The ancient palace stands on a building area purchased at the auction of 1551 and was the last to be built on the first stretch of Strada Nuova (today’s Via Garibaldi): Lazzaro and Giacomo Spinola had the palace built between 1583 and 1588, based on the design of an architect belonging to the local or Lombard masters who were still working in the city in the 16th century.
The characteristic of this building is that of being made up of two twin dwellings, distinct and symmetrical, united under a single roof, but denoted on the outside by the presence of two twin portals. The two distinct properties, then passed to the Cattaneo and Adorno families, determine the different decorative events in the interiors.
Inside the palace the fresco decorations of Lazzaro Tavarone are preserved: the fresco on the vault of the atrium, dated 1624, celebrates a war exploit of Antoniotto Adorno, Doge of Genoa, ancestor of the owners; the fresco in the hall of the piano nobile depicts the Meeting of Urban VI in Genoa with the Doge Antoniotto Adorno. In the other living rooms, under the vaults frescoed with mythological subjects, are preserved precious furniture, knick-knacks and part of the rich and famous picture gallery, which includes remarkable paintings of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
The palace, used partly as a residence and partly as offices, boasts one of the largest private collections of ancient art in the world.
