Who we are

The Galata Sea Museum of Genoa promotes the knowledge and the valorization of the marine culture, the genoese historical identity and the relationships with other cultures. Through finds, faithful reconstructions and a photographic archive covering almost the entire twentieth century, the Museum takes on the role of cultural pole in the city panorama, offering residents and tourists the opportunity to get in touch with the most fascinating aspects of the maritime environment.

The Mu.MA, strategic structure of the Municipality of Genoa, brings together 4 museums:
the Galata Sea Museum, the Monumental Complex of the Lantern, the National Museum of Italian Emigration, housed at the Commenda di Pré and Villa Centurione Doria home to the historic Naval Museum of Pegli – thus constituting a cultural hub linked to the themes of the sea and migration, travel, dialogue between peoples and cultures.
Founded in 2005, the Mu.MA is now the cultural soul of a “sea system” to be enhanced through collaboration with similar institutional, economic, tourist and cultural national and international.

Director

eputti@muma.genova.it

Elena Putti has been Director of the Mu.MA Department - Istituzione Musei del Mare e delle Migrazioni e Monumenti Cittadini of the Municipality of Genoa since June 2026. Her professional career combines managerial skills, academic research and the enhancement of cultural heritage, with a particular focus on innovation, public outreach and the use of digital technologies applied to cultural heritage.

She graduated with honours in Economics and Management of Cultural Heritage and Performing Arts from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, and went on to earn a PhD in Digital Humanities from the University of Genoa, developing an interdisciplinary specialisation in museology, art history and technologies for the enhancement of cultural heritage.

Before taking up her current post, she served as Chief Curator of the GAM Galleria d'Arte Moderna in Genoa and of the Museo del Risorgimento - Istituto Mazziniano, coordinating research, cultural planning, collections management, exhibition organisation and public engagement programmes.

Alongside her museum work, she has for many years held teaching and research positions at Italian universities, including the University of Genoa and the Politecnico di Milano, and is the author of scholarly publications on art history, philosophy, digital humanities and cultural communication. She has also curated exhibitions and taken part in national and international research projects, contributing to the development of innovative models for the management and enhancement of cultural heritage.

muma@muma.genova.it - Tel. 010 5576745

The Association aims to preserve, enhance and promote the heritage preserved in the museums of Mu.MA.
The associationist model is inspired by the non-profit Cultural Foundations of Anglo-Saxon tradition, a private structure that supports public heritage.