The need to open a Maritime Museum in Genoa began to be felt by the local history and maritime history since the late nineteenth century.
In 1922, one of the most important naval architects in the country, Ing. Fabio Garelli, donated to the City of Genoa his private collection, made up of a complex set of models, watercolors, engravings, drawings and books. The collection, which took the name of Collection Naval Garelliana, was placed in Villa Cambiaso Albaro, at the School of Naval Engineering and open to the public in 1925.
Meanwhile, the Garelli donation were added several other legacies, including the owner's books stood out particularly Gio. Batta Bibolini, which marked a season of great participation of citizens in the formation of the collection.
In 1929, the Municipal Administration decided to transfer Garelli's collection and the sailors memorabilia still preserved in Palazzo Bianco, in the recent purchase of Villa Doria in Pegli, where the Maritime Museum was opened to the public in 1930.