The history of Italy’s most prestigious naval museum

The Naval History Museum of Venice is considered the most important of its kind in Italy. Officially founded in 1919, it continues the legacy of the Arsenale’s “Casa dei Modelli,” the scale prototypes of the most glorious ships, which were incredibly important to the Navy, as shipwrights often couldn’t read technical drawings and derived the measurements for real ships from them.

The building’s five floors chronicle the evolution of navigation, from the times when Venice was the “Queen of the Adriatic” to the exploits of the modern Navy.

Venice is the sea, and the sea is Venice.

The most precise cannons in Europe

The tour begins with the cannon hall, cast so precisely that they were in demand throughout Europe.

Here, you can also see the famous cast-iron and glass fire pots, containing a lethal mixture of tar and oil. These pots were thrown by hand at enemy ships or from the city walls, and were the protagonists of the second-longest siege in history, which took place in Candia from 1645 to 1669, during a fierce war between the Venetian Republic and the Ottoman Empire.

The Bucintoro: The Gold of the Serenissima

Among the various models, the most famous is the reconstruction of the Bucintoro, the Doges’ ship of state, a floating jewel entirely carved and covered in pure gold. Because Napoleon burned the original to steal its gold, this 19th-century model is the most faithful representation of the final version of the ducal ship, launched in 1727.

Many other marvelous models are also on display, such as the Vascello La Couronne, launched in 1636, the first large military vessel designed and built in France and commissioned by Cardinal Richelieu, Prime Minister of Louis XIII; the Venetian Galleons that decided the outcome of the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, a crucial technological advance in the war against the Turks; and Peggy Guggenheim’s famous gondola. Or General Nelson’s HMS Victory, the only surviving vessel still moored in Portsmouth, protagonist in the 1805 naval battle that allowed the English to defeat Napoleon, very probably the most famous in history.

The Shells That Inspired Roberta di Camerino

On the top floor of the museum, a charming room houses one of the most important and spectacular malacological (shell) collections in Europe.

The exhibition is named after Roberta di Camerino, having been donated to the museum by the family of the famous designer. A passionate collector, she saw the forms of shells not only as nature, but as pure design, a constant source of inspiration for her. Her celebrated “Bagonghi” bag (made famous by Grace Kelly) also features the rigid structure and metal details of the vintage briefcases of naval medical officers.

The uniform room that inspired the great fashion designers

Prestige has always been measured by the quality of the fabrics and the refinement of the details of a garment. The uniforms of the highest ranks of the Italian Navy are, therefore, true symbols of power dressing.

Made by the same weavers that supplied the Doges, such as Rubelli and Bevilacqua, with “jeweled” buttons, such as the Leone in Moleca (the Lion of St. Mark inscribed in a circle) in gold, they have influenced the greatest designers of all time, such as Coco Chanel, who was inspired to pioneer the high-waisted trousers with side buttons like those worn by sailors.

The Ships Pavilion and the Cold War Submarine

Inside a pavilion in the Arsenale, the scenic Ships Pavilion houses exquisite relics of royal ships, including relics from the Royal Yacht “Savoia” and the sumptuous Lancia Reale, once used for official ceremonies of the Italian monarchs, as well as many other vessels.

From there, you can go inside the Arsenale (guided tours only at scheduled times) and experience the Cold War “killer submarine”, the Enrico Dandolo, one of the first vessels built in Italy after the Second World War.

A must-see museum in Italy, especially for those who love Venice and wish to understand it.

The Secret

The buttons on the military uniforms on display are slightly rounded, making them almost impossible to tear during heavy maneuvers among ropes and sails; an “invention” that later became commonplace on men’s blazers.

Useful Info

MUNAV
Riva S. Biasio, Castello 2148
30122 Venezia
Tel. +39 041 5754259

Ticket: €17
Ticket with visit to the submarine: €27