PALAZZO SAN GIORGIO OR THE Palace of Saint George, may not be among Genoa’s top tourist attractions, but its historic significance is more than worth noting. Not only is it the site where Marco Polo’s famous memoirs were written, but it also once housed one of the oldest banks in history.

Originally constructed in 1260 by Guglielmo Boccanegra, uncle of the first Doge of Genoa, the Palazzo San Giorgio was intended to create a center of civil power in contrast to the religious power held by the Cathedral of San Lorenzo. Its role as the municipal seat did not last long however, as Boccanegra was forced into exile in France in 1262.