THE NAVAL MUSEUM AND A PLUNGE INTO REAL VENETIAN LIFE The Naval Museum is one of those rare charming old fashioned museums that most visitors miss out. Yet, don’t be taken it by its appearance: this old “captain” can offer an incredible array of treasures. Its collection features a real profusion of precious and rare naval memorabilia, such as old maps and drawings, cannons, mortars, culverins, large models of old ships and traditional fishing boats, as well as two 19th C gondolas and Peggy Guggenheim’s own gondola, and a model of the Bucintoro, the Doge’s sumptuous ceremonial galley, decorated with velvets and gold, the original sadly destroyed by Napoleon. The Museum neighbourhood, with the spacious and quaint via Garibaldi, is one of the fewest area in the city where residents outnumber tourists. Here you can find normal shops with normal prices for normal people, washing hanging on an endless network of lines above your heads, fishing nets outside the doorways, a boat selling fruit and vegetables, a beautiful image of what Venice can and should be, maybe not for long…
THE NAVAL MUSEUM IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR RESTAURATION