Museo storico della giostra e dello spettacolo popolare

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1999 in Bergantino, in Upper Polesine, a town known as “Centro della Giostra” (Fairground Centre) because for decades it has been linked to travelling entertainment: this is where the companies were founded that build attractions for parks around the world. The local story begins in the 1930s, when two bicycle mechanics from the town, after seeing an electric toy car track at a fair, began building fairground rides.

After the restoration of the 18th-century Palazzo Strozzi, financed by the PNRR (Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan) as part of a project on the appeal of historic villages, the museum was inaugurated in its new home on 25 October 2025. The exhibition route tells a thousand years of history, in rooms with fantastical stage designs: the ancient origins, the merchant fair (1000–1750), the amusement park (1750–1950) and the luna park from 1950 to today.

The new display “I luoghi dell'altrove” adds a spectacular route with illustrated panels and video stations: a reception room, the room dedicated to the composer Stefano Gobatti from Polesine, and the rooms of street performances, with the albero della cuccagna (greasy pole), fireworks and the story of the «Giocabriga». The museum also houses a library and an archive for scholars on popular entertainment.

Highlights

• A thousand years of history, from merchant fair to luna park
• Palazzo Strozzi, restored 18th-century building
• Room dedicated to the composer Stefano Gobatti
• Street-performance rooms: albero della cuccagna (greasy pole) and fireworks
• Library and archive on popular entertainment

Permanent exhibitions

• Percorso storico-antropologico sullo spettacolo popolare – A thousand years of fairground history: ancient origins, merchant fair, amusement park and luna park, in rooms with fantastical stage designs.
• I luoghi dell'altrove – New spectacular route in Palazzo Strozzi with panels and video stations: the Gobatti room and the street-performance rooms.

Founded

1999

Admission & discounts

Special reduced admission (€3) also for residents of Bergantino and on special occasions. Free for children up to 12 years with a TCI Junior or ViviParchi card accompanied by a paying adult, tourist guides and journalists with a press card, and military personnel in uniform.

Accessibility

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

The museum is accessible to people with disabilities; it is advisable to mention this when booking. Guide dogs and small animals in carriers are allowed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Family ticket and guided tour designed for families; the museum also offers a new educational programme for schools.

Getting there & parking

By car from Rovigo and from Padua (A13, Villamarzana exit) along the Transpolesana (SS434) to Badia Polesine and then the SR482 towards Ostiglia, about 25 km; from Ferrara via Occhiobello and the SR482 (about 30 km); from Verona and Mantua to Ostiglia and then the SR482 towards Rovigo/Ferrara (10 km).

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check: not available
• Lockers: not available

Bookshop with the museum's publications, gadgets and stationery. There is no cloakroom, and bags or luggage cannot be left in storage.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit