Historical Naval Museum

The Naval Historical Museum of Venice is one of the most fascinating and historically rich museums in the city, located in the Castello district, near the Ancient Arsenal. Founded in 1919 by the Royal Navy, this museum offers a journey through the centuries of maritime history of Venice, from the Serenissima Republic to the present day. The main building of the museum, a 15th-century granary, houses a vast and varied collection spread over five floors. Each floor is dedicated to different aspects of Venetian and Italian naval history, creating an exhibition path that blends historical artifacts, ship models, paintings, and documents, offering a comprehensive and engaging overview of the maritime tradition. At the entrance of the museum, visitors are greeted by two iconic pieces: the funerary monument to Angelo Emo, the last “Captain at sea” of the Venetian Navy, and a Slow Speed Torpedo from World War II, known as the “Pig”. These two artifacts symbolically represent the link between the glorious naval history of the Serenissima and the more recent history of the Italian Navy. The exhibition path begins on the ground floor, where numerous relics and ship and fortress artillery pieces are displayed, including an imposing stern lantern of a Venetian galley from the 16th century. Also of great interest is the collection of eighteen wooden models of ancient Venetian fortresses in the Adriatic and Aegean, made between the 16th and 17th centuries, which offer a detailed view of Venice’s engineering and defensive capabilities. Moving up to the first floor, you enter the heart of the maritime history of the Serenissima Republic. Here you can admire models of great historical value, such as a detailed reconstruction of a war galley with rowers in place, a “galeazza” that played a key role in the victory of Lepanto in 1571, and the famous Bucintoro, the ceremonial ship used by the Doge for the “marriage of the sea”. These models not only illustrate Venice’s naval capabilities, but also the art and craftsmanship with which these ships were built. The second floor is mainly dedicated to the unified Italian Navy, with models, paintings, and artifacts illustrating its historical path. Among the exhibited pieces, there is a collection of models of warships and submarines that testify to the technological and strategic evolution of the Italian navy. On the third floor, the museum offers a series of surprises. The gondola room, including one that belonged to Peggy Guggenheim, a billionaire in love with Venice, is just one example. There are also exhibitions of boats typical of the Venetian lagoon, a collection of sailor ex-votos, and a collection of models of Chinese junks, donated to the museum by a French collector. This diversity of artifacts highlights the global importance of maritime trade and the cultural exchanges that Venice has maintained over the centuries. The last floor, the fourth, houses the Swedish Room, which testifies to the good relations between Sweden and Italy, and in particular, between their navies. There is also a precious collection of shells donated by the designer Roberta di Camerino, an unusual but fascinating addition that further enriches the museum experience. An interesting anecdote concerns the inclusion in the museum of the Enrico Dandolo submarine, one of the first submarines built in Italy after World War II. This “killer submarine” of the Cold War, known for its silence and maneuverability, is now anchored in the Arsenal of Venice and can be visited, offering visitors a unique and immersive experience in the history of naval technology.