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Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa

Museum | Pisa | Tuscany | Italy

The Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa is a significant archaeological museum dedicated to the history of ancient navigation and the city of Pisa. It is located in the historic Arsenali Medicei on Lungarno Simonelli and covers an exhibition area of nearly 5,000 square meters.

Collections and Exhibitions

The exhibition is divided into eight thematic areas and features a total of seven Roman ships, dating from the 3rd century BC to the 7th century AD. Four of these ships are almost fully preserved, offering a unique insight into ancient shipbuilding and maritime life.

In addition to the ships, the collection includes approximately 800 other artifacts, including personal items of sailors, ceramics, glassware, metal objects, and textiles. These finds come from the ship cargoes and the remains of the ships, allowing for a reconstruction of life on board and trade in the Mediterranean during that time.

Historical Background

The discovery of the shipwrecks occurred in 1998 during construction work near Pisa San Rossore train station. Numerous wooden objects were unearthed, indicating the existence of an ancient shipwreck. Further investigations revealed that there were multiple shipwrecks, exceptionally well-preserved.

Significance and Impact

The museum offers a comprehensive insight into the history of navigation and trade in the ancient Mediterranean, making a significant contribution to archaeological research and the cultural heritage of the region. It allows visitors to understand the development of navigation techniques and the importance of maritime trade for the city of Pisa and ancient Rome.

Overall, the Museo delle Navi Antiche di Pisa represents a significant contribution to the preservation and dissemination of the maritime heritage of the region, and is a must-visit for history enthusiasts and lovers of ancient culture.

Contact details

Web

Phone

Address
Lungarno Ranieri Simonelli, 16
56126 Pisa

Map view

Opening hours

Sunday14:00 - 19:30
Monday--
Tuesday8:30 - 14:00
Wednesday8:30 - 14:00
Thursday8:30 - 14:00
Friday8:30 - 14:00
Saturday14:00 - 19:30

Reviews

1309 Reviews

Mr04051973
02.02.2025

Capitato per puro caso. Molto interessante. La storia di Pisa, archeologia marittima.... le navi ritrovate a San Rossore. 90 minuti passati con geande piacere
Mr Tax
01.07.2024

Interessante museo "archeologico" incentrato sul ritrovamento di alcuni relitti di navi romane nella zona della stazione di San Rossore (Pisa)... Farlo diventare il museo Archeologico di Pisa non sarebbe una cattiva idea secondo me.
Giò DF
16.01.2025

Inaspettato, Le vecchie scuderie in cui è allestito sono bellissime. Da visitare se amate i vecchi reperti storici
Franco Scintu
05.01.2025

Piccolo museo co resti di navi in legno
claudio corridi
30.12.2024

Molto bello e ben strutturato. Consiglio
Mikolaj Dobrosielski
26.12.2024

Great museum, it’s a must see when coming to Pisa
Valerio Viti
26.12.2024

Amazing museum!!! A wonderful mix of neolotic through early middle age history of Pisa and its region, passing through Villanovian, Etruscan, Longobard and Bizantine dominations. The ships are the centerpiece, and they deserve it. Bot the old, recovered framework and the reconstructed ships. The amphoras are incredible and their history and design are so well explained that make it very interesting reading. The human history, including the molds of the recovered human and canine skeletons are touching and well explained. Speaking of reading: both in Italian and English. What is inside the museum, is only half of the experience. Like the Natural history museum of Pisa in the Certosa di Calci, the building itself is spectacular. The old arsenal building and horse stalls. Incredible atmosphere! Museum folks super friendly and helpful. One person in my party is old and on a wheelchair and the personnel went out of their way to make us feel welcome. In general, if you show respect and courtesy to the personnel, they will be very accomodating to you. If you show up expecting they are your servers, well, they are not, and they probably are paid not very well, so yes, they will not be catering to your idiosyncratic needs. Parking is limited to the hourly street parking, but if you are willing to walk 10mins you can find free parking along the Arno bank, before you get to the tall tower, coming in from the Aurelia. The museum is not heated or cooled, it is basically in the open, so dress properly. Dress plenty warm if you go on a cold winter day like we did! What a gem of a museum in Pisa's already very rich cultural landscape! Some additional comments after reading others' reviews: - I agree there could be some seats and benches for older folks to sit, rest and admire the ships and exhibits. - Some of the comments about "interactive" exhibits are hilarious. We have friends with young children and they loooooved the museum. If you are looking for over the top digital stimulation, Disney world is your place, not a museum about real history. But I would suggest to expose your children to this "boring" stuff too and build some real world awareness - glad to see there is some type of air conditioning during the summer! - I highly suggest that the museum does a better job at marketing itself! It is a gem but it needs more visibility! I can imagine tourists traveling to Pisa to just visit this museum (but it is second to Piazza dei Miracoli! :) )
Casy Calver
26.12.2024

