At the time we are referring to, the city did not have a prestigious representative residence available to satisfy these needs, having been established as an aristocratic Republic thanks to the political transformation supported by Andrea Doria starting from 1528. The rich aristocracy had instead provided to large urban investments, capable of transfiguring the face of the city and providing it with a formidable complex of "new" buildings with sensational characteristics that are not only architectural but also decorative. It was therefore the aristocracy who took charge of the infamous "hospitaggio": the welcoming of state visits. This system of hospitality widespread in aristocratic homes was codified in actual decrees of the Senate of the Republic which drew up lists - or "roles" - of the palaces deemed suitable for this practice. Today we call this practice the System of the Palazzi dei Rolli, of which we have the first documentation starting from 1576.

The accommodation of illustrious people and their entourage in private palaces was regulated by a precise ceremonial, which however continued to change and evolve over the years.

The palaces were divided into "compasses", levels that indicated the status of the host family and were based on three main factors: the size and sumptuousness of the building, the prestige of the host and the social and economic importance of the owner of the palace .

When delegations were expected to arrive in Genoa, the Doge in office drew lots for the palace that would welcome the guest, granting the host family a reimbursement from the Republic.

The treatment reserved was different for the people who stayed inside the Rolli palaces:

1) The guest was accommodated and paid for entirely by the State for the entire duration of the stay: these were the visits of the Pope and the rulers, including their legitimate first-born children;

2) The guest was accommodated in an "equipped" house, i.e. equipped with everything necessary, but no funds were allocated for public entertainment for this stay: this was the treatment essentially reserved for ambassadors and papal nuncios;

3) Only the house was made available to the guest, unfurnished: these were the visits of the "other characters".

Among the illustrious guests who have been documented we can find in 1656 Don Giovanni of Austria son of the Catholic King Philip IV of Spain, in 1663 the Cardinal d'Este and the Duke of Crequi and in 1739 Grand Duke of Tuscany, Francesco III of Lorraine , future Emperor Francis I, who stayed at the house of the Magnificent Cesare Gentile.

[https://www.rolliestradenuove.it/ospitalita/]