Ars Ligustica

Luigi Speranza

There are various museums, art galleries and exhibitions in town along with civic museums ("Comune di Genova" museums).

There are also two national museums and many private ones.

The municipal facilities are well-structured in a complex framework of museums, libraries, and archives all belonging to the Town council and organized over more than twenty sites

The town museums are structured around themed paths: sea, art world cultures, science and nature, history and archeology.

The Archives

The Research Centre on the history of Art and Image of the Town of Genoa

Fabric and Fashion Studies Centre DVJ - Damasco Velluto Jeans

Special Libraries

The Didactic Centre, which organizes activities and provides services for families and schools

The civic Museums

Some museums are organized in centres providing coordinated activities:

The Sea Museums:

Galata Museo del Mare,
Museo Navale di Pegli and
Castello D’Albertis

The Nervi Museums:

GAM
Raccolte Frugone and
Museo Luxoro

The Museums of Strada Nuova:

Palazzo Rosso
Palazzo Bianco
Palazzo Doria, Duca di Tursi

structured along the ancient "museum street"

The Research Centre:History of Art Library, the Photographic Archive, the Collections of cartographies and topographic maps.

The network of the Municipal structures is also present on a website of all Genoa Town Museums where you can find both a detailed description of what the museums offer and also real time information about the cultural events of the area: a service providing daily information about the initiatives, exhibitions, shows, meetings and everything that takes place in the town museums.

Furthermore all the museum, art gallery, library and town archive websites have a common surfing structure concerning information, publications, links to other sites dealing with cultural heritage and so on.

This connection reinforces the idea of a network of coordinated museum sites which enables the surfer to have easy access to all information.

Strada Nuova museums -

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Palazzo Bianco
***************

Via Garibaldi o Strada Nuova, #11, Genova

An important collection of European, Italian and Genoese paintings from the XV to the XVIII century.

Near the exquisite masterpieces by Italian (Caravaggio, Veronese), Flemish (Hans Memling. Gerard David, Jean Provost, Rubens, Van Dyck), Dutch (Steen), French (Vouet, Lancret) and Spanish (Zurbaràn, Murillo), painters, a wide collection of Genoese paintings from the XVI and XVIII century:

Magnasco
Cambiaso
Strozzi, and
Piola

-- stands out.

The Byzantine banner (1261) is very remarkable.

Opening time: Tues-Fri 9am - 7pm, Sat and Sun 10am - 7pm. Monday closed

Strada Nuova museums -

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"Palazzo Rosso"
**************** Palazzo Brignole-Sale.

Strada Nuova, Via Garibaldi #18 - Genova

A luxurious group of frescoes by the greatest Ligurian painters of the XVII century and precious furnishings, stands out the magnificent picture gallery with paintings collected over two centuries by by the Brignole-Sale family.

The exhibition of the gallery shows paintings by:

Veronese,
Guercino,
****** Strozzi,
Grechetto,
Carbone,
Van Dyck,
Dürer

and many others.

Opening time:Tues-Fri 9am - 7pm, Sat and Sun 10am - 7pm. Monday closed.

Strada Nuova museums -

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Palazzo Doria, Duca di Tursi

Strada Nuova, Via Garibaldi #9 - Genova

The Palace was built in the "Century of the Genoese" and houses the official state rooms of the Mayor as well as an extension of the Palazzo Bianco gallery.

In its monumental rooms you can see very famous pieces such as Guarneri del Gesù, the violin that belonged to Paganini, a remarkable collection of decorative artworks, a coin collection and also a collection of the official weights and measures of the old Republic of Genoa.

Opening Time: Tues-Fri 9am - 7pm, Sat and Sun 10am - 7pm. Monday closed.

****

Museo

"Sant’Agostino"

Piazza Sarzano 35R - Genova

The Museum is inside the Middle Age (XIII century) Augustinian convent complex.

It shows sculptures, Italian and Liguria frescoes and tombstones dating back from the X to the XVIII century.

Along with works by

F.M. Schiaffino,
V. Castello,
***** D. Piola,
**** L. Cambiaso,
F. Parodi,

There are masterpieces by

G. Pisano,
Pierre Puget and
A. Canova.

The Topographic Collection, a collection of maps from different ages and of great historical importance, is particularly remarkable.

Opening time: Tues-Fri 9am - 7pm, Sat and Sun 10am - 7pm. Monday closed

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Cattedrale di San Lorenzo,
Piazza San Lorenzo - Genova

In the vaults of the San Lorenzo Cathedral there are masterpieces of jewellery and sacred art from the XI to the XIX century as well as extremely important artistic silverware connected with the cult of the Cathedral and the history of the town.

Amongthe most remarkable pieces are: the Holy Basin; the Byzantine Cross of Zaccaria; the Urn holding the Ashes of St John the Baptist and many other objects concerning the cult of St John the Baptist .

