(all flat-bottomed), the pride of the area around Venice; the means of propulsion and picturesque but gruelling life on-board; the waterworks and developed network of waterways and the art of navigating in internal waters.
In addition to taking the nearby waterways and trails in the Euganean Hills, other points of interest include the imposing Castello Catajo (Catajo Castle), the lovely Chiesa di S. Giacomo (St. James’ Church), the falls at the Arco di Mezzo, the natural sudoriferous cave (previously INPS) and the elegant SelvaticoSartori villa. Or you can simply follow the “Ferro di cavallo” (Horseshoe) nature trail and the shore along the Battaglia canal. Nearby are Monselice with its Rocca (Citadel), Castle and the Sette Chiese (Seven Churches), Emo Villa in Rivella, the medieval churches of S. Stefano (St. Stephen) in Due Carrare and S. Giustina (St. Justina) in Pernumia, the castle of S. Pelagio (St. Pelagius), today the Museo dell’Aria (Museum of Air) and the Butterfly Arc – Casa delle Farfalle in Montegrotto Terme. All within the radius of just a few kilometers.
ASSOCIAZIONE per la CULTURA e
Stampa Tipolito Moderna
The Museo della Navigazione Fluviale di Battaglia Terme (Museum of River Navigation, Battaglia Terme) offers visitors the opportunity of becoming acquainted with the fascinating history and culture of river boatmen (barcari), drawing them into this humble, yet rich universe. River navigation is not a lesser or easier type of navigation compared to its sea-going counterpart. It is simply a different experience, the toils and stories of which have been described less dramatically, but with more realism and involvement. Thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of a number of ex-boatmen who, starting in 1979, began gathering together numerous exhibits and invaluable documentation, and the permission to use the former public slaughterhouse as the museum’s home, this key and previously-unexplored aspect of the history of the Veneto and Po Valley regions is now accessible to all. Navigation began to wane on some river branches with the construction of the railways in the 1800s and the decline continued through the period following the second world war thanks to fierce competition from road transport which rendered profitless and cumbersome the traditional wooden boats which remained in use up to the 1950s. The purpose of the Battaglia Museum is to provide a journey through the “lost” world of river and lagoon transport in all its facets including: activity in the boatyards and the various types of boats
Realized with the contribution of:
Visiting Battaglia Terme and its environs
la TRADIZIONE FLUVIALE
Information Museo Civico della Navigazione Fluviale - Battaglia Terme Via Ortazzo 63, Tel. +39 049 525170 – 525711, Fax +39 049 9100347. www.provincia.padova.it/museo_navigazione museo.navigazione@turismopadova.it
Hours:
RIVER ITINERARIES
Winter hours: Saturday and Sunday 10am to 12 noon / 3pm to 7pm Summer hours: Saturday and Sunday 10am to 12 noon 6pm to 10 pm (with prior reservation) Visits on other days and times are possible with prior reservation.
To get to the Museum: -motorway: Padua-Bologna, “Terme Euganee” exit -local road: Adriatica no. 16 -rail: Padua-Bologna, Battaglia Terme station.
M
Tourist information: Battaglia Terme Tourist Office Via Maggiore 1 – Tel. +39 049 526909 Montegrotto Terme Tourist Information Office Viale Stazione 60 – Tel. +39 049 8928311
The Museum of River Navigation Sponsors: Maestro Carpentiere Ottorino Farinazzo Via Pontemanco, 119 Due Carrare - Padova
useo.
Maestro Falegname Antonio Favaro Via Pontemanco, 49 Due Carrare - Padova Trattoria Da Nicola Via Sabbioni, 38 Montegrotto Terme - Padova
Riviera dei Mugnai, 8 35137 Padova Tel. +39 049 8767911 Fax +39 049 650794 www.turismopadova.it www.turismotermeeuganee.it
PARCO REGIONALE dei COLLI EUGANEI
Provincia di Padova
Consorzio Terme Euganee
Comune di Battaglia Terme
© Photo credit: Museum of River Navigation - Battaglia Terme.
