Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli
The system of Via Nuovo and Rolli Palaces in the historic centre of Genoa dates back to the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when the Republic of Genoa was at the peak of its financial and seafaring power. The site is the first urban development in Europe allocated by public authorities within a unified framework and linked to a specific system of “public accommodation” in private houses, as decreed by the Senate in 1576. The site includes a group of Renaissance and Baroque palaces along the so-called “Via Nuovo” (New Street). The Rolli Palaces offer a variety of different solutions, of universal value in terms of their adaptation to the particular characteristics of the site and the requirements of a specific social and economic organization. They also offer an example of an original network of public-private houses used to host state visits.