Genoa Courthouse

The Genoa Courthouse (Italian: Palazzo di Giustizia di Genova, lit. 'Palace of Justice of Genoa', also known as Palazzo degli Uffici Giudiziari) is a judicial complex located in the Portoria district of Genoa, Italy.

Genoa Courthouse
General information
Location	Genoa, Liguria, Italy
Coordinates	44°24′27.81″N 8°56′16.37″E
Construction started	1966
Completed	1974
Design and construction
Architects	Giovanni Romano, Giorgio Olcese, Giulio Zappa, Luciano Mascia

History

On the site of the courthouse, there previously stood the building of the ancient Pammatone hospital from the 15th century, which was renovated by Andrea Orsolino in the second half of the 18th century. In 1928, after the closure of the hospital, the building housed the municipal demographic offices.^[1] During World War II, the structure suffered severe damage due to bombings in 1943, leaving only the courtyard portico and part of the foundation intact. At the end of the war, it was decided to build the new courthouse on this site, with the project entrusted to architect Giovanni Romano, with the collaboration of Giorgio Olcese, Giulio Zappa, and Luciano Mascia, who worked on it starting from 1950.^[2][3][4] However, construction work only began in 1966, and the building was completed in 1974.^[1][5]

Description

The project for the building included restoring the portico, with a faithful reconstruction of the internal courtyard, still accessible via the old original staircase.^[1][6][7] The architects aimed to integrate the surviving parts of the hospital with a modern steel, glass and concrete structure, also recovering the mezzanine and the large clock in the center, in order to recreate, as far as possible, the original setting of the 18th-century courtyard.^[5]

The entrance to the building is in Piazza Portoria, where the Balilla monument by sculptor Vincenzo Giani is located.^[5]