Photo: MicheleP63 · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Museo dell'Acqua e del Gas

Small museum of the AMGA Foundation in Genoa on the history of gas and drinking water in the city, with company artefacts that can be visited by appointment.

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About the museum

The museum was created by the AMGA Foundation, established in 2003 to support scientific, educational and cultural initiatives on the environment, water and energy resources, and services. When it was decided to found the museum, in 2003, one thousand two hundred letters were sent to pensioners and widows of former employees, asking whether they had kept objects from company work. The artefacts arrived over the following years without any precise order and were then grouped into thematic areas placed in glass cabinets.

The collection illustrates the history of gas in Genoa: production began in 1845 and ended in 1972, when the whole city was converted to methane. It includes work tools, laboratory and design instruments, meters, household objects such as gas irons, curiosities and advertising material. One section is devoted to the distribution of drinking water and tells, with documents and materials, the story of the public and private waterworks of the Genoese area from the 19th century.

Because the rooms are narrow, there are few captions: during the guided visit the objects tell their own story, and they can be seen up close, touched and even smelled. Some very large pieces are kept in premises that cannot currently be visited. A section of the library holds rare volumes and antique technical manuals on the production and distribution of gas.

Highlights

History of gas in Genoa from 1845 to 1972
Section on drinking-water distribution and waterworks
Meters, work tools and design instruments
Illuminating gas and street lamps, gas irons
Objects that can be seen up close and touched during the guided visit