The most famous of the villas in Albaro district was built at the initiative of Luca Giustiniani († 1583). Albaro was once completely outside the city wall and, even after the incorporation, has partially preserved the green areas. It is significant to note that his townhouse overlooked the narrow axis of via San Bernardo: a context full of houses, in stark contrast to the isolated and dominant position of the Albaro's villa.
A 1548 contract for marble supply informs that Giustiniani had turned to Galeazzo Alessi for the villa design. The architect trained on Bramante and Sangallo and on this occasion designed the most classic of his creations: the villa is divided into three parts, with a central loggia with half-columns that mark the axes of the first order and the half pilasters of the second one and highlight the subtle movement of the surfaces. In addition to the quality of the architectural detail, the stuccoes also stands out. They were made, at least in part, by Bernardino Solari da Crema - and they frame the panels with Apollo and Diana, respectively frescoed by G.B. Castello il Bergamasco and by Luca Cambiaso in the loggia at the upper floor.
In 1787, after a marriage, the villa passed to the Cambiaso's family until 1921 when it was sold to the Municipality of Genoa. Allocated for the Naval High School, which later became part of University, the villa became the Engineering Faculty location. After the restoration due to war damages, other renovations were recently promoted by the faculty hosted in the building.