Genoa / The verdict
Are the Palazzi dei Rolli in Genoa worth it?
Yes, with a caveat on what you actually see: the Rolli are mostly private palaces, so a Via Garibaldi walk is a facade and courtyard experience unless you add the Musei di Strada Nuova, where a 14 EUR combined ticket covers Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Doria Tursi including Caravaggio's Ecce Homo and Paganini's Cannone violin. Time it for a Rolli Days weekend and dozens of private palaces open free.
By The Real Traveler Experiences team. We earn a commission if you book through our links. It never changes a verdict.
The Genoa story
Genoa rewards travelers who like their cities unvarnished. Italy's great medieval port packs the UNESCO-listed Palazzi dei Rolli, one of Europe's largest car-free historic centres and a working harbour into a place that never quite surrendered to tourism. The caruggi alleys are a maze worth getting lost in, the pesto, focaccia, farinata and seafood are the best value in northern Italy, and the Aquarium gives families a modern anchor on the Porto Antico.
The verdict in 30 seconds
Go
Yes, with a caveat on what you actually see: the Rolli are mostly private palaces, so a Via Garibaldi walk is a facade and courtyard experience unless you add the Musei di Strada Nuova, where a 14 EUR combined ticket covers Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Doria Tursi including Caravaggio's Ecce Homo and Paganini's Cannone violin. Time it for a Rolli Days weekend and dozens of private palaces open free.
Go if
- You like architecture walks and want UNESCO-listed palaces without Florence or Rome crowds.
- You want one museum ticket that stacks Caravaggio, seven Van Dycks and Paganini's violin under frescoed ceilings.
- You can time the trip for a Rolli Days weekend, when private palaces open free by reservation.
Skip if
- You expect to stroll into the palaces any day: most are banks and offices, so outside the museum trio you mostly see facades and courtyards.
- You are in town on a Monday, when the Strada Nuova museums are closed.
- You need step free access to the rooftops: the panoramic terrace level is only partly accessible.
What it costs
- Musei di Strada Nuova combined ticket, adult: €14 (covers Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Doria Tursi in one route and is sold as a cumulative ticket also including the Museo di Sant'Agostino; the city council approved the new 14 EUR rate in November 2025, replacing the old 9 EUR ticket). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Musei di Strada Nuova combined ticket, reduced: €9 (reduced also applies to holders of the Van Dyck exhibition ticket at Palazzo Ducale, and vice versa, through 19 July 2026). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Youth ticket, ages 18 to 25: €2 (flat 2 EUR reduced ticket for visitors aged 18 to 25). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Audioguide: €3 (Italian, English and French; EU citizens under 18 and Genoa residents on Sundays enter free, schools free). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Rolli Days weekend entry: €0 (free access to dozens of private palaces on Rolli Days weekends, by online reservation; the autumn 2026 edition runs 16 to 18 October). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Via Garibaldi street and palace courtyards: €0 (the street itself and several palace courtyards are free to walk anytime). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
What travelers report
Based on 13 traveler reports (Feb 2025 to Sep 2026) and the official sources linked on this page. 0 were negative.
What people like
- 3 of the logged reports remark how uncrowded the palaces feel compared with Italy's more famous art cities.
- 3 of the logged reports name the one ticket three palaces formula as the draw, stacking Caravaggio, Van Dyck and Paganini's violin.
- 3 of the logged reports cover the Rolli Days weekends opening dozens of private palaces free by reservation.
- 1 logged report notes the UNESCO listing dates to 2006 and that Rubens published the facades in 1622.
What people complain about
- 2 of the logged reports stress that most palaces are private, so the everyday experience is facades and courtyards only.
- 1 logged report warns the three palace ticket confuses visitors who leave after Rosso without realizing two more museums are included.
- 1 logged report notes the ticket rose to 14 EUR after the 2025 reform, up from 9 EUR.
- 1 logged report flags Monday closures, with only partial openings on some Mondays in season.
How to do it right
- Start at Piazza delle Fontane Marose and walk Via Garibaldi downhill: the street is only about 250 meters but packs the densest run of Rolli palaces.
- The one museum ticket covers three palaces in sequence: Palazzo Rosso for the Brignole Sale collection and frescoed apartments, Palazzo Bianco for Caravaggio's Ecce Homo and the Flemish rooms, Palazzo Doria Tursi for Paganini's Cannone violin.
