Cristoforo Colombo (Christopher Columbus)
Palazzo San Giorgio
Via delle Mercanzie
Genoa, April 2016
“In 1570, the Palace underwent radical extension and renovation works that profoundly altered its original appearance. The new building developed towards the sea and had a compact and homogenous external shape, with façades decorated in the style of Genoese Renaissance architecture, including a spectacular fresco decoration. At the beginning of the 17th century, the patrons of the Bank of Saint George decided to entrust Lazzaro Tavarone with the task of frescoing the seafront of Palazzo San Giorgio, replacing a previous decoration carried out in 1591 by Andrea Semino, which was not appreciated by the notables. Tavarone began the restoration project in 1606 and completed it in 1608. Since then, the sea façade of Palazzo San Giorgio has featured St. George and the Dragon, Janus Two-Faced, Neptune, Caffaro, Andrea Doria, Simon Boccanegra, Guglielmo Embriaco, Christopher Columbus and Biagio Assereto, symbols of the power and wealth that Genoa had conquered over the centuries by navigating the sea. The following restoration of the Palazzo’s façade dates back to 1912 and it was commissioned by the Autonomous Port Consortium to Lodovico Pogliaghi, who repainted the decorations on the façade facing the sea. They were later restored by the painter Raimondo Sirotti in 1992 on the occasion of the Columbus celebrations. Artworks of equal importance, including a 16th-century aedicule and a plaque dedicated to Nazario Sauro, are also present along the remaining three sides of the Palace.” (The outside of the Palace, Palazzo San Giorgio)
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