CISEI
International Centre
of Italian Emigration Studies

The centre aims to make the history of Italian emigration, which departed from the Port of Genoa, a heritage that is shared and accessible to all who are interested in knowing about it or investigating it in depth. This is the objective set by CISEI, the International Centre of Italian Emigration Studies of Genoa. The Port Authority of Genoa launched the project in 2001. During the subsequent years, the port reunited the institutions from Genoa and Liguria together with university and research worlds creating a promotional committee that worked towards the creation of the research centre. On the occasion of Genoa 2004, European Capital of Culture, the Port Authority contributed to the programme with a varied calendar of initiatives on Italian emigration in the world. In July 2005, the promoting committee inaugurated the Head Office in the historic building of the Commenda di Prè. A year later, more or less, on 12 June 2006, CISEI became a reality and was established as an Association, with a Statute, an Assembly, a Board and a Scientific Committee which includes as members some of the most outstanding scholars in the field in Italy and abroad.