The Museum is located in Campo Marconi, just steps from the historic center. The museum building stands above the old walls of the Franciscan friars’ convent, built in 1314. During the war between Venice and Genoa, in 1379, the monastery was severely damaged and was rebuilt in 1434. It was deconsecrated in 1806 and used for various purposes.
The Museum consists of three floors: the ground floor houses archaeological finds dating from the Bronze Age to the 6th century AD. Educational panels illustrate the evolution of the coastline north and south of Chioggia from the Bronze Age up to 1740. Reconstructive models and photographic panels show the oldest findings. These are from the excavation carried out in the 1980s at the Corte Cavanella site. The structures found consist of bank reinforcements and pile systems. At the end of the hall, there is an area dedicated to amphorae found in the sea off Chioggia, dating from the 1st century BC to the 3rd century AD. The exhibition path continues with the medieval section dedicated to the finds discovered by the archaeological group “Fossa Clodia” at the Bebe tower site. The exhibited finds range from pottery to lead seals of the Doges, coins, and clothing accessories.
The first floor is dedicated to Cristoforo Sabbadino, a famous engineer serving the Most Serene Republic of Venice in the 16th century. It contains artifacts from the 12th to the 18th century and also the city’s historical archive, where documents dating back to 1246, the time of the first medieval statutes, illuminated parchment codes, and mariegole (registers) are preserved. On the right of the room, two large prints drawn by Cristoforo Sabbadino in 1557 are visible: a plan of Chioggia and a hydraulic project. On the left, the bronze grain measures from 1332 are displayed, engraved with the city’s oldest coat of arms.
The top floor is dedicated to local shipbuilding and seafaring and was set up thanks to generous donations. This room houses artifacts from the 1700s to the present day. Tools used to cut wood for building local boats are displayed. In the center of this section, some detailed reconstructive models illustrate the different construction phases of the “Bragozzo”, a typical local boat of the 19th century, which, due to its innovative features, replaced all previous boat models. In the second section, sails, nets, and floats made of cork and glass are on display, and hanging on the walls are the only specimens of the “Penelo”, the famous locally made weather vane placed at the top of the boat’s main mast. A showcase exhibits the famous terracotta pipes from Chioggia, dating from the mid-18th century to 1950. Several dioramas can be seen: one showing the “squero” (shipyard) where boats were built, and three relating to different fishing methods in the lagoon.
The central wing houses a collection of paintings by local artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as two panels dated 1381 and 1436 and a fresco from the first half of the 15th century. The paintings are divided into three sections: urban life, daily scenes, and religious life.
Information about South Lagoon Civic Museum “San Francesco fuori le mura”
Campo Marconi, 1
30015 Chioggia (Venice)
0415500911
museo@chioggia.org
https://www.chioggia.org
Source: MIBACT
