The building we know today as Palazzo Reale is a large aristocratic residence which has been splendidly decorated and added to over the years, not only by the Savoy dynasty in the 19th Century but also by two great Genoese dynasties: the Balbis (who built it between 1643 and 1650) and the Durazzos (who enlarged it between the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th Century). The palace is probably the largest 17th/18th-century architectural complex in Genoa to have retained its original interiors, both in terms of fixed (frescoes and stuccoes) and movable (paintings, sculptures, furnishings and fittings) decoration. The vaults of the sitting rooms and galleries are decorated with frescoes by some of the most important Baroque and Rococo artists. There are over a hundred paintings displayed in the various rooms, among them works by the finest Genoese artists of the 17th Century, along with masterpieces by Bassano, Tintoretto, Luca Giordano, Antoon Van Dyck, Ferdinand Voet and Guercino. The visit includes the magnificent atrium with its 18th-century stuccoes, the court of honour, the hanging garden, and the state apartment on the second floor with lavishly decorated ceremonial rooms such as the Throne Room, The Ballroom and the Hall of Mirrors.
On Saturday mornings (09.00 - 13.30) or during temporary periods, it is also possible to visit the apartment of the Crown Princes, also known as the apartment of the Duca degli Abruzzi, set up by the Savoy on the first Noble Floor of the building: this marvelous example of a royal apartment it still preserves 19th century furnishings, fabrics and decorations.
The house is part of the system of the "Palazzi dei Rolli" and therefore since 2006 it has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.