Castello D'Albertis – Museo delle Culture del Mondo

About the museum

The Castello D'Albertis, originally known as the Castello di Montegalletto, was designed by Captain Enrico Alberto D'Albertis, a navigator and collector, and built in 1886. The captain gave it to the city on his death in 1932. The Neo-Gothic castle sits on a 16th-century bastion and has a romantic park overlooking the port.

The museum is a true house-museum: rooms furnished “in style” with a revivalist taste, “chambers of wonders”, seafaring and Columbian allusions, and colonial trophies. The ethnographic and archaeological collections gathered by the captain on five continents are enriched by those of his cousin Luigi Maria D'Albertis, the first explorer of the Fly River in New Guinea (1872–1878).

In the 16th-century bastion is a second route with pre-Columbian finds from Central and South America and ethnographic material from Canada, donated by the American Catholic Missions after the exhibition for the 1892 Columbian celebrations. The museum also holds the captain's library, with Ethiopic manuscripts in Ge'ez and palm-leaf manuscripts from Ceylon.

It is part of the civic museums of Genoa.

Highlights

• Cabina del Capitano
• Oceanian, Mesoamerican and Hopi collections
• African weapons, Chinese spears and halberds on the staircase
• Panoramic terrace and castle park
• Route through the 16th-century bastion with pre-Columbian finds
• Captain's library with Ethiopic manuscripts

Permanent exhibitions

• Il Capitano D'Albertis e i suoi viaggi – Rooms of the castle with ethnographic and archaeological collections gathered by the captain on five continents.
• Percorso nel bastione cinquecentesco – Pre-Columbian archaeological finds and ethnographic material from Canada.

Operated by

Comune di Genova

Visitors per year

approx. 35,274

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Residents of the Metropolitan City of Genoa: free admission on Sundays from 17:00 to 17:30; over-65s free throughout August.

Genoa Museum Cards (24 hours €24, 48 hours €45, annual €60, annual for residents €50, annual for students €25) include admission. Tickets can be bought online. Refunds can be requested within 15 days.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

The building is accessible to people with disabilities, who can visit independently; the park is also accessible. The route spans several levels linked by lift and ramps; the panoramic terrace is reached by a ramp with a gradient above 8%. The Montegalletto lift can be used (starting about 50 m from Genova Piazza Principe station). By notifying the museum in advance, you can park in the grounds. A wheelchair is available on request; accessible toilets on the ground floor. For blind visitors, two tactile models; for hard-of-hearing visitors, 10 multimedia readers and 7 tablets with guidance in LIS and subtitles. The museum takes part in the “Museo per tutti” project for people with intellectual disabilities and offers a sensory area.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The castle park is accessible; for car access by people with disabilities, please notify the museum.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit