Anually Genoa, in north-western Italy, celebrates its unique heritage through an event called the ‘Rolli Days’. This open-house festival, which sees some of Genoa’s most aristocratic palazzos open their doors to the public will move online this May with the ‘Rolli Days Digital Week’ running from the 16-23 May.
For seven days, a series of never-seen before videos, will open the doors of some of the most prestigious palaces, four of them shown for the first time. Armchair visitors will feel transported to the 12 palazzos strolling through the halls, discovering their architecture, admiring works of art. Those never seen before palazzos are the Palazzo Tommaso Spinola, Palazzo Interiano Pallavicino, Palazzo Sinibaldo Fieschi and the Palazzo Stefano Squarciafico.
The visit to the palaces will open a window on the Genoese Golden Age, seen from different perspectives, with viewers able to discover the stories of the owners’ families, their fortunes and riches,the political and economic relationships, and of the extraordinary skill and craftmanship of the artists who depicted legends and stories on the walls and ceilings. The grounds and gardens of these grand residences will also be on show.
Palazzo Interiano Pallavicino remains a private residence to this today; hence the fact it has never been opened to the public before, Palazzo Stefano Squarciafico has a painted facade that is so exquisite it was confused with Raphael’s work; Palazzo Spinola features an extraordinary frescoe from the Sixteenth century telling the story of the relationship between Genoa and Spain and Palazzo Sinibaldo Fireschi is one of the most fascinating and well preserved examples of late Renaissance architecture in Genoa.
The Rolli Days Digital Week will be a real trip to Genoa.
In addition to the above mentioned 12 palaces, it will be possible to discover many other Palazzi dei Rolli (Palazzo Tursi, Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Spinola, di Pellicceria, Palazzo della Meridiana), and less well-known but equally notable buildings such as the Diocesan Museum and the Carige Bank with its wonderful art collection.
Further special initiatives will also be included in the Rolli Days Digital Week.
The “Mostra che non c’è”- is a a virtual exhibition organised by Palazzo Ducale and dedicated to the Genoese masterpieces not kept in Genoa anymore. In addition the music of Genoa will come to life with a performance of renowned local violinist Niccolò Paganini creations played by Andrea Cardinale and local actor Igor Chierici will recite readigs and text describing Genoa from famours artists and writers, including Chares Dickens, who visited the city.
For armchair foodies there will be the opportunity to discover Genoese flavours too, thanks to the traditional recipes, reinterpreted by one of the chefs belonging to the Genova Gourmet network and through an innovative “Rolli’s menu”, that includes many ingredients of the region, created by young Chefs in Quarantine. Authentic dishes from Genova Gourmet include ‘Cappon Magro’ (a fish, vegetable and bread salad); while the young Chefs in Quarantine propose “Nolito”, a cocktail which mixes Cuban flavours and Ligurian citrus perfumes, and “Sweet basil”, a pasta dish where basil is combined with cocoa, as happened in the Port of Genoa.
The Rolli Days Digital Week Schedule is available here: visitgenoa.it