- Reports say visitors regularly tour Rosso and walk out unaware the same ticket still covers Bianco and Tursi fifty meters away: keep the ticket until all three are done.
- The museums run Tuesday to Friday 9 to 19 and weekends 10 to 19, closed Monday; one guide notes that in season some Mondays only Palazzo Rosso opens, so confirm on the day.
- For interiors beyond the museum trio, book a Rolli Days weekend: the spring 2026 edition opened 48 sites free with reservations, and the next runs 16 to 18 October 2026.
- Step into open courtyards along the street: several private palaces let you see staircases and fountains from the entrance hall for free.
The trap to avoid
The Rolli are a system of about a hundred palaces rather than a single museum row: outside the three Strada Nuova museums the grand interiors stay private, so a casual visit mostly means facades and the odd courtyard. The workaround is Rolli Days, the twice yearly free weekend when dozens of palaces open by reservation; arrive on a normal week and the famous rooms stay locked.
What to do instead
Why this verdict
The Palazzi dei Rolli earn a go because the core experience costs nothing: Via Garibaldi, the old Strada Nuova, runs barely 250 meters and packs more Renaissance and Baroque palace fronts per step than almost any street in Italy. Reports like how quiet it stays; a morning video shows it nearly empty while the same facades pulled a UNESCO listing in 2006. The catch is access. The Rolli were a registry of palaces obliged to host state guests, and most still belong to banks and offices, so on a normal day you see facades, doorways and the odd courtyard.
The interiors that do open daily are worth the ticket. The Musei di Strada Nuova run one combined ticket through three adjoining palaces: Palazzo Rosso keeps the Brignole Sale collection in the rooms it was bought for, Palazzo Bianco holds Caravaggio’s Ecce Homo and the Flemish rooms, and Palazzo Doria Tursi displays Paganini’s Cannone violin. One museum guide warns that visitors routinely tour Rosso and leave without realizing the ticket covers two more palaces.
Since a November 2025 reform the combined ticket costs 14 EUR, reduced 9 EUR, sold as a cumulative also covering the Sant’Agostino museum; the old 9 EUR standalone price is gone. Ages 18 to 25 pay 2 EUR, EU under 18s go free, and Genoa residents enter free on Sundays.
Timing and tickets
The museums open Tuesday to Friday 9 to 19 and weekends 10 to 19, closed Monday. The real unlock is Rolli Days, the free reservation weekends that open dozens of private palaces twice a year; the next edition runs 16 to 18 October 2026. Outside it, step into any open courtyard along the street for free.
Book or check times
Musei di Strada Nuova tickets and hoursRolli Days official program
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Guided tour of the Rolli palacespartner site
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Questions
Are the Palazzi dei Rolli free to visit?
The street and several courtyards are free anytime. Interiors are limited to the Musei di Strada Nuova trio on a 14 EUR combined ticket, plus the Rolli Days weekends that open dozens of private palaces free by reservation.
How much does the Musei di Strada Nuova ticket cost?
14 EUR adult and 9 EUR reduced after the November 2025 city ticket reform; the ticket covers Palazzo Rosso, Bianco and Doria Tursi and is sold as a cumulative with Sant'Agostino. Ages 18 to 25 pay 2 EUR, EU under 18s enter free.
What is there to see inside the Rolli palaces?
Palazzo Bianco holds Caravaggio's Ecce Homo and strong Flemish rooms, Palazzo Rosso keeps the Brignole Sale collection with seven Van Dycks in the rooms they were bought for, and Palazzo Doria Tursi displays Paganini's Cannone violin alongside ceramics and tapestries.
When are the Rolli Days in 2026?
The spring 2026 edition ran on 28 and 29 March with 48 sites open. The autumn edition runs 16 to 18 October 2026. Entry is free but each palace needs an online reservation.
How long do you need for Via Garibaldi and the museums?
The street itself takes 20 minutes end to end; count three hours for a proper pass through the three museum palaces, per the guide logged.
Why is it called Palazzi dei Rolli?
Rolli were the official lists of noble residences obliged to host visiting dignitaries for the Republic of Genoa: a lottery decided which palace hosted whom. Rubens admired them enough to publish a volume of their designs in 1622.