Ecomuseo Urbano Mare Memoria Viva

About the museum

The Ecomuseo Urbano Mare Memoria Viva is a community museum that tells the story of Palermo from the sea. It is housed in the former locomotive depot of Sant'Erasmo, a late 19th-century railway station with a large pavilion with cast-iron pillars and a pagoda-style timber roof, surrounded by a garden of Mediterranean plants at the mouth of the Oreto river. The museum's audiovisual archive grew out of a collection of photographs, videos, interviews, documents and maps begun in 2012, to which works by artists in residence, research and the results of workshops have been added over time.

The museum is run by the association Mare Memoria Viva in a long-term public-private partnership with the Comune di Palermo. In 2024 it was presented to the city completely renewed, with new displays and routes made possible by European funding from the PNRR; a section devoted to the Oreto river, whose mouth lies right at the entrance, was added on that occasion.

The route, entirely audiovisual and interactive, symbolically moves from the sea towards the land and brings together stories of residents of the seaside settlements, shipyard workers, families and bathing establishments, but also the account of the “sacco edilizio” (building sprawl) that transformed the city's landscape, of environmental injustice and of activism for the regeneration of the coast.

Highlights

• Audiovisual and interactive route along Palermo's south coast
• Testimonies from residents of the seaside settlements and shipyard workers
• Section on the Oreto river with visits to its mouth
• Late 19th-century locomotive depot with a Mediterranean garden
• Bistrot Lido in the garden

Permanent exhibition

• Percorso ecomuseale «Mare Memoria Viva» – Audiovisual and interactive exhibits with testimonies, archives and works of art on the relationship between Palermo and its sea.

Founded

2014

Operated by

Associazione Mare Memoria Viva ETS, in partenariato con il Comune di Palermo

Visitors per year

approx. 8,579

Admission & discounts

Admission is free for residents of the Comune di Palermo and charged for non-residents. Also free for tourist and nature guides accompanying visitors. Fees taken from the tourism portal of the Comune di Palermo; the museum's website does not state the amounts.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The building is free of architectural barriers and equipped for wheelchair users. The route is also accessible to blind or partially sighted people and to deaf people, with dedicated devices and an app for smartphones or tablets provided at the ticket office. A space in the internal car park is reserved for those who need it.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

The MarEdù educational department offers visits and workshops for children and schools; the route is interactive and suitable for all ages.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant

Bar-bistrot Lido in the garden (Wednesday to Saturday lunch; Friday and Saturday also aperitivo and dinner).

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The building can host events organised by third parties (page “Organizza i tuoi eventi” on the website).

Plan your visit