Parco Museo Virgilio – Forte di Pietole
Multimedia museum on Virgil in the Forte di Pietole, a 19th-century Napoleonic fort set in a lowland wood of more than 30 hectares along the Mincio.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Forte di Pietole stands in Borgo Virgilio, in the locality that tradition identifies as Andes, the birthplace of the poet Virgil and the seat of the family lands. The small settlement, with a Romanesque pieve (parish church), was razed in the Napoleonic period to build the fort. It was designed in 1802 by the French general François de Chasseloup-Laubat to defend Mantua from attacks from the south and to regulate the waters of the Mincio for military purposes.
After the fall of the Napoleonic empire the Austrians retook Mantua and completed the fort, making it more effective for the new weapons. With the annexation of Mantua to the Kingdom of Italy its defensive function ended, and the fort became a store for weapons and ammunition. After the bombings of the Second World War it remained an Army depot until it was decommissioned in the 1980s, followed by thirty years of abandonment. Transferred from the state property office (Demanio) to the Comune di Borgo Virgilio, it was restored and converted into a park-museum.
Today the Parco Museo Virgilio comprises the fort, a park of more than 30 hectares on the Mons Virgilii with paths, cycle routes and landing stages for river navigation, and a museum devoted to the poet, which presents Virgil’s work with video mapping, QR codes, viewers, models, immersive projections and scent diffusers.
Highlights
- Napoleonic fort of Pietole with bastions, moats and casemates
- Multimedia museum on Virgil with video mapping, viewers and scent diffusers
- Nature park of more than 30 hectares on the Mons Virgilii
- Transparent beehives and trees mentioned by Virgil
- Access on foot, by bicycle or by river boat along the Mincio
Permanent exhibition
- Museo Virgilio – Multimedia route on Virgil’s life and work in the Forte di Pietole, with video mapping, viewers and scent diffusers.
- Founded
- 2024
- Operated by
- Comune di Borgo Virgilio – Fondazione Virgilio
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €8 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5students aged 14 to 18, university students, over-65s, groups of at least 10 people (maximum 15), residents of Borgo Virgilio, and holders of the ticket for the Museo Virgilio in Mantua (reduction valid for 90 days) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 14 · Free for children and young people up to age 14. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free for people with disabilities and their companions. |
| Schools from outside the municipality | €2 |
| Visit to the nature park | €2 |
Free admission also for members of the law enforcement forces and for schools of the Comune di Borgo Virgilio.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking
- 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
People with disabilities can also enter from Viale Learco Guerra in Mantua, past the barrier on the unpaved road (about 2 km), with parking inside the park in the areas indicated by staff.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
By bus you reach Viale Learco Guerra in Mantua and, past the barrier, follow the unpaved road for about 2 km; double-decker and articulated buses are not allowed.
By car
Parking available
Green car park on arrival from Strada del Corriere; buses and people with disabilities park inside the park (access from via Learco Guerra). Bicycle racks in front of the gate.
- Accessible parking
On foot or by bike it is 2 km along Strada del Corriere; by car from Cerese (near the Best Western Hotel Cristallo) along the scenic road to the green car park. By river boat you dock at the Vallazza landing stage and continue 1 km along the cycle path.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Bookshop in the ticket area with publications of the Comune di Borgo Virgilio and the Fondazione Virgilio, educational material, gifts and postcards.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
The spaces can be rented for events and functions by writing to info@parcomuseovirgilio.com.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Group, school and guided visits on request: info@parcomuseovirgilio.com. Multimedia tools (QR codes, viewers, projections) are used for visiting the museum. |
