Galata Maritime Museum
Galata Maritime Museum, inaugurated in 2004, was designed by the Catalan architect Guillermo Vasques Consuegra: the internal redevelopment of the historic building – legacy of the ancient arsenal of the Republic
– it is completed on the outside by an enveloping steel and glass structure. The visit inside winds through 31 halls on 5 floors and ends outdoors on the Belvedere, with a breathtaking view of the port and the old town.
The visitor is accompanied along a lively chronological and thematic path at the same time, which has man and the sea as unifying elements. Finds of maritime culture, works of art and immersive environments alternate, starting from the story of Christopher Columbus to contemporary migrations, passing through the ages of rowing and galleys, sailing ships and steamships.
The Collection
The building that houses the Galata Museo del Mare is civic property, as well as its collection, which is part of the rich artistic, historical and cultural heritage of the Genoese museums.
Of each you can consult the online catalog, to know the characteristics and anecdotes of each object preserved, both those exposed but also those in storage: it is a virtual visit that you can do safely from home and … for free!
The Galata online catalogue is continuously updated by our curators.
Ground floor
8 rooms
0
Our journey starts with the roots of Genoese seafaring with the “View of Genoa in 1481” by Cristoforo Grassi, and then passes to the figure of the great explorer Christopher Columbus, with a portrait by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio from the mid-16th century. We then move through the age in which Columbus lived, depicted through armor, artillery and historical reconstructions.
First floor
5 rooms
1
Let your eyes run on the deck of the galley and on its carriage, the stern area that housed the passengers. Watch the arrival of silver chests from the New World, admire precious globes and ancient atlases thanks to technological supports that will make you browse the maps of the most famous cartographers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
Second floor
6 sale
2
From the ‘600 to the Unification of Italy, more than two centuries marked by lights and shadows. For Genoa ends an era: the age-old independent city-state, to become part of the young kingdom of Italy, subjected to the Savoy dynasty. Genoa is still a great port, the Ligurian beaches are a “widespread shipyard”, the most important of the peninsula. The maritime culture here finds momentum, between innovation and tradition: on the one hand the scientific instruments of the Hydrographic Institute of the Marina are testimonies respectively; on the other the brig “Anna” and the construction of the leudo.
In the ‘800 the sea from work environment also becomes a sport: yachting is a fashion that was born in England and will take long to take root in Italy. A Genoese like Beppe Croce will be a forerunner.
Third floor
11 rooms
3
Put yourself in the shoes of an emigrant to know the history of Italian emigration of yesterday and today. With your passport, you will retrace your journey through environmental reconstructions, testimonials and interactive stations. You will climb on the deck of a steamship and a naval simulator will make you feel the thrill of flying a ship. Finally, trained in the submarine school, you will be ready to embark on the submarine “Nazario Sauro”, which is waiting for you at the pier.
Fourth Floor
2 rooms
4
A collection of paintings of the sea between the 1800s and 1900s, overlooking a large terrace with a garden of Mediterranean shrubs, precedes the path dedicated to the ocean liner Andrea Doria and the story of its sinking in 1956. The visit to the floor ends with the Mirador terrace from which you can enjoy a 360° view over the old town and the harbor arch