Genoa Museums

(Genoa / Genova, Liguria, Italy)

Visitors wishing to find out about the city's history and culture will find that Genoa is particularly well-endowed with a number of museums. Many of these are housed within fine historic buildings.

Perhaps the most well-known and impressive of these are the museums which collectively make up Genoa's Musei di Strada Nuova, and which are all located on one street, Via Garibaldi.

Together, they make up a unique cultural centre and visitor attraction.

Museo Palazzo Doria-Tursi

Address: Via Garibaldi 9, Genoa, Italy, IT
Tel: +39 010 247 6351
This museum is devoted to Genoa's celebrated musician and composer, Niccolo Paganini. The most famous exhibit at the Museo Palazzo Doria-Tursi is the great man's violin. Named 'Canone', it is played just once a year.
Open hours: Tuesday to Friday - 09:00 to 19:00; Saturday and Sunday - 10:00 to 19:00
Admission: charge

Galata Museo del Mare

Address: Calata di Mari 1, Genoa, Italy, IT
Tel: +39 010 234 5655
Genoa's Maritime Museum (Galata Museo del Mare) is the largest in the Mediterranean and extends over four floors in a redeveloped 17th-century dock building. As well as traditional exhibits, which recount the development of the maritime city and the exploits of Christopher Colombus, there are interactive multi-media displays which help to bring the past to life. Particularly impressive is the reconstruction of a 17th-cenutry Genoese galley ship.
Open hours: Tuesday to Sunday, summer - 10:00 to 19:30; winter - 10:00 to 18:00; Saturday and Sunday - 10:00 to 19:30
Admission: charge, discount available for children

Museo delle Culturo del Mondo

Address: Corso Dogali 18, Genoa, Italy, IT
Tel: +39 010 272 3820
The Museum of World Cultures (Museo delle Culturo del Mondo) is located in the splendid setting of the Castello d'Albertis. The museum's collections take visitors on a journey through pre-Columbian Central and South America to the North American plains and then onto Oceania. The 'castello' also houses Genoa's interesting Museum of Ethnic Music.
Open hours: October to March - 10:00 to 17:00; April to September - 10:00 to 18:00
Admission: charge, discount available for children

Museo del Tesoro

Housed underground in a church crypt, this museum contains objects associated with St. John the Baptist. Some of the most notable exhibits at the Museo del Tesoro include the silver platter on which Salome is said to have received the head of the John the Baptist. Other interesting objects from Byzantium include gold and silver craftwork.
Open hours: Monday to Saturday - 09:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 18:30
Admission: charge