(ANSA) - Genoa, July 5 - Genoa on Tuesday opened its own equivalent of the Ellis Island museum in New York harbour, allowing all-comers to trace the history of emigrants to the New World.
The emigration study centre has a database of embarkation records, letters, diaries, photographs and the personal stories of emigrants and their descendants.
Genoa was one of the main ports of departure in the 19th century for thousands of Italians seeking a new life in North and South America. The flowing masses transformed the port, turning it into one of Italy's biggest cities.
The numbers involved are huge.
Between 1861 and 1874, the first phase of mass emigration, Genoa handled more than 200,000 people - 100,000 of them in 1866 alone. But more were yet to come. Between 1876 and 1901 two million emigrated - about two thirds of all the Italians who left their native shores.
As well as housing records, the new centre will forge links with other major points of emigration such as Le Havre in France, Liverpool in England, Hamburg in Germany and Cork in Ireland.
Many Italian emigrants went to the Americas, others as far as Australia, and popular culture embraced the mythical figure of the rich, successful 'Uncle in America,' ignoring numerous stories of struggle and failure.
The Genoa centre will not just look at the emigrants of the past but will also study the problems faced by immigrants today. It will seek to highlight the similar difficulties faced by both sets of travelers in a bid to bridge the gap between different cultures.
"Emigration is a necessary part of history. It was only yesterday that Genoa was seeing emigration, and today it is experiencing immigration," said Giuliano Gallanti, head of the Genoa Port Authority which funded the centre.
