Museo delle Acque Italo-Svizzere

About the museum

The Panperduto is a large complex of industrial hydraulics on the Ticino, in the territory of Somma Lombardo, where the dam and the intake feed the canals that carry the river’s water to fields and power stations. The museum is housed on the island of Confurto, in the former building once used for maintenance equipment, renovated according to energy-saving and environmental sustainability criteria without altering its original features.

The Museo delle Acque Italo-Svizzere blends in with the surrounding landscape and aims to convey the importance of water for human and natural life, as a resource for agriculture, food, the landscape and the production of electricity. On the floor is a map at 1:1,500 scale of the territory from Sesto Calende to Vizzola, useful for understanding the origin, history and structure of the Italian-Swiss hydraulic basin of the Ticino.

The multipurpose hall of about 150 square metres can host conferences, exhibitions, educational workshops and events. The museum is visited on guided excursions, which also include the dam, the fish ladder, the spillway and the head of the canals.

Highlights

• Floor map at 1:1,500 scale of the Italian-Swiss Ticino basin
• Dam and intake of the Panperduto
• Fish ladder and spillway
• Water-play garden for children
• Open-air museum on the island of Confurto

Permanent exhibition

• Museo delle Acque Italo-Svizzere – Map at 1:1,500 scale of the Ticino hydraulic basin between Sesto Calende and Vizzola, in the open-air museum of the Panperduto.

Operated by

Consorzio Est Ticino Villoresi

Admission & discounts

Guided tour: €10 for adults, €5 for children aged 6 to 10 years, free for children up to 5 years old and for people with disabilities.

Accessibility

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

The route is easy and almost entirely flat, but it has steps and slight gradients.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

During the visit there is a quarter of an hour dedicated to children in the water-play garden.

Getting there & parking

Set your satnav to Via Canottieri, Somma Lombardo (coordinates 45.677200, 8.684064). Alternatively, approach from the south to the locality of Maddalena (Via al Ticino, coordinates 45.662007, 8.675436) and continue on foot along the towpath for 15 minutes. From the A26 Milano–Laghi motorway take the Besnate or Vergiate exit; from the SS 336 Milano Malpensa take the Somma Lombardo exit.

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