Palazzo Nicolosio Lomellino

Built between 1563 and 1569 for Nicolosio Lomellino, Palazzo Nicolosio Lomellino is one of Genoa's Palazzi dei Rolli. Its stucco façade opens to an atrium and courtyard, while the interior preserves frescoes by Bernardo Strozzi and a garden nymphaeum.

Why it matters

The palace reflects the wealth of Genoa's merchant families and the ceremonial role of the Rolli residences. It was designed by Giovanni Battista Castello, known as il Bergamasco, with Bernardino Cantone. Peter Paul Rubens included the palace in his treatise on Genoese architecture under the name of its second owner, Luigi Centurione.

What to notice

The façade's stucco figures, masks and garlands are attributed to Marcello Sparzo. Bernardo Strozzi painted the Allegory of the Evangelisation of the New World for Centurione in 1623; the frescoes were later rediscovered beneath plaster. The courtyard's nymphaeum, remodelled by Domenico Parodi, incorporates a grotto and connects with hanging gardens on the Castelletto slope. Later rooms contain frescoes by Parodi, Lorenzo De Ferrari and Giacomo Antonio Boni, with canvases attributed to Franceschini.

Context and history

Ownership passed from Lomellino to Centurione in 1609, then to the Pallavicini and Raggi families, and later to Baron Andrea Podestà. The Bruzzo family became the palace's owners before its restoration for Genoa's 2004 European Capital of Culture year. The building is number 14 in the UNESCO-listed Rolli palaces, a system that ranked residences for hosting visiting dignitaries.