Buon Giorno
If I ever return to Genoa I'm going to time it better. Today is one of the spring Rolli Days where palazzi normally not open to the public do open. Of course, the real action is tomorrow, and I have an early flight.
One has to register and reserve a timed admission, and by time I got around to it a lot of spaces were taken, and since these are normally places of business the tourists on Friday get let in later, so I wouldn't have the energy for a lot of them, so I picked two. Genoa was a republic run by the richest of its citizens, so the government required them to host foreign dignitaries in their palazzi. This was called the Rolli System, and the palazzi open to the public were part of it.
I went out shopping and now I have to figure out how to pack my takings.
I'm back and feeling really tired. I decided to skip the other palazzo. The visits are free, so I'm not losing out. But the palazzo I saw was lovely! It's a bank that formerly belonged to Tobia Palavincino. There's a tour that takes about half an hour, which I understand is typical for Rolli visits. It was in Italian. English tours do exist--tomorrow when I'm on the plane.
Because of having taught Art History, I have a solid idea of what I'm looking at. The sumptuous ceiling frescos had Greek/Roman mythological themes. We saw the entry way and then went upstairs to the piano nobile where the state apartments are and viewed the large meeting hall as well as smaller reception rooms and the chapel. All were lavishly and gorgeously decorated and very much worth seeing.
I have very much enjoyed my time in Genoa and better understand her nickname--La Superba--the Proud. I saw a lot of beautiful sites and ate and drank tasty things. But stay tuned. This is not my last post. My fabulous travel agent got me a deal and I'm flying back business class! It is an experience I'll want to share with you.
Ciao for now
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