Via Giuseppe Garibaldi (Genoa)

A street of palaces, Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, historically the Strada Nuova, is the grandest thoroughfare of old Genoa, lined with the aristocratic mansions that made the maritime republic famous throughout Europe. Laid out from the 1550s specifically to house the city's wealthiest ruling families, its magnificent ensemble of Renaissance and Baroque palazzi is inscribed on the World Heritage list as part of the Palazzi dei Rolli.

The Rolli system was unique. The finest houses were placed on official public lists, and by lottery their owners were required to lodge visiting dignitaries and heads of state according to their rank, turning private homes into working instruments of state diplomacy. The street thus became a competitive showcase of wealth and taste, its facades frescoed and its interiors filled with painted galleries, hanging gardens and sweeping staircases.

Three palaces form a museum circuit, the Musei di Strada Nuova. The Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Doria Tursi display paintings by Van Dyck, Rubens, Caravaggio, Veronese and Ligurian masters, along with fine Genoese furniture and one of the violins once owned by Paganini, their opulent rooms as memorable as the art they hold.

For visitors, the pedestrian street runs through the upper edge of the historic centre, a short walk from the cathedral and the old port. A single combined ticket admits all three museums, and the grand palace courtyards can often be glimpsed freely through open doors as you pass. Allow a half day to see the collections properly. Genoa is at its most agreeable in spring and autumn, when the narrow caruggi and the marble-lined Strada Nuova are pleasant to explore slowly on foot without the oppressive summer heat and the cruise-ship crowds it brings.