Museo archeologico della Valle Sabbia

About the museum

The Museo archeologico della Valle Sabbia was founded in 1956 in Gavardo on the initiative of the schoolteacher Piero Simoni and a group of enthusiasts of speleology and archaeology from the Gruppo Grotte Gavardo. Their research, beginning with the excavations at the Buco del Frate in Prevalle, which brought to light the skeleton of a cave bear (Ursus spelaeus), forms the original core of the collections.

The museum is housed in an old building beside the parish church and preserves the evidence of human settlement in the Valle Sabbia and the western area of Lake Garda from the Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages. Today it belongs to the Comune di Gavardo and since 2016 has been run by the Fondazione “Piero Simoni”, which directed numerous excavation campaigns, including those at Corna Nibbia in Bione and at Doss della Rocchetta in Sabbio Chiese, and since 2007 has looked after the research and promotion of the pile-dwelling site of Lucone in Polpenazze del Garda, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2011.

On the ground floor is the palaeontological room with the fossils; on the first floor the rooms illustrate the cultural phases from the Palaeolithic to the Iron Age, with the cast of the Lucone dugout canoe and the finds from the Lugone necropolis of Salò. The museum also has a photographic archive and a specialised library, which can be consulted by appointment.

Highlights

• Palaeontological room with fossils and the skeleton of a cave bear
• Finds from the Palaeolithic to the Iron Age
• Cast of the Lucone dugout canoe of Polpenazze
• Finds from the Lugone necropolis of Salò, including a flask-shaped terra sigillata vessel
• Educational workshops and birthday parties at the museum

Permanent exhibition

• Collezioni archeologiche e paleontologiche – Palaeontological room on the ground floor and rooms on the first floor from the Palaeolithic to the Iron Age, with the Lucone dugout canoe and the Lugone necropolis of Salò.

Founded

1956

Operated by

Fondazione “Piero Simoni” (museo di proprietà del Comune di Gavardo)

Visitors per year

approx. 4,898

Admission & discounts

Free admission also for holders of the Abbonamento Musei, MIC and MIUR staff on duty, ICOM members, licensed tourist guides on duty, and members of the museums of the Sistema Museale della Valle Sabbia and of the Rete Manet. Electronic payment available on site. Schools visit the museum only by booking, through the Educational Services.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• 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

Equipped toilets for people with disabilities are available. The information office and ticket office are on the first floor and can only be reached by stairs: in case of mobility difficulties it is advisable to notify by telephone or ring the bell at the entrance, so that staff can arrange the welcome. The Educational Services offer itineraries for special audiences, particularly in the field of physical and mental disability.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

The museum offers interactive educational routes and workshops in experimental archaeology, activities for nursery and primary schools, Sunday openings with workshops for everyone, and birthday celebrations at the museum.

Getting there & parking

By car: motorway A4 Milan–Venice, exit Brescia Est; follow the signs for the Gardesana Occidentale SS 45 bis towards Salò, leave at Gavardo and continue towards the centre following the signs for the museum.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit