Palazzo Pallavicino Opens as New Museum in Genoa with Vittorio Sgarbi as Artistic Director

Genoa has inaugurated Palazzo Pallavicino, a new museum of ancient art housed in one of the 42 Rolli palaces designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, opening to the public for the first time. Vittorio Sgarbi has been appointed artistic director of the Fondazione Pallavicino Onlus, created to manage the institution, which is presided over by Prince Domenico Pallavicino. The foundation aims to conserve, enhance, and make public the Pallavicino family's memory, including around 300 artworks by masters such as Luca Giordano, Guercino, Rubens, Giulio Romano, and Van Dyck. Starting in autumn, the 16th-century palace will be open for limited-number visits, with plans for exhibitions of ancient art, publications, and scholarships for young scholars. The collection may also be expanded through targeted acquisitions on the Italian and international markets. Sgarbi described the opening as "the first sign of life after the collapse of the Morandi Bridge." Prince Domenico Pallavicino, also Consul General of the Principality of Monaco and Monte Carlo, stated, "I have decided to make my family's memory public." Barbara Grosso, Genoa's councillor for cultural policies and a foundation member representing the municipality, emphasized the synergy between public and private sectors to enhance the city's cultural offerings for residents and tourists, with two or three annual exhibitions of ancient art planned.