Palazzo già Grimaldi (Palazzo della Meridiana)
Piazza della Meridiana
About
This palazzo was built in the first half of the sixteenth century on the edge of the official 'historic centre', in an area which, after the advent of the nearby Strada Nuova, today the Via Garibaldi, would become extrememly prestigious. The choice of location and the magnificence of the building testify to the extraordinary wealth and foresight of the owner, G.B. Grimaldi, who like his contemporary Andrea Doria, adhered to the architectural models of Rome. Visitors once described it as "fit for a prince". However, the modifications carried out in the eighteenth century changed and deadened the entire building, through both superficial alterations, such as opening of the lower gardens onto the Via Nuovissima (now Via Cairoli), and more structural changes, in particular the addition of a covered terrace, designed by G. Brusco. At the beginning of the twentieth century Coppedé radically transformed the interior, covering the courtyard with a liberty skylight and altering the decoration in several rooms. After having been employed to several different ends (military hospital, Lloyd Sabaudo, College of music and various educational functions) it currently houses several council offices. The intruiging name given to both the palazzo and the piazza comes from the large sundial painted on the façade in the eighteenth century.
