Palazzo Carrega-Cataldi (Carrega-Cataldi Palace), Genoa

The Carrega-Cataldi Palace asserts itself through restraint rather than spectacle. Originally built between 1558 and 1561 for the wealthy merchant Tobia Pallavicino, it was designed by Giovanni Battista Castello and comes straight from the Mannerist playbook. The street-level stonework is deliberately rugged, the upper floor switches to elegant Ionic pilasters, and the façade keeps everything neatly balanced across three bays-confident, controlled, and very Genoese.

Jump ahead to the early 18th century, and the plot thickens. The palace changed hands, landing with the Carrega family, who decided the building could use a little more drama. They added an entire extra floor, extended the structure with new wings, and reworked the courtyards.

Inside, the mood flips from measured to theatrical. Between 1740 and 1744, painter Lorenzo De Ferrari transformed the Golden Gallery into a full-blown Rococo fantasy, layering gilded ornament, illusion, and movement in a way that left subtlety far behind.

By 1922, the palace took on a more practical role as the headquarters of Genoa’s Chamber of Commerce. These days, its daily life is mostly institutional, but during Rolli Days and special openings, the doors swing open just long enough to reveal what’s usually hidden. Marble staircases, frescoed halls, and that unmistakable Golden Gallery all come back into view, reminding visitors that this was once a carefully calibrated stage for power and prestige.

Recognized as part of the UNESCO-listed system of the Palazzi dei Rolli since 2006, the Carrega-Cataldi Palace stands as a textbook example of Genoa’s talent for turning private ambition into public display-polished on the outside, lavish within, and never shy about making an impression.