Built for Francesco Grimaldi before 1593, the palace changed hands several times in the course of its history: the last owners were Paolo and Franco Spinola who, in 1958, decided to donate the mansion containing all the artistic heritage to the Italian State.

The family wanted the building to retain the appearance of a noble historic dwelling, except for the last two floors, heavily damaged by the Second World War.

Nowadays it hosts the “Galleria Nazionale della Liguria”, a modern museum space that hosts extraordinary works of art coming from the Spinola donation, including works by Giovanni Pisano, Antonello da Messina, Pietro Paolo Rubens.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the halls of the first and second noble floors were enriched by frescoes by Lazzaro Tavarone that glorify the House of Grimaldi and its links with the Spanish crown. The collections of painting include works of art by Anton van Dyck, Domenico Fiasella, Giovanni Battista Carlone, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione known as Grechetto, Giulio Cesare Procaccini, Bernardo Strozzi.

Between 1734 and 1736 the second floor was renovated, in an architectural building site organized by Bartolomeo Orsolino: the new design of the apartment, enriched by frescoes by Sebastiano Galeotti and Giovanni Battista Natali and further works on canvas, is represented by its masterpiece in the “Galleria degli Specchi” designed by Lorenzo De Ferrari and inspired directly by the up-to-date 18th century models.

Information and schedules on the website www.museidigenova.it