Parco Regionale dei Colli Euganei
November 2006
Museum of River Navigation, Battaglia Terme.
Museum of River Navigation, Battaglia Terme.
A tradition that flows through time. From ancient times, rivers and canals were used as the natural and safest communication routes for the transport of goods and passengers. In particular, in the Veneto region, the close-knit river system influenced the development of social and economic relations, enhanced by a vast and highlydeveloped range of types of boats. The central position of the Padua area, the nodal point between the lagoon of Venice and interior Po Valley, allowed for the development of communication through the Brenta and Bacchiglione rivers and their tributaries. The easy access to main water routes thanks to a sophisticated system of connecting canals, bulwarks and other hydraulic works, further enhanced the already-flourishing agricultural, artisan and industrial activity, offering a wider market area. Within this context, Battaglia Terme was the nodal point of a vast network of traffic. At the center of an area with intense manufacturing and, above all, quarrying activity (trachyte and flakes from the Euganean Hills), it was the convergence point of major waterways connecting the hill area and Padua lowlands with the main water routes in northeast Italy.
It is located at the point at which the Bigatto and Battaglia canals (arriving respectively from Este and Padua) join to become the Vigenzone canal connecting Battaglia with Bovolenta, Pontelongo and on through to Chioggia. The town’s settlement and development were closely tied to river commerce and the harnessing of hydraulic energy (mills, paper production, hammering). The Battaglia Canal was dug between the years 1189 and 1201, creating a river “highway” to connect the fortified outpost of Monselice and the Euganean Hills with the city of Padua. The arrival of significant numbers of workers to realize this project and the subsequent settling of families of skilled labor tied to the river—such as boatmen (barcaioli), riders (cavalcanti), stevedores (sabionari), boatyard workers (squeraròi) and millers-formed the earliest inhabited center of Battaglia.
Maria”, one of the last of this type of riverboat in operation, and the cross-section of the mainmast of a Paduan burcio, the type of boat common in the Veneto region and the symbol of river navigation. Against the wall is the rudder of the burcio “Spes”, 4.50 m. tall, complete with its rigòla (tiller), with the reduction made following motorization of the craft highlighted.
Boats and boat basin. Exhibited in the outside courtyard of the museum are a caorlina and a number of boats, boats for outings (mascaréta and Venetian gondolas), fèri (anchors), brìcole and dama (models) that show lagoon and river routes. The section afloat is comprised of traditional freight and service boats, such as the burcio “Nuova Maria”, the gabàra “Tino”, the mototópo “Giorgio” and others. Just a short walk from here is another point-of-interest connected to the museum near Catajo Castle-the boat basin, opened in 1923 and recently restored. It connects the Battaglia canal with the Vigenzone through the Rialto canal with a difference in level of up to 7.4 meters. On the banks next to the basin, the burcio “Luisa” has been placed on traditional carèghe.
Ground Floor. These “river workers” had their own culture tied to specific work-related objects and an intelligent use of resources adapted to the slow and often irregular flow of water. Between the boatman and his freight boat (burcio or padovana) a toil- and emotion-filled relationship was established. His boat was his home and the setting in which both the everyday and momentous events of life took place. It not only transported goods, but was also a means for getting to know the “outside world” which the boatman saw float by while on the river and in which he himself entered during the long stopover periods while waiting for his boat to be loaded and unloaded. In it, he passed through the basins and butà, the flooding created artificially twice a week to make up for the shallow river bottoms.
