Genova site.

Additionally, The New York Times travel section recently weighed in with some of their own recommendations for a day in Genoa.