Inside the Siglo de Oro palaces and in the centre's galleries: Secret Genoa
Two days guided by architect Emanuela Brignone Cattaneo: between caruggi and crêuze, shopping and art. And a trip to Sori, for a dip and an aperitif at sunset.
4' min read
4' min read
Genoa is a mysterious city, a jewel to be discovered. It lives of contrasts: from the opulence of Via Garibaldi, with its Spanish Siglo de Oro palaces - built between 1528 and 1647, when the city was the world's nerve centre of economic exchange and power - with their lapis lazuli and malachite ceilings, to the more hidden magnificence of those in the historic centre, which, multi-ethnic, inclusive and safer than it once was, is an asset to be preserved. To discover the city, I recommend getting lost in the alleys, the caruggi, and looking up to discover unexpected frescoes on the vaults or marvellous churches, such as the Basilica of San Siro, where you can admire one of the most valuable paintings by Orazio Gentileschi, The Annunciation: a sober façade and a surprising interior, it is the mirror of the character of the Genoese. I was born in Paris and when I arrived here in 1982, I was immediately told that in Genoa it takes five years to make a friend, but then he stays with you for life.
Today I love it so much that I am a member of Friends of Genoa, a foundation that organises literary, artistic and musical events to promote the growth of the city and supports the preservation of its artistic heritage. In particular, in the historic centre we renovated a palace dating back to 1624: for years in a state of neglect, since 2023 it has become Palazzo Durazzo Suites. It is part of the Rolli (aristocratic residences that, at the time of the ancient Republic, on the basis of a lottery, hosted high dignitaries on state visits, ndr), it is in front of the waterfront of the Porto Antico, it has twelve suites and six more planned. As an architect, I personally renovated it with a conservative restoration, inspired by the sense of travel, the sea and the great trade with the Orient, in collaboration with the set designer and jewellery designer Cesare Barro.
We have organised parades here, we are opening a hall that will display antique manuscripts, we are hosting exhibitions. I see many signs of interest in this area: young people who are opening up their workshops, the idea of making the historic Via del Campo greener, the interest of those who invest and buy houses in the so-called Rive Gauche, which leads down from the Cathedral of San Lorenzo to the area where Design Week takes place every year. There is a new wind blowing over the city, from the superfast train that will connect Milan in less than an hour to the tunnel under the port, which will be built by 2028. I also love Via Garibaldi, to which Madame de Staël gave a grandiose name, Rue des Rois, the Street of Kings. I live not far away, in a historic house with few frescoes and lots of stucco, in the Parisian style, like a hôtel particulier accessed through a courtyard. We have always been collectors: my husband's family over the centuries has been collectors of Rubens and van Dyck, he and I of contemporary art: we acquired works by Anish Kapoor and Anselm Kiefer when they were not yet known. At Palazzo Durazzo, on the other hand, the art of Sam Falls, the partition of Vivaldi's Four Seasons on twelve canvases, and Nam June Paik's score in the Music Room stand out.
On Saturdays, after a breakfast of focaccia, coffee, fruit and cereal, I like to see the lots going up for auction, from Cambi to Castello Mackenzie, Wannenes and Boetto. I also often follow exhibitions and art lectures, as well as book presentations at Palazzo Ducale. Lunch is at Cacio & Pepe in Via Lomellini, a shop-trattoria where you can eat among the specialities on sale, or at Sà Pesta, an institution, still in the alleys, or at Piedigrotta, by the sea, while for dinner my favourite address is Ippogrifo: Ligurian cuisine revisited with talent. I also like the Östaia in Ribotta, with a beautiful roof garden on the roofs of historic Genoa.
Saturday continues for galleries or exhibitions, such as Pinksummer for contemporary art or Spazio Giustiniani for design, or other places that I will never tire of visiting, including the Museo del Tesoro in the crypt of San Lorenzo Cathedral, designed by Franco Albini, the Museo Diocesano, which houses the Passion Veils from the 16th century made on denim fabric, and Palazzo Lomellino, with its Ninfeo. For shopping there is Via Garibaldi 12, a design concept store in a 16th-century palace, the atelier of Andrea Odicini, Genoa's best-known couturier, and Romanengo, a sweet shop since 1780, for violet and rose drops.
