Lomellini Palace - Darjeeling Room 7B

I got to visit during the Rolli, since the building serves as the regional command of the armed forces. It's beautiful, with valuable frescoes by Cambiaso.

The frescoes by Domenico Fiasella inside make this place worth a visit.

Giacomo Lomellini, Doge of Genoa, built Palazzo dei Rolli in the early 17th century. Ownership later passed to the Patrone family, then the Municipality, and eventually it became the Casa del Fascio. The building returned to the Municipality before being handed over to the army in 1945. It has been the Army Military Command headquarters ever since. At the end of the 20th century, the left corner was cut off to widen Via Benda.

Built between 1619 and 1623, this really is a massive cube. Its builder was Giacomo Lomellini, who later served as Doge from 1625 to 1627. It now houses the Military Command of the Italian Army in the Liguria Region, so public access is limited. You can visit during the Rolli days, though not every time. The palace came from the joining of two buildings on the family estate, one of which had already been included in the "Rolli" in 1588. The cube became the family's main home in the city. They aimed for symmetry in its shapes and volumes wherever the site allowed, and the entrance feels imposing despite the restricted space. The courtyard once ended in a nymphaeum, which is now gone. Rubens' drawings still show evidence of its presence and beauty. The Lomellini family hired Domenico Fiasella to decorate and paint the building, but he couldn't finish the job, so G. B. Carlone took over. The paintings tell the story of Esther and Ahasuerus. The choice was meant to represent the Republic's moral integrity triumphing over betrayal and plots against it. These included the De Marinis' betrayal, Giulio Cesare Vacchero's conspiracy, and the siege by Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy, who was defeated despite unequal forces. All these dangers were averted by the future Doge Giacomo Lomellini. The scenes include The Fall of Jerusalem on the atrium vault, The Feast of Ahasuerus on the first floor, and Ahasuerus's Choice of Esther on the second. Mythological frescoes on the third floor were painted by Jacopo Antonio Boni and Carlo Giuseppe Ratti. The Patrone family probably acquired the palace in 1855 and kept it until Fausto Patrone sold it to the City of Genoa on December 13, 1897. The City Hall later demolished one corner, leaving a "truncated cube." The corner facing Via Bensa was removed so Via Bensa could be widened for tram tracks. A living room on each floor was lost, new vaults and grotesque decorations were made, and the courtyard was modified too. The fresco and decorative fragments from the demolished corner weren't lost. The City Council had them carefully removed and taken to Palazzo Bianco, where they remain today. The building then became new municipal offices. In 1928 it became the Fascist Party headquarters, and in 1945 it took on its current use.