Genoa, guided tours to discover the churches of the Palazzi dei Rolli

The appointment with The Churches of the Palazzi dei Rolli is back in Genoa. From January 5 to 8, 2023, there will be an opportunity to discover the treasures of art and devotion kept in the city’s churches, which are closely linked to the UNESCO World Heritage Palazzi dei Rolli. Four churches are included in the second edition (1652) of Rubens’ famous book Palazzi di Genova, as they are considered to be of equal beauty and importance to the most sumptuous palaces. Indeed, Genoa’s historical and artistic heritage is not only enshrined in palaces and suburban villas, but also in churches, oratories, and shrines: works commissioned by the city’s leading aristocratic families from local and international artists.

The four Rubensian churches that can be visited represent the Genoa of the Siglo de Los Genoveses: from Galeazzo Alessi’s ambitious project in the Basilica of the Assumption in Carignano comes the city’s only fully Renaissance church, embellished inside with the Baroque marbles of Pierre Puget and canvases by Carlo Maratta and Domenico Piola; in Carlone’s frescoes depicting the Legend of the Basilisk, the story of Genoa’s first cathedral is told in San Siro; behind the neoclassical facade of the Annunziata hides the Baroque splendor of extraordinary 17th-century stuccoes and frescoes; entering the Chiesa del Gesù one discovers a church-museum, where Rubens himself is present with no less than two paintings of the highest value.

Rubens’ churches are joined by the majestic Santa Maria di Castello, the striking church of Sant’Anna with its convent and ancient pharmacy, the church of Santi Carlo e Vittore on Via Balbi, and the Church of San Pancrazio, which reopens after a restoration ordered by the Order of Malta.

Also open for this edition of The Churches of the Palazzi dei Rolli will be the church of Santa Maria della Cella in Sampierdarena, the church of San Rocco with the nearby Sanctuary of San Francesco da Paola, the Convent of Sant’Anna, and the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Monte towering over the San Fruttuoso district.

The full list of open churches follows:

Sanctuary of the Madonnetta, Via Fossato di San Nicolò

Church of Sant’Anna, Piazza Sant’Anna 8

Church of Santa Maria della Cella, Via Giacomo Giovannetti

Sanctuary of St. Francis of Paola, Salita San Francesco di Paola 44

Church of San Rocco sopra Principe, Salita San Rocco 28

Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Mount, Salita Nuova di Nostra Signora del Monte

Church of Saints Charles and Victor, Via Balbi 7

Church of Saints Andrew and Ambrose of Jesus, Via di Porta Soprana 2

Church of San Siro, Via San Siro 4

Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta in Carignano, Piazza di Carignano 8

Basilica of Santissima Annunziata Vastato, Piazza della Nunziata 4

Church of Santa Maria di Castello, Salita di Santa Maria di Castello 15

Church of San Pancrazio, Piazza San Pancrazio

Church of Nostra Signora delle Vigne - Piazza delle Vigne - Kalatà Experience

Conservatorio dei Fieschi - Mura dello Zerbino 16 - Artistic nativity scene with statuettes from the school of Maragliano

Archives of the Magistrate of Mercy - Via dei Giustiniani 15 - Display of documents dedicated to the churches opened for the event

Also on the occasion of Churches of the Palazzi dei Rolli, visits will be conducted by Scientific Disclosers selected and trained by the City of Genoa together with the University of Genoa.

The visits are free of charge, by reservation only. Reservations will open on December 19, 2022.

Free tours conducted by licensed tour guides will also be available. A new edition of Genoa of the Arts will be held during the event, in which Giacomo Montanari’s presentation of artworks will be interwoven with Pino Petruzzelli’s reading of poetic and literary texts.

All details, updates and the booking platform (active from Dec. 19) are at https://www.visitgenoa.it/evento/le-chiese-dei-palazzi-dei-rolli

Churches of the Palazzi dei Rolli is a project realized by the City of Genoa, under the patronage of the Archdiocese of Genoa, Cultural Heritage Office, and with the collaboration of the University of Genoa.

Photo by Fabio Bussalino

Genoa, guided tours to discover the churches of the Palazzi dei Rolli

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