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The Hotel Acquaverde in Via Balbi occupies the last three storeys
of a late-seventeenth-century aristocratic building, later inhabited
by families belonging to the rich merchant class of Genoa.
Currently the building accommodates several offices as well as the
hotel. There are still signs of its past splendour: some interesting
Baroque frescoes can still be seen on the ceiling of some of the rooms.
Because of its central position, the hotel welcomes guests from all
backgrounds: university students and business people, travelling employees
as well as Italian and foreign tourists have a relaxing time in our
hotel, while our kind staff help them to know and enjoy Genoa, its
history and sights.
The young enterprising proprietors have been managing the premises
for 10 years, always trying to improve and consolidate the business,
thanks to their commitment to upgrade and develop the interesting
features of the structure, in order to guarantee a pleasant stay to
any type of Customer.
Via Balbi, originally "The Great Guastato Street", was built
from 1606 and 1620 with public money, and follows the model of aristocratic
street represented by the New Street, later Via Garibaldi: the street
links Nunziata Square with Acquaverde Square, whose name derives from
the St. Ugo torrent , which formed a small green pond right where
the hotel now stands.
The square has changed its face several times until the present time:
the statue of Christopher Columbus was strongly desired by the king
Carl Albert: it was first commissioned to a sculptor called Bartolini,
but it was completed by two artists from Carrara, called Franzone
e Svanascini. The bas-reliefs on the basement of the statue are the
work of Gaggini, A.Costoli, GB Cevasco and S. Revelli. The monument
was inaugurated in 1862.
At present several important buildings are located in Via Balbi: the
Faculty of Humanities of Genoa University, the Museum of the Royal
Palace with the Office of the Monuments and Fine Arts Service, the
churches of St. Victor and St. Charles, several splendid palaces of
the "Rolli" system, among which the Durazzo Pallavicini
palace and, in Nunziata Square, the Belimbau Palace. |
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