Opening time: Mon-Sat 9am -12am/3pm - 6pm. First Sun of the month 3pm - 6pm.

GAM - Modern art gallery and Wolfson collectionVilla Saluzzo Serra - Via Capolungo 3 - Genova Nervi


The Gallery is derived from the nucleus Prince Odone di Savoia’s collection, later enriched by further legacies and purchases. It is housed in the XVII century Villa Saluzzo in Nervi, where are exhibited over 2500 artworks such as paintings, sculptures, drawings and engravings dating from the XIX century to modern times. Among the numerous artists exhibited are: Ernesto Rayper, Tammar Luxoro, Renato Guttuso.

Opening time: Tues-Sun 10am - 7pm. Monday closed.

Raccolte Frugone MuseumVilla Grimaldi Fassio, Via Capolungo 9 - Genova Nervi


Since 1993 the museum has had its seat in Nervi, in the XVIII century Villa Grimaldi Fassio, of the XVIII century, bought by the Town Council in 1979. The remarkable XIX - XX century art collections of the Frugone brothers consist of paintings, sculptures and drawings by Italian and foreign artists working between the second half of the XIX century and the beginning of the XX century. Among the artists exhibited here are: Bistolfi, Fontanesi, Mancini, Messina, Segantini, Signorini, Boldini, Rubino, Milesi, Tito, Michetti and Sorolla y Bastida.

Opening time:Tues-Fri 10am - 7pm. Monday closed.

Giannettino Luxoro MuseumVia Mafalda di Savoia, 3 - Genova Nervi


The Museum is housed a refined Genoese style Villa in Nervi dating back to the XVI_XVII century, since 1951 the museum has exhibited the collections of the Luxoro family: paintings, furniture, furnishings, pottery, silverware, mirrors, engraved frames, ancient fabrics; a collection of precious items deriving from production mainly dating back to Liguria in XVII- XVIII century; a collection of old long cased clocks, a collection of XVII and XVII century Nativity scene replicas; a collection of paintings by the Genoese school of the XVIII century.

Opening time: Tues-Fri 9am - 1pm, Sat 10am -1pm.

Sunday and Monday closed.

Villa Croce Contemporary art museumVia J. Ruffini 3 - Genova


The Villa Croce Museum boasts an artistic heritage with more than 3.000 Italian and foreign artworks of the period 1939-1980; mid-900 Genoese and Liguria art, Italian graphic art from the mid-XX century and it houses the great Maria Cemuschi Ghiringhelli collection of abstractionism with over two hundred works by the most important Italian artists. The library and the archive are open to visitors.

Oening time: Tue-Fri 9am - 7pm, Sat and Sun 10am - 7pm.

Monday closed

DVJ Damasco Velluto JeansPalazzo Bianco, Via Garibaldi, 11 - Genova


A study centre and an exhibition centre with exceptional collections of fabrics, that was set up by the Town Council in collaboration with the Monuments and Fine Arts Office. Visitors will be shown laces, old clothes, damasks, velvet and wrought fabrics dating back from the XVI and the XIX century, all of remarkable artistic value.

Opening time: Tues-Fri 9am - 7pm, Sat and Sun 10am - 7pm.

Monday closed.


Palazzo Spinola National GalleryPiazza Pellicceria, 1 - Genova


In a spectacular XVI century palace but still keeping intact its atmosphere of a sumptuous residence of the XVII-XVIII century, the National Gallery of Liguria exhibits its collection: the picture gallery boasts paintings by the greatest Genoese, Flemish and European masters. Among the paintings on exhibition there are works by Rubens, Van Dyck, Grechetto, Valerio Castello, and many others.

Opening time:Tues-Wed 9am - 1.30pm, Thurs-Sund 9am - 7pm.

Monday closed.


www.palazzospinola.it
Palazzo Reale MuseumVia Balbi, 10 - Genova


The sumptuous XVII century Palace , residence of the noble Balbi, Durazzo, and Savoia families, keeps intact its furnishings, the artworks, and XVII-XIX century common objects. Its rooms house a rich picture gallery with works by many Italian and foreign masters (Van Dyck, Tintoretto, Strozzi) and by painters of the Genoese school (Piola, Grechetto, Schiaffino), besides sculptures by Filippo Parodi. The collection of Genoese furniture dating back to the XVII-XVIII centuries is remarkable.

Opening time: Tues-Wed 9am-1.30pm, Thurs-Sun 9am -7pm.

Monday closed


www.palazzorealegenova.it
Museum of Accademia Ligustica di Belle ArtiLargo Pertini, 4 - Genova


The Accademia Ligustica houses a rich collection of Ligurian paintings dating back from the XIV to XIX century (Antonio Semino, Perin del Vaga, Giovanni and Luca Cambiaso, Bernardo Castello, Strozzi, Ansaldo, Fiasella, Piola, Grechetto, Tavella, Cominetti, Rambaldi and many others)and of European majolicas from the XVII to XIX century. The complex also houses an archive, a collection of plaster casts, the collections of drawings and prints and the library.

