Ecomuseo del Litorale Romano – Polo Ostiense

About the museum

The Polo Ostiense is the first hub completed by the Ecomuseo del Litorale Romano, a historical-anthropological ecomuseum system dedicated to the Tiber delta and run by the cooperative CRT – Ricerca sul Territorio. The ecomuseum has been recognised by the Lazio Region as an institution of public interest since 1997 and is part of the Organizzazione Museale Regionale.

The venue is the land-reclamation pumping station of Ostia Antica, whose main building dates to 1884. The machine room has survived almost in its original condition and houses the first hydraulic lifting pumps, still in working order. The outdoor route runs past the high- and low-water canals, the large collection basin, the ancient and modern pumps and, in the garden, full-scale reconstructions of huts of the coastal farmland and some farm tools.

The indoor route tells the story of the coastal farmland before the 19th century, the hygiene and health conditions of the Roman countryside, the discovery of how malaria is transmitted and the fight against it, the birth of the labourers’ cooperative movement in the Ravenna area and the land reclamation of the coast, up to the development of contemporary settlements. Period photographs, household objects and work tools, models and reconstructed environments are on display, along with audio and video testimonies; the Sala Visioni hosts screenings, meetings and educational activities.

Highlights

• 19th-century machine room with the first pumps, still working
• Outdoor route past canals, the collection basin and ancient and modern pumps
• Indoor route on land reclamation, the fight against malaria and labourers’ cooperatives
• Model with pumps showing how the plant works
• Sala Spazio/Tempo on the transformation of the territory over the last 20,000 years

Permanent exhibitions

• Percorso esterno: impianto idrovoro e area di bonifica – Canals, collection basin, ancient and modern pumps and reconstructions of coastal-farmland huts in the garden.
• Percorso interno: la storia della bonifica – Thematic sections on the coastal farmland, malaria, labourers’ cooperatives and land reclamation, with photographs, objects, tools, models and audiovisuals.

Operated by

CRT – Cooperativa Ricerca sul Territorio

Admission & discounts

For individual visitors admission is pay-what-you-wish, but the guided tour is compulsory and costs €12.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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