Castello d’Albertis

The captain and the castle

Enrico Alberto d’Albertis (Voltri 1846 – Genoa 1932) was a navigator: with his yacht Violante he sailed around the Mediterranean between 1874 and 1880, and with the Corsaro between the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands. In 1891 he retraced Columbus’s voyage to San Salvador in 27 days. When he died he left the castle and his collections to the city.

The castle stands on a 16th-century bastion. It was built between 1886 and 1892 in neo-Gothic style under the direction of Alfredo d’Andrade, with crenellated towers.

The museum and the terrace

The castle houses the Museum of World Cultures of the City of Genoa, with the ethnographic objects from the captain’s collections; a second section is devoted to the Music of the Peoples. From the terrace you can see the city and the port.

The ticket is included in the Genova Museum Card (€24 for 24 hours, €45 for 48 hours).

How to get there

The Montegalletto lift starts from Genova Piazza Principe station, about 50 metres from the exit, and takes you up to the castle; check on the AMT website that it is running. The terrace has a ramp with a gradient of more than 8%, so if you use a wheelchair it is best to ask for assistance.

Nearby are the Spianata di Castelletto and the Porto Antico; the guide to Genoa has more ideas for the day.