Opening time: Tues-Sun 3pm - 7pm. Monday closed


www.accademialigustica.it
Palazzo del Principe MuseumVilla del Principe - Piazza del Principe, 4 - Genova


In the rooms of the prestigious Palace, Andrea Doria had built in the XVI century, we can find frescoes, paintings and sculptures by important Ligurian, Italian and foreign artists as well as a remarkable collection of tapestries. There are works by Perin del Vaga, Piola, Tavarone, Cambiaso, Tiziano, Castello. In the Italian garden there is the monumental marble Neptune’s Fountain by the Carlone brothers.

Opening time: Tues-Sun 10am - 5pm. Monday closed.


www.palazzodelprincipe.it
Museo DiocesanoChiostro dei Canonici di San Lorenzo - Via Tommaso Reggio, 20 r - Genova


In the Cloister of Canonici di San Lorenzo, built in the XII century and recently restored, the museum shows numerous artworks by important artists of the sacred arts in Genoa. Among the masterpieces there is the grave of Fieschi, the huge altar pieces by Gregorio De Ferrari, paintings by Luca Cambiaso, Perin del Vaga; Ligurian paintings from the XIV and XV centuries, archeological finds, tombstones, shrines, silverware and embroideries.

Opening time: Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sun 3pm -7pm, Tues and Sat 10am -1pm/ 3pm- 7pm. Monday closed.


www.diocesi.genova.it
WolfsonianaVia Serra Gropallo, 4 - Genova Nervi


Wolfsoniana focuses mainly on the decorative arts and the propaganda of the period 1880-1945, it deals with the main expressive movements and linguistic theories of the first half of the XX century, from Art Nouveau to Art Deco, from the Twentieth Century to Rationalism. Such a cultural complexity is expressed by the great variety of works and different materials (paintings, sculptures, furnishings, decorative artworks, common objects and industrial design) exhibited in the recently inaugurated seat inside the Nervi museum centre.

Opening time:Tues-Sun 10am - 7pm. Monday closed.


www.wolfsoniana.it
Emanuele Luzzati MuseumPorta Siberia, Porto Antico - Genova


The Museum has been inside the Old Port of Genoa inside the spectacular area of Porta Siberia since 2001 and it shows many different works and scenes by Emanuele Luzzati (printed spreads, tapestries, drawings). The Museum has also been designed for children and young people: besides rooms set up for didactic use and animation it offers a multimedia space and a library. The centre periodically houses exhibitions of stage designs, costumes, models, miniatures and maquettes.

Opening time: Tues-Sun 11am- 1pm/3pm- 7pm. Monday closed


www.museoluzzati.it
Genoa Typography MuseumPiazzale Giuseppe Mazzini, 2 - Genova


Inaugurated in 2003 the Museum presents, in the structure provided by the Province of Genoa, an experimental workshop about all different types of typography from the natural kind to the technical-artificial and the ancient ones: old working presses tell us the story of Gutemberg. On show we can see hand and treadle machines, movable print types of different ages and styles, documents, imprints: from an eighty-year-old micro-organism to that of the shroud in vitro.

Opening time: Tues, Wed and Sat 9.30am - 12.30 am.


www.pirella.net
Galata Sea Museum
The sea world gets spectacular and innovative in the heart of the Port area: with more than 10.000 square meters of show area the MUMA is the largest museum about the sea in the Mediterranean region. The reflecting, modern glassiness of the building architecture suggests clear, pure water transparence to the visitor mind.
Check also the website of the Padiglione del Mare e della Navigazione, which part of the new museum collection comes form.

Opening time november/february: Tues-Fri 10am - 6pm, Sat and Sun and public holidays 10am - 7.30pm. Monday closed

March/october: Tues-Sun 10am - 7.30pm Monday closed August : open also on Monday


www.galatamuseodelmare.it
Naval MuseumVilla Doria in Piazza Bonavino, 7 - Genova Pegli


The beautiful Giovanni Andrea Doria’s villa shows geneose naval collections from XI to XVI century.

Opening time: Tue-Fri 9am - 1pm, Sat and Sun 10am - 7pm. Monday closed.
Museum of world culturesCorso Dogali, 18 - Genova


Castello D’Albertis dominates the city of Genoa, overlooking the port from Montegalletto hill. Designed by Captain Enrico Alberto D’Albertis in the style of the architectural collage and the neo-gothic revival, it was erected on the ruins of sixteenth century and late-medieval fortifications between 1886 and 1892 under the supervision of Alfredo D’Andrade.
When he died in 1932, the captain donated the castle and its collections to the city of Genoa, giving it not only the residence so imaginatively decorated with exotic, neo-gothic and Hispanic-Moorish influences, but also a piece of Genoa’s history.

