27. Palace of Gio. Francesco Balbi

This ancestral home of the Balbi family was enlarged by Gio.Francesco, the Governor of the Republic (1588/3 rolls), who altered the original nucleus by incorporating some adjacent building.

It stands in a good corner position to the south of the road and was further enlarged in the early 17th century. The modificaions were carried out by Francesco’son Stefano (1614 rolls) and modified the front overlooking the street, opening an imposing, arcaded front with an “acrobatic” re-incorporation (on the present perimeter). In the rolls of 1664 it was still given as the property of Balby family but it was later inherited by Cattaneo family, which commissioned the architect Gregorio Pettondi during the 18th century to add stuccoed decorations to the façade and interior.

During the Second World War the roof collapsed. Rebuild was carried out by Luigi Carlo Daneri, who kept closely to the original design, also restoring structural and decorative features.