Palazzo Cattaneo Della Volta, Baroque palace in Piazza Cattaneo, Genoa, Italy

Palazzo Cattaneo Della Volta stands at Piazza Cattaneo 26, formed by merging two medieval lots. Its Baroque facade, reworked by Bartolomeo Bianco in 1623 with a raised floor, has a white marble Ionic portal. On the square's south side are an octagonal pillar with cubic capital and a bas-relief of Saint George and the dragon.

The Cattaneo della Volta family held their albergo and the church of San Torpete on this site from the 12th century, and the palace grew out of two medieval lots. It appears in every Rolli list from 1599. In 1623 Bartolomeo Bianco, commissioned by Leila Cattaneo, restructured it and added a floor; the top two floors were destroyed in the 1941 bombing and rebuilt with one floor added.

The palace was part of the Palazzi dei Rolli system, where Genoese noble families hosted important visitors and dignitaries from across Europe. These grand residences served as stages for diplomacy and power during the republic's golden age.

The palace is located in the heart of Genoa's old town and easily reached on foot from other historic sites in the area. Since portions may be private or have restricted access, it is best to check opening conditions before your visit.

The palace's picture gallery once held nine Van Dyck portraits of the Cattaneo family, hung in a room frescoed by Giacomo Antonio Boni. After Marquis Giuseppe Cattaneo died in 1906, the heirs sold them to American collectors, causing a scandal and a trial over the export law. The Portrait of Marchesa Elena Grimaldi Cattaneo is now in Washington.