The Paolo Cresci Museum for the History of Italian Emigration is dedicated to the Florentine scholar Paolo Cresci (1943-1997), who, thanks to his passion for photography, collected over the years a vast archive of documents, books and photographs on history of emigration, creating what will later become the first core of the museum. When he passed away, the Province of Lucca acquired the collection, establishing in 2002 a Foundation destined to create and manage the Museum.

The Museum therefore preserves a rich collection of documentary material on the events of the Italian emigrants, starting from the national unification: through letters, diaries, photographs, passports and other documents, it is possible to retrace the migratory experience in its most significant stages through brave and exciting human stories.

The exhibition describes the living conditions of the emigrant from departure to the journey across nations and continents until the arrival. And then the search for work and the life lived in a land far from their origins.

The truly interesting and suggestive exhibition itinerary is enriched by the projection of video and multimedia contents in order to make the visitor better understand the emotions of those who were leaving in search of a better life.

Much information is also dedicated to all migrants and to the continuous movement of numerous people from territories often devastated by wars or natural disasters.

The Foundation's objective is, in addition to the study and dissemination of the history of emigration, but also to invite people to reflect on our country no longer as a land of emigration but also of immigration and hospitality, promoting the civil values of tolerance and interaction between different cultures.

 The Paolo Cresci Museum is located in Lucca in the spaces of the Chapel of Santa Maria della rotonda of the Palazzo Ducale