Museo Storico Navale

The Museo Storico Navale (Naval History Museum) stands on Riva San Biasio in the Castello district of Venice, Veneto, Italy, beside the Arsenale. It was established in 1919 by the Italian Navy and occupies a former granary of the Republic of Venice, the Granai della Repubblica, dating to the early 16th century, with an annexe housed in the Padiglione delle Navi, a former rope and boat shed used from the 1950s to display large vessels. The collection follows a broadly chronological and thematic path covering the maritime history of Venice and of Italy. Among its best-known exhibits are the model of the Bucintoro, the doge's ceremonial state barge, along with remains of the original vessel destroyed in 1798, and a remarkable set of ship models made by shipwrights over several centuries. Rooms display armour, cannon and weapons from the Republic's fleet, navigation instruments, flags and charts. There is a section on the Italian Navy from the 19th century, including material from the two World Wars, Italian human torpedoes and the submarine relics. The Padiglione delle Navi holds full-size boats, including gondolas, ceremonial barges and larger craft, showing the variety of Venetian lagoon boat-building traditions. The museum is run by the Marina Militare, so the visit has a military and technical focus, with less interpretive material than civic museums. Conservation of the paper and wooden objects has been carried out over the years, and some sections have been reorganised. The museum's location beside the Arsenale gate and the Rio dell'Arsenale makes it a natural companion to a walk through the eastern Castello district. Visitors should note that opening hours are shorter on weekdays than at weekends and that upper floors may close for works.