Museo della pesca
Fishing museum in Villa Carolina on Lake Lugano with a fishing boat, preserved specimens of all Ticino fish species and displays on eel fishing.
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About the museum
The museum opened in Caslano in 1993 and goes back to the initiative of Franco Chiesa (1921–1998), supported by Pietro Colombo and Piercarlo Parini. It began as an off-site section of the Museo del Malcantone, was recognised and supported by the Canton of Ticino, and was initially housed in a building on Via Campagna provided by the municipality of Caslano. Its supporters included the Malcantone tourist association as well as private donors.
Over about seventeen years, the exhibition space and holdings grew so much that the museum is regarded as the most important fishing museum in Switzerland. It moved to Villa Carolina on the lakeshore, which offers better accessibility and a modern exhibition design and includes a multimedia room, a room for temporary exhibitions and a dedicated area for school classes.
The collection documents fishing techniques and fishing traditions, fish species of the region’s waters, boatbuilding, net making and historic fishing methods. The museum is run by the association of the Museo del Malcantone.
Highlights
- Fully equipped fishing boat as the centrepiece of the exhibition
- Preserved specimens of all fish species found in Ticino
- Evolution of fish illustrated by fossils
- Sport fishing, fly fishing and eel traps on the Tresa
- Fisherman’s hut with an eel weir near Madonna del Piano on the Tresa
- Virtual 3D tours
Permanent exhibition
- Dauerausstellung zur Fischerei – Six rooms around a fully equipped fishing boat: fish species and habitats, professional and sport fishing, fly fishing, lures, nets, poaching, and fish on coins and medals.
- Founded
- 1993
- Operated by
- Associazione Museo del Malcantone
Admission & discounts
| Adults | CHF 5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | CHF 3Children and young people aged 6 to 17, AHV pensioners |
| Children & teens | CHF 3Ages 6 to 17. |
| Seniors | CHF 3AHV pensioners |
| Students & apprentices | –Free admission with a student ID. |
| Groups | –Group visits by arrangement only. |
Free admission for association members, holders of a fishing licence, with the Raiffeisen card and with a student ID; discount with the Ticino Ticket.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- 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
Visitors with reduced mobility can park on the square right next to the entrance.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
A dedicated learning room for school classes to experiment with bodies of water; programmes from kindergarten to middle school.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Caslano · 20-min walk
Train Lugano–Ponte Tresa to Caslano station, then about a 20-minute walk; also by boat (Caslano landing stage) or by bicycle from Agno or Ponte Tresa.
By car
Parking available · 5-min walk to the entrance
Only a few parking spaces at the museum; the municipal car parks, a five-minute walk along the lakeshore, are recommended.
- Accessible parking
Small boats can moor at the museum’s jetty.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
Library with a reading room for in-depth study.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Virtual 3D tours of the museum and the “Peschiera di sotto” on the website. School programmes from kindergarten to secondary level (e.g. “Il giocapesce” CHF 150, “Pesciolini al museo” CHF 200, full-day programmes with water samples and microscopy CHF 300); registration by phone or email. |
