Our Blog - Arenzano, Italy

According to historical sources, the first settlement was linked to a primitive settlement of the Roman Empire in the first centuries after Christ. In the medieval age it underwent barbarian invasions and in the 10th century it was occupied by Saracen pirates who made it a fortified garrison. The town was revived with the expulsion of the Saracens. Documents and references of the 12th century attest to the main activities of the village: shipbuilding and marine activities that brought the inhabitants to the Genoese colonies of Corsica, the Black Sea, and the East.

This villa is in the Park Figoli. It is built in the style of a typical Genoese mansion and was owned by the Grimaldi family until 1749. After several other owners, it was purchased by a rich family named Figoli (hence the park name). In 1872, it was reworked according to the taste at that time, which included medieval styles with towers, arches, battlements, and geometric motifs.

There is a huge public park in the middle of the town, and in the middle of this park is the Villa Negrotto Cambiaso. The building was an ancient Genoese noble residence, erected during the 16th century by the Marquis Tobia Pallavicino in the center of the city. It was renovated in 1880, adding the English park that was then opened to the public. At that time, the villa was chosen as the town hall. The renovation came about the same time as the Villa Figoli (above) and so it also looks like a medieval castle.

More examples of trompe-l'œils (optical illusions) on the façades of houses. What we saw in and around Genoa were trompe-l'œils that were done on exterior walls of the building to make it look like the building was much more highly decorated than they actually were. Here, all of the yellow moulding around the windows and the vertical moulding are paintings ... the walls are perfectly flat.