A five-minute walk along the Vittorio Pertusio Belvedere separates the berths of our tourist port of Genoa from the Galata Maritime Museum: it’s no surprise that many boaters mooring in our marina take advantage of this proximity to visit the rich collection dedicated to the world of navigation! This year, there’s even more reason to visit the largest and most innovative maritime museum in the Mediterranean: in 2024, Galata Maritime Museum celebrates its 20th anniversary, with several events to mark this milestone.
The birth of Galata Maritime Museum
Not long ago, a boater, after mooring at our berths and expressing a desire to visit Genoa’s maritime museum, asked us about the origin of the peculiar name “Galata”. Indeed, for those without deep knowledge of Genoese history, this name might seem obscure. It’s worth noting that Galata is primarily the name of a historic district in Istanbul, where an important Genoese community was based until the 15th century. Centuries later, in the 1800s, the city of Genoa began developing its commercial docks, and the first one was named after this Turkish district. After decades of activity, during the 20th century, Galata lost its function and was abandoned; in the 1990s, it was decided to repurpose this space to house the maritime museum, which, due to its location, is called Galata Maritime Museum. The renovation of Palazzo Galata was entrusted to Spanish architect Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra, leading to its inauguration in 2024: 20 years ago, precisely.
The collection of Genoa’s Maritime Museum
We tell everyone who moors in our Genoa marina and wishes to dedicate some time to culture and history: Galata Maritime Museum is certainly worth their time. With 12,000 square meters of exhibition space spread across 5 levels and 31 rooms, it houses, among other things, 5 life-size reconstructions of maritime vessels that were once welcomed by the port of Genoa. Here, visitors can discover what life was like aboard a brigantine-schooner, visit the interior of a galley, walk along the side of a steamship, and so on. The exhibition covers various themes, from Ligurian overseas emigration to the history of the Port of Genoa, from the Andrea Doria to shipbuilding, including Christopher Columbus.
Not just indoor: the Nazario Sauro and Open Air Museum
It’s worth emphasizing that Galata Maritime Museum isn’t just an indoor museum. Being a maritime museum located in the Old Port, it extends its exhibition outdoors: the real gem is certainly the
As mentioned, for this important anniversary, Galata Maritime Museum has organized several special events: while the actual birthday was celebrated on July 31st, the 20th-anniversary events continue into autumn. For example, there are special visits with museum curators scheduled for October 17th, offering a chance to discover the “Globe and Atlas Room,” November 7th featuring “Discovering the Francesco Leoni Photographic Archive,” and finally December 5th, a day dedicated to the “Donors’ Gallery” exhibition.
