Palazzo Gerolamo Grimaldi (Gerolamo Grimaldi Palace), Genoa

Gerolamo Grimaldi Palace, better known today as the Meridian Palace, is a Renaissance Genoa showing a bit of creative swagger. Constructed between 1536 and 1544 for the banker Gerolamo Grimaldi Oliva—who made his fortune managing tax collection in Spain and Portugal—this was never meant to be just another city palace.

Instead, it was designed as a clever cross between an urban residence and a suburban villa, taking full advantage of Genoa’s steep terrain. Architect Joseph Fürttenbach later admired its original layout, which featured gardens both above and below the building, with two façades playing off the dramatic slope.

Look to the north side, and you’ll spot one of the palace’s most eye-catching details: a bold fresco cycle of the Labours of Hercules, attributed to Aurelio Busso. These mythological heavy-lifting scenes still cling to the exterior, setting the tone before you even get inside.

Indoors, the decoration steps up another level. Between 1556 and 1566, Gerolamo’s son commissioned some of the most sought-after painters of the time—Luca Cambiaso, Giovanni Battista Castello, and Lazzaro Calvi—to cover the interiors with elaborate fresco cycles. The main salon steals the show, thanks to a dramatic perspective scene of Ulysses taking aim at the suitors, painted to impress and slightly intimidate.

The palace didn’t stay frozen in the 16th century. In the late 18th century, new urban development reshaped its southern façade along what was then the newly laid-out Newest Street, complete with a painted meridian sundial—the detail that eventually earned the palace its modern nickname. In the early 20th century, architect Gino Coppedè added further flair, redesigning the atrium with a stained-glass skylight and subtle Art Nouveau touches.

Today, as part of Genoa’s UNESCO-listed Rolli Palaces, the Meridian Palace offers richly frescoed rooms, theatrical staircases, and a slightly quieter atmosphere than the better-known stops on Via Garibaldi—a clear sign that some of Genoa’s best stories unfold just off the main stage.