The column is well-hidden, so you will have to look for it a bit. However, it is an example of the end that awaited all those who tried to betray the Republic of Genoa.
Walking through the historical centre of Genoa via del Campo, you will see a fountain at some point. If you walk between the fountain and the palace next to it, you arrive in a small square called Piazza Vacchero. In this square, you will see a column with a marble plaque. In the past, in its place stood the palace of the Genoese patrician Giulio Cesare Vacchero. The palace was demolished on the order of the Doge of the Republic of Genoa after a conspiracy was revealed that Giulio was plotting together with the Duke of Savoy.
In 1628, the Savoys tried to carry out a coup d’etat and take control of the Republic of Genoa. Giulio Cesare Vacchero, in his palace on the via del Campo, began to organise this assassination attempt, which aimed to assassinate the Doge of Genoa and the most important members of the government of the Republic. However, the plot was discovered. Giulio was betrayed and then sentenced to the guillotine. All his property was confiscated, and his palace on the via del Campo was razed to the ground. In its place, a column of shame was erected, on which a plaque reads:
“In memory of the vile man
Giulio Cesare Vacchero, who conspired against the Republic,
after beheading him, after confiscating his property,
after exiling his children and destroying his house,
paid for his deeds.
Annual of Our Lord 1628″
In 1644, the descendants of Giulio Cesare Vacchero built a fountain to hide their ancestor’s column of shame behind it. To this day, it is said that the ghost of Giulio can be found in these areas, often walking here.
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