In 1576 the Genoese Republic began listing its finest private palaces in the rolli, official rosters from which the state assigned lodging by lottery to visiting popes, kings and ambassadors, so that grand hospitality became a civic duty.
The best of them stand along Via Garibaldi, the Strada Nuova, and its neighbors Via Balbi and Via Cairoli, and UNESCO inscribed 42 of these palaces and streets in 2006. Most remain private, but three open as the Strada Nuova Museums: Palazzo Rosso, a preserved noble house; Palazzo Bianco, the gallery with Flemish and Spanish paintings; and Palazzo Doria-Tursi, where Paganini's violin is kept. On the special Rolli Days, many private palaces open their gilded halls to the public.
