Genoa Guide Italy

Museums

Museums

• Genoa Aquarium
  The Acquario di Genova (Genoa Aquarium), designed by architects Renzo Piano and Peter Chermayeff, is one of the biggest aquariums in Europe, covering 10,000 square meters and containing 71 display tanks. These tanks recreate the habitat of the Mediterranean and other oceans, the North and South Poles, and the tropics, and contains over 500 sea and ocean-dwelling species, which live and reproduce here in the Aquarium.
  Visitors get the chance to see close-up the secret lives of fish, mollusks, sharks, dolphins, jellyfish, and many other creatures such as crocodiles, frogs, snakes, penguins, and seals. The mission of the Acquario di Genova is to educate and inform the public about the responsible management of aquatic environments.
  Information: www.acquario.ge.it/
  
  
• Galata - Seafaring Museum
  With its 10,000 square meters of displays, this museum combines ancient tradition and modern technological innovation. Fascinating reconstructions of shipyards and harbor environments, multimedia presentations, and incredible visual and sound effects take the visitor through the history of navigation, from the oar to the sail, and from the steamboat to the luxurious cruise ship. On display at the museum are nautical maps and instruments, atlases, weapons, and antique paintings.
  Schedule: March through October: 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; November through February: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m and Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Closed Mondays. Information: +39 010 2345655
  
  
• National Museum for Antarctica
  This museum was created to raise awareness about the Antarctic region and the research conducted by Italian expeditions to Antarctica. The exhibits make use of an interactive and dynamic set-up. The museum's displays offer visitors Antarctic artifacts (glaciological, geological, mineralogical and paleontological), interesting films, and environmental re-creations, all geared toward learning about and understanding a region that is not well-known, yet has much to offer.
  Where: Porto Antico and Expo area. Information: +39-010-2543690

The museums of Strada Nuova:

• Palazzo Bianco Gallery
  An important collection of European, Italian, and Genoese paintings from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries: masterpieces and paintings from Italy (Caravaggio, Veronese), the Flemish school (Hans Memling, Gerard David, Jean Provost, Rubens, Van Dyck), Holland (Steen), France (Vouet, Lancret) and Spain (Zurbaràn, Murillo). The museum also contains a vast collection of the works of Genoese painters from the 16th and 17th centuries.
  
  
• Palazzo Rosso Gallery
  Within the sumptuous confines of the ancient Genoese residence of Brignole-Sale is a gallery flush with paintings, collected by the Rosso family over the course of two centuries. Some of the artists on display include: Veronese, Guercino, Strozzi, Grechetto, Carbone, Van Dyck, Dürer and many others.
  
  
• National Gallery at Palazzo Spinola
  Inside the beautiful surroundings of a 16th century palazzo is a vast exhibit which combines the collections accumulated by the 4 families who lived in the palazzo: Grimaldi, Pallavicino, Doria and Spinola. The gallery boasts works by the major Genoese, Flemish, and European artists, as well as an important ceramics collection. Among the paintings on display are works by Rubens, Van Dyck, Grechetto, Valerio Castello, and many others.
  Schedule: Tuesday through Saturday: 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Sunday:1:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Closed: Mondays.
  Information: +39 010 2705300
  
  
• Palazzo Ducale
  In the 14th century, the Palazzo Ducale (Ducal Palace) was the residence of the first Doge of Genoa, Simon Boccanegra. From that time on, it became the Doges' seat of power. In the centuries that followed, it suffered severe damage and underwent many modifications, completely changing its appearance.
  Restored in 1992 for the Columbus Celebration, it has become the most important site in Genoa for shows, cultural events, and conventions.
  Information: www.palazzoducale.genova.it - Telephone: +39 010 5574000
  
  
• "Villa Croce" Museum of contemporary art
  This museum contains a collection of more than 3,000 works of abstract art by both Italian and foreign artists.
  One of the most memorable permanent collections in the museum is the Maria Cernuschi Ghiringhelli collection. Of particular interest are the core works of the first Italian Abstract painters: Licini, Soldati, Fontana, Magnelli Reggiani, Radice, Ghiringhelli, Munari, and Melotti. The evolution of abstract art between the 1950s and the 1980s is represented by artists such as Consagra, Manzoni, Agnetti, Icaro, Aricò, Bonalumi, Calderara, Colla, Uncini, Megert, Martini, Olivieri, Nigro, and Verna.
  Where: via J. Ruffini 3. Information: Telephone: 010-580069
  
  
• Museum of Sant'Agostino
  This fantastic museum is housed in a 13th century Augustinian convent, made up of a Gothic church and the areas surrounding two cloisters. The Museo di Sant'Agostino is a large museum of Genoese sculpture, a fully-enclosed exhibit displaying pieces from the high Medieval period to the 18th century. These collections include detached frescos and monumental paintings, as well as sections of the museum dedicated exclusively to wood and ivory sculpture.
  Schedule: Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m; Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Closed Monday.
  Information: telephone: +39 010 2511263
  
  
• Castello D'Albertis - Museum of world cultures
  Housed within a neo-Gothic castle which looms over the city of Genoa, this museum is a display of the ethnographic and archeological artifacts collected by Captain D'Albertis during his many voyages to America, Africa, Oceania, and Asia. It is a vast collection of handmade, archeological artifacts, utensils and ritual objects made out of clay and cloth.
  Where: from Via Balbi, take the Castello D'Albertis-Montegalletto elevator
  Schedule: October through March: Tuesday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. April through September: Tuesday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  Information: +39 010 2723820
  
  
• Museum of asian art "E. Chiossone"
  This museum exhibits the incredibly rich heritage of Japanese and Oriental art, collected in Japan by Edoardo Chiossone. On display are Japanese works from various periods: painting, arms and armature, enamels, ceramics, porcelains, printing, musical instruments, theater masks, costumes and fabrics, and a rich collection of great sculpture from Japan, China, and Thailand.
  Schedule: Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m; Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Closed Mondays.
  Information: telephone: +39 010 542285

Go to directories of the Web Sites

• Art & Culture in Genoa