The frescoes of Cleopatra and Columbus in Palazzo Belimbau

Located at Piazza della Nunziata 2 in Genoa, the Palazzo Belimbau is also known as Palazzo Antoniotto Cattaneo or Palazzo Francesco De Ferrari. The palace was initially built by Antoniotto Cattaneo, a member of the old Genoese nobility, who completed the construction of the building in 1594. It later became the property of Francesco De Ferrari, who renovated and united it with an adjoining residence between 1604 and 1611, likely entrusting the work to the architect Ceresola, also known as Andrea Vannone.

In the first decade of the 17th century, the family commissioned Lazzaro Tavarone to decorate the palace with a vast pictorial cycle. Tavarone decorated the vestibule, the grand staircase, and various rooms on the piano nobile. The frescoes in the entrance vestibule are dedicated to the life of Cleopatra, including a main panel depicting the queen sailing on a grandiose ship. The cycle continues on the monumental staircase with The Meeting of Antony and Cleopatra. At the end of the staircase, the monumental hall features frescoes dedicated to the exploits of Christopher Columbus, based on a book by Fernando Colombo.

The palace passed into the hands of the Chiavari family, and later to the Cambiaso family, who commissioned a general renovation starting in 1780. It later passed to the Negrotto Cambiaso family before moving to the Cohen Belimbau family in 1890. During the 20th century, the building suffered rapid deterioration and serious damage from Allied bombings in October 1943. Following the death of the last heir of the Belimbau dynasty in 1991, the palace was donated to the University of Genoa, which completed restoration work on the roof and façade in 2004.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons