In the heart of Genoa’s historic center, the historic maison Romanengo 1780 inaugurates La Corte, a new café and tea room that expands and enriches the experience of the iconic shop on Via Soziglia. More than a simple functional extension, the project takes shape as an intervention aimed at enhancing Genoa’s architectural heritage, translating the brand’s historical identity into a contemporary space dedicated to conviviality and sensory experience.
La Corte stems from the desire to place Romanengo’s authentic style in dialogue with a contemporary language, while preserving the refined elegance that characterizes the brand’s historic shops between Via Roma and Via Soziglia. The architectural project, designed by the Genoa-based studio Go-Up architects in collaboration with Hurlé & Martín Studio for the design, was developed in constant dialogue with the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape, the Municipality, and the Genoa Chamber of Commerce, with particular attention to the historical context in which it is set.
The intervention sensitively reinterprets the typical elements of Genoese historic shops, creating an environment that conveys a sense of material and spatial continuity. The choice of materials plays a central role: Moorish marble, solid walnut wood, and beveled mirrors recall the original finishes, helping to define a warm and sophisticated atmosphere balanced between memory and contemporaneity.
At the heart of the project is the double counter, a curvilinear structure in wood and marble accessible from both sides, designed to optimize service flows and connect the new café area with the historic internal tea room, recently reopened and linked to the new spaces. This element becomes not only a functional core, but also an architectural device capable of organizing the space and guiding the visitor’s experience.
For more information, visit www.go-up.it
CREDITS
Project: La Corte
Studio: Go-Up architects
Year: 2025
Location: Genoa, Italy
