Mackenzie Castle, Genoa, Italy - SpottingHistory.com

The Mackenzie Castle is a historical manor in the Castelletto quarter of Genoa. It is an example of Gothic Revival architecture. The castle was built on a pre-existing country villa, in turn located on the site of the 16th century Genoese walls.

Built in 1893-1905, it was designed in Gothic revival style by Art Nouveau architect Gino Coppedè under commission by Evan Mackenzie, an insurance broker, whose family lived here for 26 years.

In 1956 it was declared a national monument. Thirty years later it was acquired by American collector Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. The restoration works he commissioned remained unfinished, and in 2002 the castle was sold to the Cambi auction house which commissioned the restoration to architect Gianfranco Franchini. The manor was opened to the public in 2004 and is now used as a public space for scientific or cultural exhibitions.

References:

Wikipedia

Palaces, manors and town halls in Italy

User Reviews

Ursus Ursa (11 months ago)
Cambi art auctions

Cilia Zuiderwijk (17 months ago)
We went to Mackenzie Castle thinking it was a museum and open to the public, but when we arrived the staff told us it's a private castle. A bit disappointed, we wanted to go back but one of the men behind the counter told us he might be able to give us a tour either way. Totally unexpected! We were given a small tour of the interior and exterior of the castle which was really beautiful. Many thanks to the lovely staff of Mackenzie Castle!!

NM K (17 months ago)
Hidden treasure! We wanted to visit a castle near by a bus stop and stumbled upon the Mackenzie Castle. It's a private castle which is used as an auction house, but the people here were very kind to show us around! Absolutely stunning interior and exterior and well worth to take a look here.

Anna R (21 months ago)
Beautiful place to see while in Genova!

David Crow (7 years ago)
Not what we expected. It's an auction house which offers tours by appointment, though the gentleman who gives the tours was nice enough to show us around despite our unannounced arrival. They are setting up or tearing down auctions 80 percent of the time, but if you hit it right you may get an impressive art exhibition. The "castle" is an 1898 Florentine mansion with heavy influence from Tuscany. It's quite worth the visit, and will continue to improve as restoration moves forward.

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Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

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