Galata Museo del Mare (Galata Maritime Museum), Genoa (must see)

Galata refers to the historic Genoese community of Istanbul, Turkey. It was one of the most vital Genoese colonies in the Mediterranean. In the 15th century, their presence in that community ended. In the 19th century, the Genoa municipality built a system of commercial docks. The oldest was named for the lost colony.

Galata was a thriving shipyard where the Genoese galleys were built. In the 20th century, the maritime position of Genoa changed, and the district was abandoned. In the 1990s, it was decided to create a marine museum in the Galata district. The Galata Palace, renovated by architect Guillermo Consuegra, houses the museum.

The museum opened in 2004. In 2005 it was merged with the Commenda Museum-Theater and the Naval Museum of Pegli, becoming the Institute of Museums of the Sea and Migration.

The ground floor of the museum tells the story of galleys. It has a full-scale model of a 17th-century galley and an exhibit of armor and weapons. There are also portraits of Columbus and Andrea Doria, documents, charts, and navigation paraphernalia.

The first and second floors are given to sailing and shipyards. There is a reproduction of a Brigantine, a shipyard workshop, and a virtual storm off Cape Horn. The third floor is dedicated to the great Transatlantic liners. It features a mockup of a ship's bridge and a simulation of an immigrant's voyage from Gibraltar to New York.

The submarine Nazario Sauro (S 518) is moored at the museum's dock as a floating annex.