Gilded, frescoed dome of the Basilica dell'Annunziata in Genoa

Annunziata Church

Genoa's richest Baroque church, near via Balbi: frescoes, gilding and Procaccini's Last Supper.

Gilded, frescoed dome of the Basilica dell'Annunziata in Genoa

Where: piazza della NunziataGenoa, a few steps from via Balbi
Entry: free
Hours: there are no official hoursan unofficial listing gives opening every day from 8 am to 7 pm. Best to visit outside services
Time needed: 20–30 minutes
Don't miss: the domethe Carlone frescoes and Procaccini's Last Supper

The Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata del Vastato is one of Genoa’s richest churches: a Baroque interior covered in frescoes and gilding that even Montesquieu praised. It stands in piazza della Nunziata, near via Balbi and Principe station. Entry is free. No official opening hours are published for the inside.

By Italian Riviera editorial team·Updated on 16 October 2026·2 min read

History of the basilica

In 1228 there was a small church of the Humiliati here. In 1508 it passed to the Franciscans, and in 1520 construction of the late Gothic church began. In 1537 it passed to the Observant Franciscans. In 1591 the Lomellini family bought the patronage of the main chapel. The presbytery and the dome are by Taddeo Carlone; from 1615 Giacomo della Porta also helped to lengthen the nave.

The neoclassical façade, with its six-column Ionic portico and two bell towers, was completed in 1867 to a design by Barabino revised by Resasco. A bombing raid on 29 October 1943 destroyed some frescoes, which were later restored.

What to see inside

The interior is decorated with frescoes by Giovanni and Giovanni Battista Carlone and by Assereto, with a dome by Andrea Ansaldo, and is covered in stucco and gilding. A major restoration has brought back Procaccini’s Last Supper, about 40 square metres in size.

Today the basilica is looked after by the Community of Sant’Egidio, and in 2023 the statue “Whatsoever you do” by the Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz was placed here.

Where it is and what to see nearby

The basilica is on the road from Principe to via Balbi, near the Royal Palace and several Rolli Palaces. From Principe station it is a few minutes’ walk. For the rest of your day, read the guide to Genoa.