| Via Giuseppe Garibaldi | |
| Native Name: | Strada Maggiore o Strada Nuova |
| Alternate Name: | Via Aurea, Via Garibaldi |
| Coordinates: | 44.4111°N 8.9328°W |
| Location: | Genoa, Italy |
| Region: | Liguria |
| Designation1: | WHS |
| Designation1 Offname: | Palazzi dei Rolli and Strade Nuove del Centro Storico |
| Designation1 Type: | Cultural |
| Designation1 Free1name: | Region |
| Designation1 Free1value: | Italy |
Via Giuseppe Garibaldi is a street in the historical centre of Genoa, in Northwestern Italy, well known for its ancient palaces. It is one of the Strade Nuove (Italian for "new streets") built by the Genoese aristocracy during the Renaissance. Since July 2006 it is inscribed in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site Genoa: the Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli.[1]
The street, sanctioned in 1550, was built in 1558–1583. Originally named Strada Maggiore or Strada Nuova, in 1882 it was dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi. The street is 250 metres long and 7.5 metres wide.
Between the first half of the 16th century and the first half of the 17th century, the nobility of the Republic of Genoa started a careful town planning to transform the existing medieval city and initiate a sizeable urban expansion to the North. The move to expand the antique palaces and to build new sumptuous ones was driven by the extraordinary wealth that came into the city through prosperous financing activities towards several European powers. In particular, the Genoese aristocracy financed the expensive undertakings of the Spanish Crown, such as the mercenary army that Spain kept in Flanders from 1566 to the peace of Westphalia in 1648. The ruling class of Genoa, mixing nobility of blood with new mercantile wealth, sought to underpin their prestige by the construction of grand city palaces and suburban villas of unusual splendor.[2]
| No. on the UNESCO list | Original Owner | Location | Current name of the Palace | Photo | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Agostino Pallavicini | Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 1, Genoa | ||||
| 9 | Pantaleo Spinola | Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 2, Genoa | ||||
| 10 | Franco Lercari | Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 3, Genoa | ||||
| 11 | Tobia Pallavicini | Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 4, Genoa | ||||
| 12 | Angelo Giovanni Spinola | Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 5, Genoa | ||||
| 13 | Andrea and Gio. Battista Spinola | Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 6, Genoa | ||||
| 14 | Nicolosio Lomellino | Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 7, Genoa | ||||
| 15 | Lazzaro and Giacomo Spinola | Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 8-10, Genoa | ||||
| 16 | Nicolò Grimaldi | Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 9, Genoa | Palazzo Doria Tursi (City Hall) | |||
| 17 | Baldassarre Lomellini | via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 12, Genoa | ||||
| 18 | Luca Grimaldi | Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 11, Genoa | ||||
| 19 | Rodolfo and Francesco Brignole Sale | via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 18, Genoa |
Charles Dickens gave a suggestive description of Strada Nuova in his travelogue Pictures from Italy.[3]