Hall A. Boats A cross-section shows the composition of the boats, the various types used for transport of goods or people and how they were constructed. Of special interest are the scale models of the burcio “Nuova
Hall B. Boatyards On exhibit are the tools and equipment used in the squeri, the yards in which the boats were built and repaired and, at one time, there were many of these along the river. Working in these yards were carpenters, blacksmiths, caulkers, sawers and other skilled laborers. The hall displays a yard hoist in wood and corresponding taje (tackles) for beaching and launching the boats. Displayed on a number of panels are the various tools used by squeraroi (yard workers) to cut, saw, measure, shape and drill, as well as samples of materials, such as the pégola that was spread on the hull.
Mezzanine. Hall C. Navigation Routes This room contains historical information about the waterways, hydraulic works and goods transported. There are a number of maps of the waterways that underscore the importance and complexity of the Padua waterway system fed by the Brenta and Bacchiglione rivers. Trachyte rock and calcrete flake from the Euganean Hills, riverbed sand extracted using the bailón, and coal, grains and fertilizers from the port of Marghera, were the goods normally transported by the burci. Battaglia was the sorting point for material arriving from and going to the Euganean Hills and this role was further reinforced with the construction of the boat basin (1923) that opened the short route towards Chioggia, shown here in a large scale model.
First Floor. Hall D. Propulsion Methods Freight boats were wind-propelled, pulled by horses or pushed along by the boatmen themselves using long oars. In the post-war period, these propulsion methods were replaced by inboard motors. On one side of the room the various traditional means of propulsion are shown (93 square meter mainsail and lower mast of the burcio “Nuovo Antonio”, oars and rowlocks, rigging systems, etc.), and on the other the components of motorized propulsion (axles, inverters, deadwood, navigation lights, tugboat models).
Hall E. Life On-board These boats were not just used for work, they were also actual houses. Below deck, in the bow, lived the marinèro (sailor) and morè (cabin-boy), and in the stern the skipper, who could be either the parón (owner) or, more often, the boatman. In addition to the accessories required for navigation, such as anchors, boathooks and the sèssola (used to bail water from the boat), the boatmen carried aboard everything they needed for daily life, for example the bóta for water, moschéto to keep insects away from the food, wooden trunks for linens and wood-burning stove for cooking and keeping warm.
A tradition that flows through time. From ancient times, rivers and canals were used as the natural and safest communication routes for the transport of goods and passengers. In particular, in the Veneto region, the close-knit river system influenced the development of social and economic relations, enhanced by a vast and highlydeveloped range of types of boats. The central position of the Padua area, the nodal point between the lagoon of Venice and interior Po Valley, allowed for the development of communication through the Brenta and Bacchiglione rivers and their tributaries. The easy access to main water routes thanks to a sophisticated system of connecting canals, bulwarks and other hydraulic works, further enhanced the already-flourishing agricultural, artisan and industrial activity, offering a wider market area. Within this context, Battaglia Terme was the nodal point of a vast network of traffic. At the center of an area with intense manufacturing and, above all, quarrying activity (trachyte and flakes from the Euganean Hills), it was the convergence point of major waterways connecting the hill area and Padua lowlands with the main water routes in northeast Italy.
It is located at the point at which the Bigatto and Battaglia canals (arriving respectively from Este and Padua) join to become the Vigenzone canal connecting Battaglia with Bovolenta, Pontelongo and on through to Chioggia. The town’s settlement and development were closely tied to river commerce and the harnessing of hydraulic energy (mills, paper production, hammering). The Battaglia Canal was dug between the years 1189 and 1201, creating a river “highway” to connect the fortified outpost of Monselice and the Euganean Hills with the city of Padua. The arrival of significant numbers of workers to realize this project and the subsequent settling of families of skilled labor tied to the river—such as boatmen (barcaioli), riders (cavalcanti), stevedores (sabionari), boatyard workers (squeraròi) and millers-formed the earliest inhabited center of Battaglia.
Maria”, one of the last of this type of riverboat in operation, and the cross-section of the mainmast of a Paduan burcio, the type of boat common in the Veneto region and the symbol of river navigation. Against the wall is the rudder of the burcio “Spes”, 4.50 m. tall, complete with its rigòla (tiller), with the reduction made following motorization of the craft highlighted.
