Window tax

The Ligurian region of Italy is famous for the paintings on its villas, and it all began in the 15th century in Genoa.

The new Renaissance fashion resulted in the construction of many palaces and townhouses, which were extremely rich decorated with sculptures, stucco and many windows with decorative shutters. Not everyone could afford to live in such beautiful houses, so less wealthy property owners, who wanted to be in fashion, had to think of something different. This is how the new and lucrative profession of the house facade painter was born. These painters sometimes reached artistic heights by painting decorations, cornices and sculptures on bare walls. The decorations were almost three-dimensional and gave the impression of real ornamentation. To save even more money, the owners of the townhouses did not have many windows in the front. They placed most of them in the courtyard. The reason for this was that the former were heavily taxed. And this is where the painters came to the rescue. They just painted... windows - closed, ajar, sometimes with a figure "looking out" onto the street.

Genoa is still extremely, nomen est omen, picturesque and has been included (along with many other colourful Italian towns) on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.