History, Ultras and Music Make the Genoa Museum a Smash Hit

As a football club, Genoa is fiercely proud of its English roots. 

From the Anglicised name, to an away shirt with the cross of St George, via a flag featuring the Underground symbol, and a chant to the tune of God Save The King… the Rossoblu wear their heritage on their sleeves.

And nowhere is it more alive than at the Genoa Museum.

Inaugurated in June 2009 by the Genoa 1893 Foundation, the museum was first based in the headquarters of the historic newspaper Il Lavoro, once directed by the late Italian president Sandro Pertini. The museum relocated to the 16th-century building of San Giobatta by the old docks four years later.

The exhibition is part historical journey, part football experience. Tucked away next to the club store, the museum takes visitors from Genoa’s origins as a cricket club founded by English sailors in 1893, all the way through to the present day. It includes more than 500 pieces of memorabilia, trophies, documents and photographs.

From the foundation charter to the blazer and hat worn by James Richardson Spensley, the man who opened the footballing section of what was still a club focused on cricket and athletics, and who subsequently became their player-manager. The amount of artefacts is such that a thorough visit will take time.

Here, Genoa’s past is brought to life through the clever use of interactive areas, where visitors can relive the team’s most glorious moments and experience the raucous atmosphere of the Gradinata Nord at Marassi during the Derby della Lanterna.

One area contains a collection of shirts and this is a sight to behold given the Rossoblu have produced some stunning numbers over the years.

From the home kit featuring the Adidas trefoil and sponsored by Levante in the mid-1980s, to the Errea-manufactured jerseys sponsored by Mita that defined the glorious early 1990s era of Carlos Aguilera, Tomas Skuhravy and the late Gianluca Signorini. And not forgetting the Kappa numbers donned by Diego Milito before his move to Inter Milan. They are all immaculately displayed.

There is also a section dedicated to Genoa’s connection with Argentina, most notably Boca Juniors, who were founded by Genoese immigrants and whose Xeneizes nickname is a mis-translation of Zeneize, Genoese dialect for ‘someone from Genoa’.

But arguably the most interesting wing of the whole exhibition is the one paying homage to the team’s musical tradition. Via an old-fashioned jukebox it explores the deep bond between the city’s singer-songwriter tradition (the Scuola Genovese) and passion for the Rossoblu.

The late Fabrizio De Andre, arguably Italy’s greatest songwriter, a proud Genoese and an even prouder Genoa supporter, features prominently as does Frank Sinatra, said to be a fan because his mum’s side of the family hailed from Lumarzo in the Ligurian countryside.

The musical legacy continues today, with Genoa coming on to the pitch to the tune of Bresh’s Guasto d’Amore, Italian for A Broken Heart for Love.

The section on the fans, meanwhile, explores the history behind Genoa’s different ultras groups and their social and cultural impact, along with the connection between the supporters and the club, and what sets the Rossoblu apart from other fanbases in Italy.

As a banner in Genoese dialect proclaims outside the Marassi, fans of Il Grifone are ‘sons of Genoa’. Spend enough time in the museum and you will feel like one yourself.

The museum is located in the heart of the Old Port inside Palazzina San Giobatta and open from Tuesday to Sunday between 9:30am and 6pm (last entry at 5pm). Tickets cost €6 for adults, €4 for under-16s and €3.50 for over-60s.

Tours are self-guided and tickets and any timetable changes will be on the museum’s website.

To watch Genoa in action at Marassi, read our complete guide and our article on how to get tickets.