Gerolamo Grimaldi Oliva and his son Battista built the palace between 1536 and 1545, before the creation of Strada Nuova: Because of this reason, the Palace is one of the first examples in the city of the new Renaissance architecture.

Reading the tables that illustrate the book of Pietro Paolo Rubens "Palazzi di Genova", we discover that the Palace had a complex structure, partly lost with the transformations of the surrounding area: the building developed on several levels following the slope, with beautiful gardens enclosed between two large nymphs to the north and south and rich in water features and caves animated by automatons.

The clients, especially Battista Grimaldi, ask for innovative solutions also in the decoration of the interior, where work artists such as Lazzaro Calvi, Giovanni Battista Castello il Bergamasco and Luca Cambiaso, who stages the story of Ulysses lightning the Proci, in the large hall of the main floor, with extraordinary perspective solutions.

“Palazzo della Meridiana” remained to the Grimaldi family until the nineteenth century, then changed owner several times; in 1885 Evan Mackenzie rented it as the headquarters of his insurance company, and called Gino Coppedè to renew the decoration, for example with the creation of the spectacular Liberty skylight to cover the courtyard on Salita San Francesco.

The building today belongs to a private company that, after having restored it, has opened it to the public as a venue for temporary exhibitions, cultural activities and receptions.

The palace is open for individual visitors once a month, and for exhibitions and events.

To learn more about the activities of the Palace and for all the information for the visit, here is the link to the official website: https://www.palazzodellameridiana.it/

To learn more about the history of the Palace, here is the link to the page on the Rolli and Strade Nuove website: https://www.rolliestradenuove.it/rollo/20-palazzo-di-gerolamo-grimaldi/