Project of digitalisation and online distribution of documentary heritage concerning Ligurian history.

The documentary heritage concerning Ligurian history is vast and spread throughout the region; many bodies, whether public or private, have formed or gathered significant documentary collections over the course of their institutional activity, which constitute an essential base for any historical research carried out with rigorous scientific methods.

In present times, considering the major advance in the spread of Information and Communication Technologies, the options for safeguarding these resources, while at the same time promoting them, includes the online distribution of appropriately contextualised digital photographic reproductions of documents, thus minimising the need to consult them in person.

While it would be impossible to rank such a vast and diverse archival heritage as that of Liguria in terms of interest, certain collections in the City of Genoa Historical Archive are nonetheless particularly noteworthy: the Brignole-Sale Manuscripts and Archive, and Manuscripts. These collections, besides containing some priceless items of key importance, document in their very formation the progress of historical studies in Liguria, from the fall of the old regime to the middle of the last century. Currently the project aims to deal only with this material, not excluding subsequent extensions to other documentary collections in the City of Genoa Historical Archive or held by other institutions.

The project is the result of a collaborative agreement reached in April 2012 between the Società Ligure di Storia Patria, the City of Genoa-Department of Culture and Tourism, and the Soprintendenza Archivistica per la Liguria (Archival Office for Liguria). The first batch of work, funded by the Compagnia di San Paolo, concerned the Molfino Collection, held by the City of Genoa Historical Archive.