Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Via Garibaldi (Strada Nuova)
55
“I'm overwhelmed, struck, in rapture; my eyes are full of gold, marble, crystal,”
wrote Charles Dupathy, declaring: “If you want to see the world's most beautiful
street, go to Strada Nuova in Genoa.” Strada Nuova, now known as Via Garibaldi,
must have been a real eye-opener when it was built 500 years ago as an elite new
street to house Genoa's five wealthiest families. From the filthy, tangled web of the
city's medieval center, you would have suddenly stepped into a wide street lined
with Renaissance mansions, each covered in
trompe l'oeil
paintings, with chande-
liers dominating the frescoed and gilded entry halls.
Today most of the palaces on this pedestrians-only street are home (aptly
enough) to large banks and financial institutions. If you have to change money,
do so at the
Bancho di Chiavari,
where you can admire the still magnificent rem-
nants of its frescoes and marble columns. Then walk across to Palazzo Podesta to
admire the grotto and fountain in its small courtyard.
But if you have only limited time, make
Via Garibaldi 12
(
%
010-
2530365; Tues-Sat 10am-2pm and 3:30-7pm),
your chief port of call; it's the
most glamorous shop in Genoa, and residents joke that people get married just so
they can post their wedding list here. You'll be bowled over by the contrast of see-
ing a large selection of the world's modern-design classics set within rooms that
boast 16th-century pillars and ceiling frescoes. In the dining hall, with its 18th-
century gilded ceiling and mirrored walls, you'll find a Zahar Hadid sofa that's
curved like a snake.
At the opposite end from the Bancho is the
Musei di Strada Nuova complex
(
%
010-2758098;
€
4, or purchase a
€
9 museum card here for free entry to all
the top museums; Tues-Fri 9am-7pm and Sat-Sun 10am-7pm).
The complex
comprises Palazzo Rosso and Palazzo Bianco—housing what is billed as
Genoa's
finest art collection
—and the grand Palazzo Tursi, which has an eclectic group
of exhibits, including a Guarneri-designed violin belonging to Paganini (the great
virtuoso who played the violin so seductively that his straight-laced listeners
likened him to the devil), letters written by Columbus, and a fascinating coin col-
lection that charts Genoa's mercantile history. Viewing the art collections is not
essential (though there are a few Caravaggios as well as some works by the Flemish
masters Rubens and van Dyck, who were very popular with the Genoese fat-cats
of the time), but it's worth entering the
palazzi
just to marvel at the lavish deco-
ration and fine proportions that inspired Rubens to publish a book of his draw-
ings of the Strada Nuova.
555
A Savings Tip
Genoa's best bargain is the
museum card,
which costs
€
9 and provides 24-hour
free entry to 20 museums (including all those listed here), as well as reduced fare
at top attractions like the aquarium;
€
10 includes free 24-hour bus travel; and
€
15 buys you 3 days—just make sure one of your free days doesn't fall on a
Monday, when most of the museums are closed. Purchase the card from the book-
shop adjacent to the Strada Nuova museum complex in Via Garibaldi.
