The Naval History Museum, located in the Venice Arsenal and owned by the Italian Navy, permanently exhibits a collection of testimonies, vestiges and historical relics relating to navigation and in particular the Italian maritime history and the Venetian navy.
The museum was officially born in 1923 "to make it clearer how daring
the Italian naval spirit has always been" (Official Gazette), together
with the Naval Technical Museum of La Spezia. Both museums are managed
by the Navy.
In 1964 it was decided to transfer the museum from
the Arsenale to the current building, a large five-story building which
was once one of the granaries of the Republic of Venice, intended to
supply the fleet and the nearby ovens for the production of biscuits,
the main food of the convicts.
The main building collects artistic and historical relics related to
the history of the Italian navy distributed in 42 exhibition halls on a
total of five floors.
Also part of the museum are the "Navi pavilion"
in the old oars workshop of the arsenal and the church of San Biagio, an
ancient place of worship of the Venetian and then Austrian navy, finally
used for religious functions by Navy personnel.
Ground floor,
first and second floor
Outside, close to the building near the
entrance, two anchors of two Austro-Hungarian battleships from the First
World War have been placed since 1961, one of the SMS Viribus Unitis and
the other of the SMS Tegetthoff, whose twins are placed inside. entrance
of Palazzo Marina in Rome. The first three levels are dedicated to
businesses, equipment and personalities of the Venetian Navy and the
Italian Navy, with some testimonies of the other Maritime Republics on
the second floor. Also on the second level, there is a room dedicated to
the Bucintoro, the ancient ceremonial boat of the doge.
Third
floor
Models of boats typical of the Venice lagoon, fishing boats and
various gondolas are exhibited here, including the one donated by Peggy
Guggenheim to the museum after her death.
Other models of oriental
ships and various memorabilia are arranged in another room.
Fourth floor
The fourth floor, also called the "Swedish Room", is
dedicated to the links between Venice and Sweden and between the Italian
and Swedish Navy, showing the help that our industries have brought to
the formation of the Scandinavian country's navy and aviation .
A
rich collection of shells donated by Roberta di Camerino has been
arranged in a small room which is accessed via a staircase.
Ships
Pavilion
Open to the public only on special occasions, the pavilion
displays authentic Venetian and military ships and a part of the engine
room of the Elettra yacht. The bell of the colonial Eritrean RN is kept
there.
Church of San Biagio
The church still belongs to the
Navy today and the crews of ships stationed in Venice have always
"attended mass" here before going out to sea. Even the young pupil
Guglielmo Teghetoff went there on Sundays, between 1840 and 1845, during
the years in which he was a pupil of the nearby Naval College (academy),
then located in the former convent of Sant'Anna a Castello. the body of
Admiral Angelo Emo, and an oil painting on canvas by the painter
Giuseppe Frascaroli is on display, portraying Santa Barbara, patroness
of sailors.