 |
 |
|
|
GARIBALDI STREET |
  
|
| The Genoese first called the street the Strada Nuova, then Via Aurea, today it is Via Garibaldi. It is the visible sign of a period in history, the seventeent century, when the great Genoese families reached their maximun affluence. A street that is unique in the world in the planning concept that inspired it, the number of palaces, and their beauty and wealth. It is really exciting to be able to go into their inner gardens and catch a glimpse of the frescoes in the large reception rooms, or even in the smaller living rooms. Some of these historic buildings, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Rosso, now house museums richly endowed with works by Genoese artists and by artists of the great Flemish school. A visit to the nearby Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria, now home of the National Gallery, also offers the opportunity to know something of the way of life and the furnishings in the noble Genoese homes. In every period in history Genoa made a new street: after Strada Nuova came Via Balbi, also rich with palaces and now a university centre for the classics departments; Via Assarotti came with the start of nineteenth-century expansion towards the hills, while Via XX Settembre is the modern arcaded street for taking elegant walks and doing business and Corso Italia is the promenade by the sea.
|
||
