Museo Etnografico dei Mestieri del Fiume
Ethnographic museum in a rural house on the banks of the Mincio: fishing, hunting, harvesting of reeds and everyday life in the Valli del Mincio.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum originated in 1996, when the Municipality of Rodigo and the Mincio Park set up a visitor centre with exhibition and educational functions in Rivalta sul Mincio. The same year Roberto Coffani donated numerous objects, tools and finds linked to local crafts to the municipality, which completed the display and broadened the purpose of the facility to the protection and promotion of this heritage. The municipal council formally established the museum in 2008, regulating its conservation and use.
The venue is an old, restored rural building in Via Porto, a few metres from the river bank. The exhibition route starts with the geomorphology of the territory and traces human presence from the lake dwellings to the present day, with a model at the entrance showing the network of canals in the marsh between Rivalta and Mantua.
The rooms display the tools for harvesting common reed and sedge, boats and fishing equipment, hunting hides, a section on building and repairing boats, and a reconstructed kitchen with period furniture. Some panels illustrate the flora and fauna of the Valli del Mincio Regional Nature Reserve and the people who made their living from this environment.
Highlights
- Tools for harvesting common reed and sedge
- Boats, fishing equipment and hunting hides
- Reconstructed kitchen with period furniture
- Model of the marsh canals between Rivalta and Mantua
- Close to the Valli del Mincio Nature Reserve and the Casa del Calafato
Permanent exhibition
- Percorso permanente sui mestieri del fiume – Tools, boats, fishing and hunting equipment, a reconstructed kitchen and a model of the canals of the Valli del Mincio.
- Founded
- 1996
- Operated by
- Comune di Rodigo
- Visitors per year
- approx. 1,324
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | €2free up to age 5 · Free up to age 5; €2 from age 6. |
| Groups (15+ people) | €1.50 per personPer-person rate for groups of at least 15 people. |
Rates according to the Mantua tourist portal; the municipality’s page indicates paid admission without amounts.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The same building houses a tourist information point and a branch of the municipal library. In the area it is possible to rent canoes and book electric boat trips on the Mincio.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 45 min |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Guided visits can be booked (about 45 minutes, for groups of up to 15 people). A short distance away, on the bank of the Mincio, is the Casa del Calafato, a reconstruction of a house and a caulking yard with furniture from the 1950s. |