Opening time October/March: Tues-Fri 10am - 5pm, Sat and Sun 10am - 6pm. Monday closed.

April/September:Tues-Fri 10am - 6pm, Sat and Sun 10am - 7pm.

Monday closed.

Museum of oriental art Edoardo ChiossoneVilletta Di Negro in Piazzale Mazzini, 4 - Genova


The wide and rich japanese and oriental collections, collected in Japan by Edoardo Chiossone in the Meiji period can be visited in the Villetta Di Negro. Pieces of various periods are shown.

opening time: Tues-Fri 9am - 1pm, Sat and Sun 10 am -7pm. Monday cloed.

Jazz Museum - Italian jazz instituteVia Tommaso Reggio, 34 - Genova


Operating since 2000 the Jazz Museum has been realized by the Louisana Jazz Club (active since 1964). The museum shows a collection of about 10.000 pieces: from vinyl to CD, tape and videotape. Almost complete collections of the recordings of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and many more.

Opening time: Mon-Sat 4pm - 7pm. Sunday closed.


www.italianjazzinstitute.com
Genoa Natural history Civic MuseumVia Brigata Liguria, 9 - Genova


Founded in 1867, the museum complex is known throughout the global scientific community for its three-and-a-half million specimens from all over the world. Its collections are primarily zoological in nature, but also include botanical, mineralogical, stone, and fossil collections. Its twenty-three large halls boast a rich collection of high scientific worth, especially those specimens from the East Indies and Africa. Of particular note are the ornithological, mammalian, and rich entomological collections. One of the museum’s halls is entirely devoted to paleontology The museum also offers several activities, such as exhibits, meetings, conferences, and professional advancement courses for teachers, as well as multimedia videos.

Opening time: Tues-Fri 9am - 7pm, Sat and Sun 10am - 7pm.

Monday closed.

Felice Ippolito National Antarctic Museum Palazzina Millo - Porto Antico, Genova


Situated within Genoa’s Old Harbor, the museum is intended to introduce visitors to the Antarctic continent and to research conducted by Italian expeditions to the area, with a focus on biological and ecological issues. Through an interactive, dynamic setting, the museum tour offers visitors a chance to view films, simulated habitats, samples and artifacts from the Antarctic (including glacial, geological, mineralogical, and paleontological collections). Besides the library itself, visitors may consult catalogues listing rock, meteorite, ice sample and marine sediment collections and a database of habitat samples.

Opening time October/May: Tues-Fri 9.45am -5.30pm, Sat and Sun and public holdays 10am - 6pm. Monday closed.

June/September: Tues-Sun 10.30am - 6.30pm. Monday closed.


www.mna.it
Ligurian Museum of ArcheologyVilla Pallavicini in Via Pallavicini 11 - Genova Pegli


The museum houses the largest collection of Ligurian archeological artifacts spanning Liguria’s pre- and proto- history: the Paleolithic tombs from Arene Candide; the extremely rich burial artifacts from the pre-Roman necropolis of Genoa; findings from archeological digs in the Ligurian cities of ancient Rome; Prince Odone of Savoy’s collection of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts; as well as two rooms devoted to a collection of Egyptian artifacts and Roman marble works.

opening time: Tues-Fri 9am - 7pm, Sat and Sun 10am - 7pm.

Monday closed

Risorgimento Museum (Casa Mazzini)Via Lomellini, 11 - Genova


The museum forms part of the Mazzini Institute, which includes an extremely rich archive of documentary material and a specialized history library. It is housed in Giuseppe Mazzini’s house of birth, which also includes documents and curios pertaining to Mazzini and the Risorgimento (original manuscripts, objects of interest, weapons, uniforms, and flags). A museum tour spans over 120 years of history, from the Balilla incident to the founding of Giovine Italia and the expedition of the Thousand. It closes with two rooms containing curios and handiworks of various kinds that belonged to famous historical figures, such as Garibaldi, Mameli, Bixio and several others.

Opening time:Tues-Fri 9am - 7pm, Sat 10am - 7pm, Sunday and Monday closed.

Agricultural History and Culture MuseumSalita al Garbo, 49 - Genova


In a villa located in the heights of the Valpolcevera valley, one may admire agricultural tools, farmhouse furniture, tools of craftsmanship, and photographs illustrating chestnut, grain, vineyard, olive and hemp harvesting cycles. The museum contains a several documents on farmers’way of life and regional folklore: historic Ligurian settlements, farmhouses, family life, traditional trades, and popular religion are presented.

Opening time: Tues-Fri 9am - 1pm, Sat and Sun 10am - 7pm. Monday closed.