We had a magical time at this wonderful museum. There is so much to see, plan to spend a lot of time there. The environment is amazing, and the displays of artifacts and ships are beautifully done. The staff were incredibly kind and helpful. We will be back!
Ranwez Noémie
18.12.2024

Un musée intéressant pour les fans d’histoire et de bateau. Il est très complet. Je n'imaginais pas que ça serait aussi grand. En revanche je pense qu’il serait nécessaire d’ajouter des assises, pour pouvoir admirer certaines œuvres, pour les personnes en situation d’handicape ou pour reposer les jambes fatiguées. Le musée est très froid, même plus froid qu’à l'extérieur et il est également très sombre ! Aucun écran numérique ne fonctionne, dommage….
Carlo Riccetti
16.12.2024

Un salto nel passato
Joanna Perrett
07.12.2024

Worth a visit, lots to see.
Pilvi Kolk
24.10.2024

Full of black dusty screens. Old fashioned place, no interactive spots at all. Needs renovation. Boring. Full of "do not touch" signs. Staff scrolling on phones.
Valerie Tronina
23.10.2024

Mi è piaciuto tantissimo il museo. Here you can find ancient ships that are over 1000 years old. Many of them are still in good condition. This is incredible! You can understand better how people lived on ships at that time: you can see clay and glass jars, jewelry, coins, food remains and many many other ancient things. You can learn more about the trade ancient routes. I had a great time and found out a lot of interesting! I recommend it to everyone!
ye „givymiumy“
20.10.2024

Il museo è carino, sicuramente originale e interessante per le navi, ma migliorabile, incentrandolo (seconde me) più sull'argomento navi che sull'argomento di storia generale ritrovabile anche in altri musei. L'ambiente andrebbe curato di più, non da un bell'effetto trovare le luci di alcune teche spente o il muro decadente.
Paweł Smyk
19.10.2024

Ciekawe miejsce. Odwiedziliśmy z uwagi na padający deszcz.
Simone Ghetti de Pregi
15.10.2024

Esperienza molto interessante. Tanto da vedere e prezzo onesto. Consigliato!
Lize
14.10.2024

Since I was in Pisa for a week, I wanted to thoroughly check out the musea it had to offer. While at first I didnt think much of it, I highly recommend this place. If you love history and historical artefacts you will LOVE it here. Their collection is impressive, most of it located in old horse stables.
Stefania Capece Iachini
13.10.2024

Bal museo, sono felice di averlo visto. Informazioni chiare e ampie. Divertentissimo il video all’inizio. Edificio splendido. In generale super consigliato! Molto gentile il personale. Hanno visto che ero un po’ affaticata per la gravidanza avanzata e mi hanno dato una sedia pieghevole da portarmi dietro per potermi godere l’esperienza. Grazie!!!
Pacurar Alin
11.10.2024

Cel mai frumos muzeu pe aceasta tema! Se vede ca a fost organizat de profesionisti ! Felicitari!
Wilko Grolman
10.10.2024

Nice museum showing the old history of Pisa and the ancient ships they have found frequently just by accident.

 

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