The video is authentic and shows an entrance to the Palazzo Angelo Giovanni Spinola, located in Genoa, Italy. Although there is an Airbnb apartment available at this location, it is situated on the second floor of the palace. Therefore, the video does not actually show what the apartment itself looks like.
In October 2023, a video went viral on X (formerly Twitter), with a caption reading, "Reminder that this is what Airbnbs look like in Italy." The clip showed the lavish, awe-inspiring interior of a building adorned with frescoes and sculptures. “If this is an actual AirBnB, it's only available to family members,” one X user commented.
Reminder that this is what Airbnbs look like in Italy. pic.twitter.com/kK9og4ZJ3B
— Culture Critic (@Culture_Crit) October 9, 2023
Google reverse-image search results showed that the video was also shared on other platforms. For instance, the same clip was shared on Instagram with a caption “Would you stay here? $138 a night Airbnb in Genoa, Italy ??.” Another viral post on Instagram reached over 13,4 million views and 900 thousand likes, and one of the comments read “I’m Italian and I’ll never leave my country, here it’s not that strange to have an entry like this. We breath art everywhere, I’m so blessed ??.”
The in-question video was online at least since April 2023, when it was shared by @thesavagearmy account on TikTok.
Another TikTok user reacted to that video claiming to have "good news and bad news," saying that the building was not an Airbnb, but just "a castle that you can take a tour of in Italy."
As some social media users suggested, the in-question apartment was available on the Airbnb website under the name "UNESCO APARTMENT: Via Garibaldi - Genova Center." In the “About this space” section we read that the apartment was “located on the second floor of Palazzo Giovanni Spinola (16th century), a UNESCO heritage site.” The remainder of the apartment's description repeated the same information “The apartment (equipped with elevator) located on the second floor is spacious, bright and quiet.”
(Airbnb.com Screenshot)
As one can see, the actual apartment resembles a standard one rather than a luxurious palace.
(Airbnb.com Screenshot)
Moreover, we confirmed that the in-question video authentically showed the entrance to the Palazzo Angelo Giovanni Spinola, by comparing pictures and videos of that place (on the right) to screenshots from the clip (on the left):
All in all, the video is authentic, but the Airbnb apartment is located on the second floor of the palace. Therefore, the video does not show what the Airbnb apartment itself looks like. Because of that, we rated this claim as a Mixture.
Palazzo Angelo Giovanni Spinola ce can be found on the Unesco World Heritage List, as part of the Palazzi dei Rolli residences in Genoa’s historic centre:
The Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli in Genoa’s historic centre date from the late 16th and early 17th centuries when the Republic of Genoa was at the height of its financial and seafaring power. The site represents the first example in Europe of an urban development project parcelled out by a public authority within a unitary framework and associated to a particular system of ‘public lodging’ in private residences, as decreed by the Senate in 1576. The site includes an ensemble of Renaissance and Baroque palaces along the so-called ‘new streets’ (Strade Nuove). The Palazzi dei Rolli offer an extraordinary variety of different solutions, achieving universal value in adapting to the particular characteristics of the site and to the requirements of a specific social and economic organization. They also offer an original example of a public network of private residences designated to host state visits.
If you want to take a closer look at the palace and get to know its history, we recommend watching this video: