Galata Maritime Museum
The Galata Maritime Museum is part of the Mu.MA - Maritime and Migrations Museums together with the “Lanterna” the Monumental Complex of the Lighthouse of Genoa, the Pegli Maritime Museum and the Commenda di Prè (which houses the National Museum of Italian Emigration).
The Galata, a few steps from the Genoa’s Aquarium, was created at the end of the 1990s based on a bold project of historical and environmental redevelopment of the area of the ancient Darsena and the remnants of the Arsenale della Repubblica: an entire area now rendered visible and which adds charm to the whole area.
The visit passes between the “museum” part in the main building and an open air park area where the archaeological-port is located and which now constitutes the waterfront of the museum, it is here that the submarine the “Nazario Sauro" is moored, the only one in Italy that can be visited “at sea”.
In the exhibition rooms, the visitor passes through scenes that create a suggestive context in which to appreciate the precious objects of the collections: paintings, medieval nautical maps, atlases, on-board scientific instruments, models, etc. They come to life, inviting the visitor to embark on a real journey to discover the history and imagery of the sea. Not surprisingly, the museum's slogan is "Get on board!"
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The Galata Maritime Museum is the largest and most innovative maritime museum in the Mediterranean.
Four floors of exhibition space tell the history of sailing and the relationship that Genoa has with the sea, from the Middle Ages to the modern day. In addition to masterpieces such as the Veduta di Genova (view of Genoa) by Grassi and the portrait of Columbus, the large rooms of the Genoa arsenal hold reconstructions of the boats that have marked history: a 42 metre long galley, represents the Age of the oar, a brigantine relives the Age of sailing while the reconstruction of the various parts of a steamship illustrate the Age of Steam. All can be visited and the experience enriched through multimedia interaction.
But what's more, the Galata hosts some sections dedicated to specific themes: the exhibition entitled Memory and Migration and “Italiano anch’io”, are multimedia and interactive experiences dedicated to the history of migration. “Navigating in Art” is dedicated to the figurative arts, navigation and ports: this is achieved through the canvases and watercolours of the Clerici Collection, which are on permanent display in the museum, and includes 19th and 20th century works.
The tour of the interior of the museum ends with the permanent exhibition dedicated to the Andrea Doria, “the most beautiful ship in the world”, Genoa’s most famous, and least fortunate, ship.
Finally a visit to Nazario Sauro is a must, a submarine-museum that can be visited in the dock in front of the Galata, where you can literally "immerse yourself" in the fascinating world of submarines.
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