Palazzo Reale

 

Buon Giorno,

Now you may be surprised to find a royal palace seated at the heart of a proud republic of a city-state, but the answer is not far to seek.  The Congress of Vienna imposed a lot of territorial arrangement and decided that Genoa would belong to House of Savoy. You may remember, if you follow my travels, that we met them in Torino.

I am under the impression that the Genovisi were less than pleased with the arrangement, as they persistently refer to the Kingdom of Sardinia, and come on, kids, Piedmont is right next door.  The Congress mostly confirmed control of the Italian Peninsula in the hands of the Hapsburgs and Bourbons. The House of Savoy at least were native Italians, so the Genovesi may have been better off  than others.

I guess I can understand some lingering resentment. The Palazzo Reale originally belonged to the wealthy and highly cultivated Durazzo Family, but King Carlo Alberto compelled them to sell their mansion and most of its contents to him.  He also made his son Fernando Duke of Genoa, and I can imagine that didn't go down well either.

It is easy to see by Carlo Alberto picked this house for his royal palace. It over looks the harbor, but the real draw was the sumptuous interior--truly fit for a king.  The visitor is treated to many beautifully furnished period rooms. The predominant period is Rococo, and it is exquisite.  The rooms are lavishly frescoed and boast a distinguished collection of paintings and statuary, some of which was brought from Torino.

 

It rained hard over night and it was still raining when I when out. My first stop was the grocery store. My last was the place I get my farinata.  I had my stout shoes and umbrella, so I had no fear of weather.

I looked up the directions and tried sending them to my phone. This proved worse than useless. When I tried to consult the directions, all I got was offerings of exotic apps. Fine. The Hop On Hop Off bus passed the Palazzo Reale, so I had a good idea where it was, and Genoa has some good sign posting. 

On the way I passed an open church. If you like Baroque (I do!) then Genoa's churches are for you. This was a wonderful Orotorio dedicated to St. Philip Neri.  On the way home I saw that San Luca was also open and popped in. Beautiful!

I actually enjoyed being out in the rain. It was cool, but not uncomfortable.  Right now I'm sitting on the stairs outside my apartment while the pleasant young woman does my room. When she's done I can take off my shoes, but I have already had some wine and cheese.

Dinner is tortellone with some pesto and parmesan. I have a different wine to drink with it. I got some DOP Italian rose. Let's have a sip. It tastes very like the Provencal stuff I drink at home, which is not exactly a surprise. Nice used to be under the rule of the House of Savoy--just like Genoa, and Provence has its own version of pesto.

Ciao for now