Palazzo Doria Tursi (Doria Tursi Palace), Genoa

Palazzo Doria Tursi wears many hats, but none bigger than this: it’s Genoa’s city hall and the most imposing palace on Via Garibaldi. The building began life in 1565 as a serious flex by banker Niccolò Grimaldi—so powerful, he went by the nickname “the Monarch,” and so wealthy, he financed King Philip II of Spain.

Grimaldi stitched together three separate properties into one colossal residence, complete with two formal gardens set on either side of the main block. Architects Domenico and Giovanni Ponzello gave it a commanding façade and a dramatic double-arched courtyard, turning the palace into a textbook example of Genoese Renaissance architecture with a hint of Mannerist swagger.

Money, however, has a way of changing hands. By 1597, Grimaldi’s fortunes had slipped, and the palace passed to Giovanni Andrea Doria, who bought it for his son Carlo, Duke of Tursi. That’s when the building picked up a Baroque edge.

Street-facing loggias were added, along with a richly decorated marble portal that mixes Finale stone, dark slate, and Carrara marble into a carefully calculated display of prestige. The result is a building that doesn’t so much whisper wealth as announce it, calmly and at full volume.

The palace entered a new chapter in the early 19th century, when it was acquired by the House of Savoy. Architect Carlo Randoni added the elegant clock tower that still marks the skyline today, and by 1850, the building had settled into its current role as the seat of Genoa’s municipal government. From private power base to civic headquarters, the shift was complete.

Today, Palazzo Doria Tursi forms part of the Strada Nuova Museums, alongside the Red Palace and the White Palace, and it holds its place on the UNESCO-listed Rolli roster. Inside, the rooms unfold with Genoese paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries, sculptures including Canova’s Penitent Magdalene, and collections of coins and ceramics. Then there’s the crowd favorite: the Paganini Room, home to Niccolò Paganini’s legendary violin, known as “The Cannon.”

Even among Genoa’s grandest palaces, this one certainly knows best how to hold an audience...