Palazzo Paolo De Benedetti

The Palazzo Paolo De Benedetti stands in Genoa’s historic centre, on Piazza San Donato. Built at the end of the 15th century, it was first recorded in the Rolli lists of 1588 and 1599 under the name of Paolo de Benedetti. The building later became part of a monastery for San Bernardo when Genoa’s nobility began to lose influence in the 17th century. Its protected black-stone doorway has been under official safeguarding since 1946. The complex now joins three separate sections added over time, though only one still shows late-15th-century features. The palace’s chief interest lies in its surviving Renaissance details. The first flight of stairs, a vaulted landing with carved stone corbels, and the main entrance portal all date from the late 1400s. A recent restoration cleaned the shared areas of the San Donato wing while keeping these original elements intact. The building also houses the Società Promotrice di Belle Arti in the adjacent building at number 53r. Visitors step into a quiet square overlooked by the austere façade. Inside, the preserved staircase and vaulted landing reveal the refined craftsmanship of the late 15th century. The black-stone doorway, framed by simple classical lines, marks the transition from street to interior. The surrounding historic quarter offers narrow lanes and tall palaces that recall Genoa’s mercantile past.