[2] Società Italiana di Transporti Marittimi Raggio & Co.[4] was founded in Genoa in 1882 by Carlo, Edilio and Armando Raggio to transport passengers and freight between Italy and South America; Società Rocco Piaggio & Figli was formed in Genoa in 1870 and operated routes to Montevideo and Buenos Aires through the Canary Islands, then later between Genoa, Naples, and Rio de la Plata.

[6] 1906 brought another expansion with the acquisition of Italia Società di Navigazione a Vapore, a shipping company founded in Genoa in 1899.

Also in 1910, NGI acquired Lloyd Italiano,[7] a shipping company started in Genoa in 1904 by Erasmo Piaggio who was pursuing links with North and South America.

The company's principal routes were those from Italy-US East Coast and Italy-Brazil/Argentina, both strongly underpinned economically by the emigrant trade.

Amongst these were a group of ships named after the Italian royal family and other aristocrats and figures of Roman history.