The Negrone family is one of Genoa most venerable. According to historians and to Genoa’s archival records, its origins date back to roughly 950 AD. Four members of the family were elected to serve as Doge, the Republic of Genoa’s highest office, while eighteen served as Senators of the Republic and several others became Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church.

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The family first settled in Genoa around 1030. Feudal lords in the province of Liguria, they traced their descent to the Margrave of Genoa, who had become the local potentate after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. They were active in the maritime shipping and naval sector as well as in political and administrative life, serving the Republic of Genoa as Consuls, Councilors and Elders. 

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In 1373, they contributed numerous galleys to the Genoese fleet that conquered the island of Cyprus.  In 1571, they took part in the great sea battle of Lepanto with five galleys of their own. In the centuries that followed, they devoted themselves increasingly to pursuits of a mercantile and financial nature.

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