Can a city’s history fit inside a pack of five stickers? In Liguria, it would seem so: in Genoa, Savona, and the Tigullio region, starting September 21, the history of these Ligurian areas is being collected, shared, and pieced together through three albums dedicated to local history. This is the “La nostra storia” initiative, promoted by Coop Liguria, which features a new editionof the album on Genoa and two previously unpublished collections dedicated to Savona and the Tigullio region, using vintage photographs and images accompanied by texts and captions written by three authors with diverse expertise: film director Alessandro Bellagamba for Genoa, journalist Giovanni Gallotti for Savona, and historian Giorgio “Getto” Viarengo for the Tigullio region.
It is not merely the aspect of collecting that defines this initiative: the purpose of the collection is to transform the stickers into a tool for retracing key moments in the history of these regions, through places, urban transformations, and images from the past. In particular, the Genoa edition coincides with a specific anniversary: 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of so-called “Greater Genoa,” established by the Royal Decree of January 14, 1926, which annexed nineteen previously autonomous municipalities to the City of Genoa. It is precisely the history of “Greater Genoa” that forms the centerpiece of the second edition of the album dedicated to the Ligurian capital.
Following the collection published in 2025, the new album thus revisits the event that profoundly altered the city’s administrative boundaries in 1926. The decree mandated the merger with Genoa of the municipalities of Apparizione, Bavari, Bolzaneto, Borzoli, Cornigliano Ligure, Molassana, Nerves, Pegli, Pontedecimo, Prà, Quarto dei Mille, Quinto al Mare, Rivarolo, Sampierdarena, San Quirico, Sant’Ilario Ligure, Sestri Ponente, Struppa, and Voltri. The centennial celebration thus provides an opportunity to revisit, through images, a Genoa that extends beyond its historic center and port. The collection also traces the history of the territories that became part of the municipality starting in 1926. The album will be distributed not only at Coop Liguria stores in Genoa but also in Busalla, Recco, Arenzano, and Cogoleto.
For Savona, the approach is different: this is the first edition of the collection, and it focuses on the city’s history and the transformations that have reshaped its character, with particular attention to the period spanning the second half of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century, when urban development proceeded at a particularly rapid pace.
The images take readers through different eras and parts of the city, from the medieval center to nineteenth-century Savona, passing through the port and the main neighborhoods. The album is therefore not limited to a succession of historical images but also includes in-depth analyses of the city’s transformations, even touching on some changes that are still underway.
The third album, on the other hand, takes us along the Tigullio coast and traces a transformation closely linked to the advent of the railroad. The construction of the railroad line marked a decisive turning point for a region that, prior to that, had been characterized by small fishing villages. Connecting the coast to Turin and major European cities helped bring about a profound change, contributing to the gradual transformation of the Tigullio region into one of the most popular tourist destinations.
It is this transition from fishing villages to tourist destinations that serves as one of the central themes of the album dedicated to the region. Here, too, the use of vintage photographs allows us to observe the region not only through its monuments or most famous sites, but also through the changes that have altered its appearance and function over time.
The three albums thus trace three distinct trajectories. Genoa focuses primarily on a specific administrative and territorial turning point—that of 1926; Savona traces the city’s urban development between the 19th and 20th centuries; the Tigullio, on the other hand, follows a territorial and social transformation linked to the construction of the railroad and the emergence of the coast as a tourist destination. What unites them is the use of vintage images as a starting point for recounting the history of these places.
As mentioned, the collection campaign began on September 21. Through October 25, for every 15 euros spent at Coop Liguria stores, customers will receive a free pack of stickers. Once the promotional period ends, customers can still continue collecting by purchasing albums, packs, and blister packs: the album costs 1 euro; packs contain five stickers and cost 0.50 euros; and blister packs of ten packets cost 3.90 euros. For those who are unable to complete their collection, Coop Liguria is also organizing special sticker-swapping days and offering the option to request any missing stickers once the promotion ends.
The distribution of the three albums is organized by region. The “Greater Genoa” edition will be available in Busalla, Recco, Arenzano, and Cogoleto, as well as at the following Ipercoop stores in Genoa: L’Aquilone, Rivarolo, Fiumara, A. Negro, San Francesco, Sestri Ponente, Pegli, Prà, Palmaro, Voltri, Piccapietra, Zerbino, Via Alessi, Via del Mirto, Corso Gastaldi, Corso Europa, Corso Sardegna, Palasport, Valbisagno, Sturla, and Nerves.
The album dedicated to Savona will be distributed at the Ipercoop Il Gabbiano in Savona, the Ipercoop Le Serre in Albenga, and at stores in Albisola Superiore, Cairo Montenotte, Finale Ligure, Vado Ligure, Varazze, and Cogoleto.
Finally, for the Tigullio area, the collection will be available at the Ipercoop I Leudi in Carasco and at stores in Saint Margaret on Corso Matteotti and Via Delpino Teramo, as well as in Lavagna, Recco, Chiavari, Sestri Levante, and Rapallo.
These three collections, through the seemingly simple form of the sticker, bring photographs, places, and the transformations of Ligurian history back into the spotlight. This is a way of preserving memory that involves not only viewing images from the past but also the opportunity to gradually compile them into an album, following paths dedicated to three regions and three distinct moments in their history.
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| The history of Liguria becomes a collection of stickers: three albums featuring Genoa, Savona, and Tigullio |
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