Museo Navale «Dr. Ing. Ottorino Zibetti»

About the museum

The Civico Museo Navale is housed in the convent of San Bernardino, built at the end of the 15th century to commemorate the passage of Saint Bernardino of Siena through Caravaggio, and today a civic and cultural center of the town. The museum was founded by Giuseppina Bietti as a tribute to her husband Ottorino Zibetti, an expert naval model maker, collector and lover of the sea, and was inaugurated on 5 November 1978.

The collections include scale reproductions of famous sailing ships, historical relics, navigation instruments, compasses, telescopes, onboard tools, marine fossils, rare shells, medals and a library of the sea. The material is arranged by theme, with an emphasis on clarity and education, to offer a systematic knowledge of the history of navigation.

Among the most significant pieces are the propeller of the torpedo of the M.A.S. X15, with which Luigi Rizzo sank the Austrian battleship Santo Stefano in 1918; fragments of the gondola of the airship Italia of Umberto Nobile; the engine-room control station of the corvette Baionetta; a 16th-century helm wheel; a 1890 diving suit; and the model of the training ship Amerigo Vespucci.

Over the years, donations have expanded the original core. The museum organizes visits for schools and groups and, in collaboration with associations, model-making exhibitions of national scope.

Highlights

• Scale models of famous sailing ships and of the training ship Amerigo Vespucci
• Propeller of the torpedo of the M.A.S. X15 by Luigi Rizzo
• Fragments of the gondola of the airship Italia
• Navigation instruments, a 1890 diving suit and a 16th-century helm wheel
• Library of the sea, fossils and shells

Permanent exhibition

• Collezione navale Zibetti – Ship models, historical relics, navigation instruments, onboard tools, marine fossils, shells and the library of the sea.

Founded

1978

Operated by

Comune di Caravaggio

Visitors per year

approx. 1,000

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

• 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

Single-level building, accessible on foot and by wheelchair; parking nearby.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

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