The Po Museum of Navigation at Boretto is located in via Argine Cisa 11, and is an important resource for lovers of the fluvial world. The visit is like a walk through the pages of a large illustrated book: in the case of the Po, the illustrations are the boats, the anchors, signals, the winches, the coxes, the loudhailers, the hydraulic models, the motors, the pumps, the canoes and classic motorboats.
The museum
The museum was created in 1997, following initial preparation by the Po “Sezione Autonoma del Genio Civile”. It was officially launched in 1999, with the creation of an Association with nine founder members, but it closed after the huge floods of 2000, which severely damaged the structures and the objects it contained. In spring 2006, it re-opened to the public and to schools, and in 2009 took the name Po 432 Navigation and River Po Museum.
It is an industrial archaelogical museum, which preserves a series of objects, tools and machines used mainly in the first half of the last century to maintain the river-bed and regulate navigation on the river. Thousands of children and teenagers visit this river temple each year with their schools, and they are usually spellbound by the objects on display. Immediately inside, you can see the Great River as it is, both the scenery and the star or history, while there are different types of boats housed under the collonnade. The Po Museum of Navigation at Boretto offers primary schools a creative way to explore the world of river navigation, organising well-appreciated teaching sessions.
For more information on opening times, please visit the official website.