Boats and boat basin. Exhibited in the outside courtyard of the museum are a caorlina and a number of boats, boats for outings (mascaréta and Venetian gondolas), fèri (anchors), brìcole and dama (models) that show lagoon and river routes. The section afloat is comprised of traditional freight and service boats, such as the burcio “Nuova Maria”, the gabàra “Tino”, the mototópo “Giorgio” and others. Just a short walk from here is another point-of-interest connected to the museum near Catajo Castle-the boat basin, opened in 1923 and recently restored. It connects the Battaglia canal with the Vigenzone through the Rialto canal with a difference in level of up to 7.4 meters. On the banks next to the basin, the burcio “Luisa” has been placed on traditional carèghe.
Ground Floor. These “river workers” had their own culture tied to specific work-related objects and an intelligent use of resources adapted to the slow and often irregular flow of water. Between the boatman and his freight boat (burcio or padovana) a toil- and emotion-filled relationship was established. His boat was his home and the setting in which both the everyday and momentous events of life took place. It not only transported goods, but was also a means for getting to know the “outside world” which the boatman saw float by while on the river and in which he himself entered during the long stopover periods while waiting for his boat to be loaded and unloaded. In it, he passed through the basins and butà, the flooding created artificially twice a week to make up for the shallow river bottoms.
Hall A. Boats A cross-section shows the composition of the boats, the various types used for transport of goods or people and how they were constructed. Of special interest are the scale models of the burcio “Nuova
Hall B. Boatyards On exhibit are the tools and equipment used in the squeri, the yards in which the boats were built and repaired and, at one time, there were many of these along the river. Working in these yards were carpenters, blacksmiths, caulkers, sawers and other skilled laborers. The hall displays a yard hoist in wood and corresponding taje (tackles) for beaching and launching the boats. Displayed on a number of panels are the various tools used by squeraroi (yard workers) to cut, saw, measure, shape and drill, as well as samples of materials, such as the pégola that was spread on the hull.
Mezzanine. Hall C. Navigation Routes This room contains historical information about the waterways, hydraulic works and goods transported. There are a number of maps of the waterways that underscore the importance and complexity of the Padua waterway system fed by the Brenta and Bacchiglione rivers. Trachyte rock and calcrete flake from the Euganean Hills, riverbed sand extracted using the bailón, and coal, grains and fertilizers from the port of Marghera, were the goods normally transported by the burci. Battaglia was the sorting point for material arriving from and going to the Euganean Hills and this role was further reinforced with the construction of the boat basin (1923) that opened the short route towards Chioggia, shown here in a large scale model.
First Floor. Hall D. Propulsion Methods Freight boats were wind-propelled, pulled by horses or pushed along by the boatmen themselves using long oars. In the post-war period, these propulsion methods were replaced by inboard motors. On one side of the room the various traditional means of propulsion are shown (93 square meter mainsail and lower mast of the burcio “Nuovo Antonio”, oars and rowlocks, rigging systems, etc.), and on the other the components of motorized propulsion (axles, inverters, deadwood, navigation lights, tugboat models).
Hall E. Life On-board These boats were not just used for work, they were also actual houses. Below deck, in the bow, lived the marinèro (sailor) and morè (cabin-boy), and in the stern the skipper, who could be either the parón (owner) or, more often, the boatman. In addition to the accessories required for navigation, such as anchors, boathooks and the sèssola (used to bail water from the boat), the boatmen carried aboard everything they needed for daily life, for example the bóta for water, moschéto to keep insects away from the food, wooden trunks for linens and wood-burning stove for cooking and keeping warm.
