In this contribution, I will summarize a multidecadal effort performed by Italian research institutions, partly within European initiatives, to construct ocean color climate data records. Since the late 1990’s the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) engaged in ocean color validation activities using optical instrumentation on board of large research vessels. Posteriorly, within the framework of European projects, CNR contributed to the creation of a European infrastructure for the satellite monitoring of the oceans, first as pilot experiences, and finally as the Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring System (CMEMS). Recently, CNR was involved in the Ocean Color component of the Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI). CNR has also diversified its array of observing infrastructures, including autonomous systems on ships, fixed sensors on platforms, Argo flats and drifting surface buoys. This multi-platform infrastructure has moreover been channeled into a unique observing system that is unique worldwide, the ITINERIS system, facilitating observation and study of processes. This path has not occurred without hurdles though, some of which persist, namely the excessive dependence on foreign technology, the lack of validation, arrested development of in situ instrumentation and the lack of integration of emerging technologies for satellite processing.