History and organizational chart

The Paolo Cresci Archive and the birth of the Foundation

Paolo Cresci (1943-1997), Florentine researcher, photographer and collector, in his feverish search for documents pertaining to the history of Italian emigration, collected the most important miscellany of documentary and photographic material in the world.

In 1998, the archive was acquired by the Province of Lucca and was inaugurated on March 31, 2001 in the Chapel of Santa Maria della Rotonda inside the Ducal Palace.

In May 2002, the Foundation was established. which aims to promote knowledge of historical and social phenomena related to emigration from the nineteenth century to the present day, with the awareness that the memory of the social and economic vicissitudes of millions of our compatriots, in addition to safeguarding historical records, can be an element of understanding for the younger generations of modern social dynamics related to multiculturalism and the mobility of peoples.

With the establishment of the Foundation, the Province transferred the Archives to it, which constitutes part of the patrimonial fund.

Founding Members and Institutional Participants:

Provincial Administration of Lucca
Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture of Lucca
Mountain Community of Garfagnana
Mountain Community of the Middle Serchio Valley - Zone D
Mountain Community of the Lucchese Area - Zone N
Alta Versilia Mountain Community - Zone M
Lucchesi nel Mondo Association
Banca del Monte di Lucca Foundation
Lucca Savings Bank Foundation
University of Pisa

Staff

Scientific Responsible: Maria Rosaria Ostuni

Director: Pietro Luigi Biagioni

Cultural planner and secretariat coordinator:

Marinella Mazzanti

Assistants in the use, reception and supervision of the Museum:

Cecilia Iacopetti, Marco Taverni