A tradition that flows through time. From ancient times, rivers and canals were used as the natural and safest communication routes for the transport of goods and passengers. In particular, in the Veneto region, the close-knit river system influenced the development of social and economic relations, enhanced by a vast and highlydeveloped range of types of boats. The central position of the Padua area, the nodal point between the lagoon of Venice and interior Po Valley, allowed for the development of communication through the Brenta and Bacchiglione rivers and their tributaries. The easy access to main water routes thanks to a sophisticated system of connecting canals, bulwarks and other hydraulic works, further enhanced the already-flourishing agricultural, artisan and industrial activity, offering a wider market area. Within this context, Battaglia Terme was the nodal point of a vast network of traffic. At the center of an area with intense manufacturing and, above all, quarrying activity (trachyte and flakes from the Euganean Hills), it was the convergence point of major waterways connecting the hill area and Padua lowlands with the main water routes in northeast Italy.
It is located at the point at which the Bigatto and Battaglia canals (arriving respectively from Este and Padua) join to become the Vigenzone canal connecting Battaglia with Bovolenta, Pontelongo and on through to Chioggia. The town’s settlement and development were closely tied to river commerce and the harnessing of hydraulic energy (mills, paper production, hammering). The Battaglia Canal was dug between the years 1189 and 1201, creating a river “highway” to connect the fortified outpost of Monselice and the Euganean Hills with the city of Padua. The arrival of significant numbers of workers to realize this project and the subsequent settling of families of skilled labor tied to the river—such as boatmen (barcaioli), riders (cavalcanti), stevedores (sabionari), boatyard workers (squeraròi) and millers-formed the earliest inhabited center of Battaglia.
Maria”, one of the last of this type of riverboat in operation, and the cross-section of the mainmast of a Paduan burcio, the type of boat common in the Veneto region and the symbol of river navigation. Against the wall is the rudder of the burcio “Spes”, 4.50 m. tall, complete with its rigòla (tiller), with the reduction made following motorization of the craft highlighted.
Boats and boat basin. Exhibited in the outside courtyard of the museum are a caorlina and a number of boats, boats for outings (mascaréta and Venetian gondolas), fèri (anchors), brìcole and dama (models) that show lagoon and river routes. The section afloat is comprised of traditional freight and service boats, such as the burcio “Nuova Maria”, the gabàra “Tino”, the mototópo “Giorgio” and others. Just a short walk from here is another point-of-interest connected to the museum near Catajo Castle-the boat basin, opened in 1923 and recently restored. It connects the Battaglia canal with the Vigenzone through the Rialto canal with a difference in level of up to 7.4 meters. On the banks next to the basin, the burcio “Luisa” has been placed on traditional carèghe.
Ground Floor. These “river workers” had their own culture tied to specific work-related objects and an intelligent use of resources adapted to the slow and often irregular flow of water. Between the boatman and his freight boat (burcio or padovana) a toil- and emotion-filled relationship was established. His boat was his home and the setting in which both the everyday and momentous events of life took place. It not only transported goods, but was also a means for getting to know the “outside world” which the boatman saw float by while on the river and in which he himself entered during the long stopover periods while waiting for his boat to be loaded and unloaded. In it, he passed through the basins and butà, the flooding created artificially twice a week to make up for the shallow river bottoms.
Hall A. Boats A cross-section shows the composition of the boats, the various types used for transport of goods or people and how they were constructed. Of special interest are the scale models of the burcio “Nuova
Hall B. Boatyards On exhibit are the tools and equipment used in the squeri, the yards in which the boats were built and repaired and, at one time, there were many of these along the river. Working in these yards were carpenters, blacksmiths, caulkers, sawers and other skilled laborers. The hall displays a yard hoist in wood and corresponding taje (tackles) for beaching and launching the boats. Displayed on a number of panels are the various tools used by squeraroi (yard workers) to cut, saw, measure, shape and drill, as well as samples of materials, such as the pégola that was spread on the hull.
