Museo archeologico nazionale di Venezia

About the museum

The history of the Archaeological Museum is tied to Venice’s relationship with antiquity. The city, which had no direct remains of the classical past, received finds from its contacts with Greece and the Mediterranean, destined for the monuments of Piazza San Marco, and saw an antiquities market and numerous private collections develop.

In 1523 Domenico Grimani bequeathed his art collection to the Republic. The Signoria returned most of the works to the family and kept sixteen ancient marbles, displayed in a room of the Doge’s Palace known as the Sala delle Teste. In 1587 Giovanni Grimani, Patriarch of Aquileia, donated his celebrated collection of ancient sculpture to the Venetian Republic (Serenissima), on condition that the statues remain together: thus the Statuario pubblico was born, placed in 1596 in the vestibule of the Libreria Marciana to a design by Vincenzo Scamozzi. A public museum of antiquities, among the oldest in Europe.

Over the centuries the seat changed several times, but Piazza San Marco always remained its centre. Since 1926 the museum has occupied the first part of the Procuratie Nuove, in the section built by Vincenzo Scamozzi from 1582, which from 1807 became the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace): some ceiling decorations date from that phase. The rooms overlook Piazza San Marco and the Bacino di San Marco.

Highlights

• Ancient sculpture collection donated by Giovanni Grimani
• Ara Grimani with scenes of the cult of Dionysus
• Sala dei Galati (Room of the Galatians) with sculptures of warriors
• Portraits from the Republican and Imperial periods
• Greek funerary stelae
• Tactile route and videos in LIS

Permanent exhibition

• Collezioni permanenti del Museo archeologico – The rooms house Greek and Roman sculpture, portraits from the Republican and Imperial periods and works from the Grimani collection, including the Ara Grimani and the Galatian sculptures.

Founded

1523

Operated by

Ministero della Cultura – Musei Venezia Laguna

Visitors per year

approx. 370,491

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every first Sunday of the month, 25 April, 2 June and 4 November

The ticket for entry from Piazzetta San Marco 17 also includes the monumental rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (from 6 May 2025). Full rate: €5 from Tuesday to Friday, on Saturday and Sunday, and €8 on Wednesdays. Tickets are sold only at the ticket office or via the app and the Musei italiani portal.

Accessibility

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

Tactile route with a selection of original sculptures, free by reservation and open to all; braille guides in Italian, English, French and German; 8 videos in Italian Sign Language (LIS) with subtitles, available on the website. Easy-to-read and AAC materials are in preparation. Guide dogs and pet therapy animals are admitted on a leash; small animals only in suitable carriers.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum periodically offers guided tours and workshops for families and children, free with the purchase of a ticket and telephone booking; the workshops take place only in Italian.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the former Palazzo Reale (Procuratie Nuove); the entrance is from Piazzetta San Marco 17.

Amenities & dining

• Coat check

Large bags, backpacks and umbrellas can be left free of charge in the dedicated spaces. Food and drink may only be consumed outside the museum.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties

The museum makes available for public and private events the Cortile dell’Agrippa (208 m²) and rooms 5, 6, 8 and 9 (about 66 m² each); requests to man-ve-lag@cultura.gov.it.

Plan your visit