The Museum is located in Campo Marconi, just a short walk 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 evidence dating from the Bronze Age to the 6th century AD. Some educational panels illustrate the evolution of the coastline north and south of Chioggia from the Bronze Age until 1740. Reconstructive models and photographic panels illustrate 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 room, there is an area dedicated to amphorae found in the sea in front of Chioggia, dating from the 1st century BC to the 3rd century AD. The exhibition route continues with the medieval section dedicated to finds uncovered by the archaeological group “Fossa Clodia” at the site of the Bebe tower. The exhibited finds range from pottery to leaden dogal weights, coins, clothing accessories.
The first floor is dedicated to Cristoforo Sabbadino, a famous engineer serving the Most Serene Republic of Venice who lived in the 16th century; it contains finds from the 12th century to the 18th century and also the city’s historic archive where documents dating back to 1246 are preserved, the time of the first medieval statutes, illuminated parchment codes, and the mariegole (registers). To the right of the room, two large drawings made by Cristoforo Sabbadino in 1557 are visible: a map of Chioggia and a hydraulic project. On the left, the bronze grain measures from 1332 with the oldest coat of arms of the city engraved on them can be seen.
The top floor is dedicated to local shipbuilding and seafaring and has been set up thanks to generous donations. This room houses finds ranging from the 1700s to the present day. The tools used to cut timber for the construction of local boats are exhibited. In the center of this section, some reconstructive models illustrating in detail the different construction phases of the “Bragozzo,” a typical local vessel of the 19th century that, due to its innovative peculiarity, replaced all previous boat models, can be seen. In the second section, sails, nets, cork and glass floats for the nets and, hanging on the walls, the only specimens of the “Penelo,” the famous locally produced weather vane that was placed atop the main mast of the boat, are visible. A display case exhibits the famous Chioggia terracotta pipes dating from the mid-18th century to 1950. Some dioramas can be seen: one concerning the “squero,” the shipyard where boats were built, and three related to the different fishing methods in the lagoon.
The central wing houses a collection of canvases by local artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but also two panels dated one 1381, the other 1436, and a fresco from the first half of the 15th century. The paintings are divided into three sections: urban life, daily scene, and religious life.
Information about Civic Museum of the Southern Lagoon “San Francesco fuori le mura”
Campo Marconi, 1
30015 Chioggia (Venice)
0415500911
museo@chioggia.org
https://www.chioggia.org
Source: MIBACT
