Guatelli Museum

From the late nineteenth century in Liguria, and particularly in the province of Imperia, were born important companies for oil production and marketing required suitable containers. It thus began to produce those cans that, slowly, embellished with written and artistic images became, decades later, collectibles .
In 1929 Guatelli Rocco began producing cans for oil and had the idea of supplying the local population, but especially the immigrants who left Italy but did not want to give up their lands to oil. Producers, Guatelli among the first, they thought of turning those containers into real souvenirs.
Then began producing cans with effigies typically Italian – monuments, famous landscapes, historical figures, famous artists, operas popular – renowned illustrators entrusting the task to create striking images.
Thus was born a small fortune to witness of Italian creativity.

Riccardo Guatelli, heir and continuer of the production of the family, with his wife Tiziana has gathered this extensive collection in an old mill of the seventeenth century: about 6,000 pieces cataloged and presented to the public from all over Italy and the world. Among the visitors excellent director Francis Ford Coppola, a great lover of history of Italian, that after visiting the collection I wanted some pieces to be placed at his estate in Napa Valley in California.

Cultural Association Guatelli
Via Nazionale Nord – Chiusanico (IM)
Tel. 0183 52368
guatim@libero.it