The construction of the Doge's Palace began at the end of the 13th century, when Genoa was gradually consolidating its military and economic power in the Mediterranean.

[1] Until 1291, however, the highest officials and other representatives of the Municipality did not have their own headquarters but were housed in the Archbishop's Palace, or in nearby private homes belonging to the Doria and Fieschi families.

The desire to have a seat that reflected the prestige and hierarchical organization of the Dogate, together with the need for a fortress that would keep the government safe from intrigues and coups d'état, led the senate to entrust in 1591 the architect Andrea Ceresola, known as "il Vannone", the task of completely renovating the building.

[3] New important transformation works took place in 1778, after a violent fire destroyed a large part of the central body of the building on 3 November 1777, of which only the atrium on the ground floor and the staircase leading to it were saved.

A competition was quickly launched for the reconstruction, in which Giacomo Maria Gaggini, Gregorio Petondi and Emanuele Andrea Tagliafichi, among the most famous architects active in Genoa in those years, were invited to participate.

[2] In 1942 the building was partially damaged, in particular between the central body and the west wing, during one of the bombings of the city carried out by the Allies during World War II.