Sandwiched between the sea and the mountains, Genoa was once a powerful maritime republic. Its great expansion began after the year 1000, extending its trading and military power over much of the Mediterranean. In 1528, with Doge Andrea Doria, who belonged to a family of rich merchants and extraordinary seafarers, the Republic of Genoa reached the tip of its power.

Between the 16th and 17th centuries, a public residential project was launched in Genoa for the construction of a system of new streets and representative buildings, where the authorities and noblest families of the city would reside.