A Place to see in Genoa, “Via Garibaldi 12” Design Store

Via Garibaldi, also known as Strada Nuova (The New Street) is a very special place in Genoa.

It is located in the historical heart of the city and the township together with many other important buildings are located here. 

This is a monumental street closed to traffic, with wonderful palaces which testify the rich, glorious history of the city throughout the Renaissance and the later centuries.

Via Garibaldi is known worldwide for its architecture and is home to many of the Rolli Renaissance Palaces with the related museums called Musei di Strada Nuova (meaning Museums of the New Street).

Let us introduce you to this off the beaten path place, to discover one of Genoa’s outstanding palaces not just as a museum or an exhibit, but to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the ‘palazzo’ life.  

This unique and evocative frame was chosen by the Bagnara Family – a Genoese family of leading merchants – to open their “Garibaldi 12” interior design store, which is also referred to as a “lifestyle store”, back in 2001.

Garibaldi 12 is located in Palazzo Baldassarre Lomellini – one of the many beautiful palaces of Via Garibaldi – which became part of the UNESCO World Heritage in 2006, five years after the birth of this store.

The building has been owned by 5 different families throughout the centuries, and was used as an office for 100 years before the Bagnara Family took over, starting a renovation process that lasted 1 year and gave its splendour back to this palace.

Let’s take a look around: every room and space has a different style, representing the historical epochs of each owner that lived in the palace in the past: the white room that used to be a bedroom is decorated with rich, romantic stuccoes. 

The golden room has precious frescoes on the ceiling and large mirrors on the walls. The main hall used to be a courtyard and now has high ceilings, white columns and large windows on Via Garibaldi.

Here, you can feel the heartbeat of Genoa and its many surprising faces and facets. What a perfect location to observe the life of the city from above!

We won’t take you to Garibaldi 12 for a shopping experience, but for a lifestyle one. We, as local insiders, believe that this is one of the city’s hidden gems that deserve to be discovered during your visit of Genoa, and we are sure it won’t leave you indifferent.

You will walk out of this place with a deeper knowledge of the city, understanding its history a bit more, hopefully loving it as much as we do.

Visiting the store is like walking into a museum where there is no distance between you and the works of art. Of course though, make sure to “only touch with your eyes”, as the owners like to remind their customers.

Each item on display has been handpicked by the Bagnara Family, always available in the store, who will gladly explain the history behind its design and why they picked that specific object over others.

As Lorenzo Bagnara told us, they love to think that once they expertly tell the story to the customer, this one will in turn tell it to his friends and siblings, and so on.

Every room has a different feeling and showcases different items according to the mood of the room itself: for instance, a room that used to be a kitchen is where you will find all kitchenware.

Then, there is a colourful area with all things for kids, and so on. The common denominators are good taste, design, evocative power.

This welcoming and warm environment will be the perfect setting for your discovery of the best Italian design and lifestyle, from traditional objects – such as Richard Ginori’s pottery –  to modern ones – like Sonos speakers – wisely combined in a perfect mix.

Quite a few Genoese tour guides have already added Garibaldi 12 to their itineraries, to allow visitors to have a true niche experience in a place where commerce and culture go hand in hand.

Make sure you don’t miss this opportunity!

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