In the history of the ports of Italy, one image remains etched in the memory of those who lived through that time: thousands of people crowded into Genoa’s Piazza De Ferrari or on the docks of Naples, waiting for a ship to board and leave the country.

It is the frame of the great migrations—millions of people, in various waves from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, seeking fortune elsewhere in distant lands such as Argentina, Australia, and, of course, the USA. The journey toward a better future began at the great ports, which over centuries have maintained their central role in the Italian economic, social, and cultural life.