The house, built for a king's man in Spain

In 1558, Angelo Giovanni Spinola, an ambassador of the Republic of Genoa to Spain, commissioned a palace in Genoa. The work was designed by the architect Giovanni Ponzello and eventually completed in 1576 by Spinola's son, Giulio. Angelo Giovanni Spinola hoped to impress the king of Spain with his new home, and he left no detail untouched. The palace's exterior was decorated with frescoes by the Calvi brothers, depicting members of the Spinola family in Roman armor.

To add to the opulence, Giulio ordered the excavation of part of the hill behind the palace for a courtyard and garden. This was no ordinary palace, and its grandeur was apparent in every corner. The Roman Embassy in Spain rented the palace for two centuries, and it remained a coveted residence among the Genoese nobility. In 1919, the palace was sold to the bank Crédit Commercial de France, and it is now owned by Deutsche Bank. Today, this palazzo is a fascinating glimpse into the past, one of the 42 that form the UNESCO World Heritage Site Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli.

The frescoes on the facade, staircase, and upper floor tell the tales of the powerful men who once walked these halls, including Bernardo Castello, Andrea Semino, and Lazzaro Tavarone. It is a rare chance to step back into the world of Renaissance Genoa and the Spanish monarchy, all in one building.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons