Piccolo Museo della Laguna Sud

The Little Museum of the Southern Lagoon occupies the former Carlo Goldoni elementary school at San Pietro in Volta, on Pellestrina. Founded in 2007, the volunteer-run museum presents the island’s history through four rooms devoted to the sea walls, the 1966 flood, fishing and boatbuilding, alongside a photographic and documentary archive.

Why it matters

The museum grew from material gathered over decades by Pellestrina’s local associations. Families contributed objects and documents, and volunteers maintain the collection and its archive. The Municipality of Venice has recognised the museum’s role in preserving the island’s heritage.

What to notice

The four rooms trace different aspects of life on the island. One focuses on the Murazzi, the Istrian stone sea walls; another documents the flood of 4 November 1966 through photographs and testimonies. Fishing in the sea and lagoon is represented through nets, boats and equipment. The fourth room covers the squeri, the boatyards where Pellestrina’s boats were built and repaired. The museum’s archive preserves photographs and papers relating to the island. Community events have included historical film screenings and demonstrations by local lacemakers.

Context and history

The museum is based in the former Carlo Goldoni school, one of the public buildings at San Pietro in Volta. Its collections draw on the work of local groups including El Fughero and A.C.S. Murazzo, and the museum belongs to the Faro Laguna network. The fishing room was added in 2019, extending the museum’s account of the island’s working life.