Piazza San Matteo, Historic pedestrian square in the old quarter, Genoa, Italy.

This small medieval square features black and white marble-striped buildings surrounding the ancient Church of San Matteo, creating a harmonious architectural ensemble in Genoa's historic center.

The square was established around 1278 and served as the private domain of the powerful Doria family, who built their aristocratic residences and private chapel here during the height of Genoa's maritime republic.

The name comes from Saint Matthew, patron of the Doria because tax collectors like Martino Doria, who founded the first church around 1125, shared the apostle's former profession. The church, rebuilt in 1278, remains the family's property: the abbot who officiates is still appointed by the Doria heirs.

The square is reached from Piazza De Ferrari by the short, sloping salita San Matteo, in the Molo quarter near the cathedral of San Lorenzo. The church facade stands raised above the level of the square because of the slope of the ground, and the square itself is laid out as a raised terrace above the alleys running downhill from it.

The Doria family still owns the church and maintains the right to appoint its abbot, making this one of the few remaining privately-owned religious sites in Italy's historic centers.