Septem Maria Museum

About the museum

The museum is housed in the former Amolara pumping station, in the locality of Capitelli in Adria, in the Polesine. The neoclassical building was designed in 1853 by the engineer Cesare De Lotto and opened in 1854: it was one of the first steam-powered pumping stations in the area and remained in use for land reclamation until 1992. The chimney, about 50 metres high, is still a prominent landmark in the landscape.

After it was decommissioned, the building was restored from 1997 onwards and the museum opened on 21 November 1998. It now belongs to the Consorzio di Bonifica Polesine Adige Canalbianco and shares the building with the adjacent Ostello Amolara. The name refers to the “Septem Maria”, the seven seas, with which Pliny the Elder referred to the navigable inland waters of the Polesine in Roman times.

The route tells the story of the people of the Delta and their relationship with water: a resource, but also a problem in a territory largely below sea level. The first room contains a reproduction of an engraving of 1624 and the “officina della bonifica” (land reclamation workshop) with its work tools. The machine room houses two centrifugal pumps with a combined capacity of 7,200 litres per second, educational panels and models, while the third room displays hydraulic pumps and reclamation tools.

Highlights

• Machine room with two centrifugal pumps of 7,200 litres per second
• Neoclassical building of 1853 with a chimney of about 50 metres
• Reclamation workshop with work tools
• Model of a water wheel and historic maps of the Polesine

Permanent exhibition

• Storia delle acque e della bonifica del Polesine – Centrifugal pumps, reclamation tools, models and historic maps in the former Amolara pumping station.

Founded

1998

Operated by

Consorzio di Bonifica Polesine Adige Canalbianco

Visitors per year

approx. 123 (2019)

Admission & discounts

Opening hours and visiting arrangements are not published online: to visit the museum, it is advisable to contact the Ostello Amolara.

Accessibility

Opening hours and visiting arrangements are not published online: to visit the museum, it is advisable to contact the Ostello Amolara.

Kids & families

Opening hours and visiting arrangements are not published online: to visit the museum, it is advisable to contact the Ostello Amolara.

Getting there & parking

Opening hours and visiting arrangements are not published online: to visit the museum, it is advisable to contact the Ostello Amolara.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant

The adjacent building houses the Ostello Amolara, with kitchen and conference hall.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 99 guests.

Conference hall of the Ostello Amolara with up to 99 seats, also usable as a classroom, and a reading room for private meetings; catering possible with the in-house kitchen.

Plan your visit