Nuova Borsa

The Palazzo della Nuova Borsa Valori, often simply called the Palazzo della Borsa, is a historic building on Piazza De Ferrari in Genoa. It was designed by the engineers Dario Carbone and Amedeo Pieragostini and officially opened on July 20, 1912. The architecture of the facade recalls the style of the 1960s, with a monumental structure marked by rusticated columns and a round, rose-colored form. The building is clad in red Verona marble and reddish Filettole stone, while a huge pediment bearing the gold inscription "Borsa" and the golden domes draw the eye toward Piazza De Ferrari. This grandiose design was meant to reflect the financial power of the Genoese market, which at the beginning of the 20th century was regarded as Italy's leading stock exchange.

Inside, Adolfo Coppedè took charge of the design, drawing on the Liberty style. The centerpiece is the Sala delle Grida, which at 960 square meters was then the largest of its kind in Italy. It was surrounded by 39 trading corners for stockbrokers and bankers as well as 18 huge bronze lamps, each 3.5 meters tall, 16 of which survive today. Coppedè designed the room as an ellipse with marble columns supporting a dome with a light well. The motif of Saint George and the dragon, a recurring element in Coppedè's work, can be seen on this light well as well as on the huge wrought-iron gates. The typical round Art Nouveau windows were painted by the Florentine artist Salvino Tafanari.

After the switch to electronic trading systems, the last floor trading took place on February 28, 1994, and the Sala delle Grida closed its doors as an active trading floor on September 5, 1998. Extensive restoration work was carried out in the 1990s, involving the Genoa Chamber of Commerce and the CARIGE Foundation. Today the building is no longer used for stock trading but is a cultural venue. The former trading hall and the trading corners are used as exhibition and conference spaces, while the telegraph hall, which once housed international telephone and telegraph services, serves as a catering area. Visitors can experience the historic splendor of the place and trace the link between Genoa's economic history and its modern cultural use.