Mezzanine. Hall C. Navigation Routes This room contains historical information about the waterways, hydraulic works and goods transported. There are a number of maps of the waterways that underscore the importance and complexity of the Padua waterway system fed by the Brenta and Bacchiglione rivers. Trachyte rock and calcrete flake from the Euganean Hills, riverbed sand extracted using the bailón, and coal, grains and fertilizers from the port of Marghera, were the goods normally transported by the burci. Battaglia was the sorting point for material arriving from and going to the Euganean Hills and this role was further reinforced with the construction of the boat basin (1923) that opened the short route towards Chioggia, shown here in a large scale model.
First Floor. Hall D. Propulsion Methods Freight boats were wind-propelled, pulled by horses or pushed along by the boatmen themselves using long oars. In the post-war period, these propulsion methods were replaced by inboard motors. On one side of the room the various traditional means of propulsion are shown (93 square meter mainsail and lower mast of the burcio “Nuovo Antonio”, oars and rowlocks, rigging systems, etc.), and on the other the components of motorized propulsion (axles, inverters, deadwood, navigation lights, tugboat models).
Hall E. Life On-board These boats were not just used for work, they were also actual houses. Below deck, in the bow, lived the marinèro (sailor) and morè (cabin-boy), and in the stern the skipper, who could be either the parón (owner) or, more often, the boatman. In addition to the accessories required for navigation, such as anchors, boathooks and the sèssola (used to bail water from the boat), the boatmen carried aboard everything they needed for daily life, for example the bóta for water, moschéto to keep insects away from the food, wooden trunks for linens and wood-burning stove for cooking and keeping warm.
A tradition that flows through time. From ancient times, rivers and canals were used as the natural and safest communication routes for the transport of goods and passengers. In particular, in the Veneto region, the close-knit river system influenced the development of social and economic relations, enhanced by a vast and highlydeveloped range of types of boats. The central position of the Padua area, the nodal point between the lagoon of Venice and interior Po Valley, allowed for the development of communication through the Brenta and Bacchiglione rivers and their tributaries. The easy access to main water routes thanks to a sophisticated system of connecting canals, bulwarks and other hydraulic works, further enhanced the already-flourishing agricultural, artisan and industrial activity, offering a wider market area. Within this context, Battaglia Terme was the nodal point of a vast network of traffic. At the center of an area with intense manufacturing and, above all, quarrying activity (trachyte and flakes from the Euganean Hills), it was the convergence point of major waterways connecting the hill area and Padua lowlands with the main water routes in northeast Italy.
It is located at the point at which the Bigatto and Battaglia canals (arriving respectively from Este and Padua) join to become the Vigenzone canal connecting Battaglia with Bovolenta, Pontelongo and on through to Chioggia. The town’s settlement and development were closely tied to river commerce and the harnessing of hydraulic energy (mills, paper production, hammering). The Battaglia Canal was dug between the years 1189 and 1201, creating a river “highway” to connect the fortified outpost of Monselice and the Euganean Hills with the city of Padua. The arrival of significant numbers of workers to realize this project and the subsequent settling of families of skilled labor tied to the river—such as boatmen (barcaioli), riders (cavalcanti), stevedores (sabionari), boatyard workers (squeraròi) and millers-formed the earliest inhabited center of Battaglia.
Maria”, one of the last of this type of riverboat in operation, and the cross-section of the mainmast of a Paduan burcio, the type of boat common in the Veneto region and the symbol of river navigation. Against the wall is the rudder of the burcio “Spes”, 4.50 m. tall, complete with its rigòla (tiller), with the reduction made following motorization of the craft highlighted.
Boats and boat basin. Exhibited in the outside courtyard of the museum are a caorlina and a number of boats, boats for outings (mascaréta and Venetian gondolas), fèri (anchors), brìcole and dama (models) that show lagoon and river routes. The section afloat is comprised of traditional freight and service boats, such as the burcio “Nuova Maria”, the gabàra “Tino”, the mototópo “Giorgio” and others. Just a short walk from here is another point-of-interest connected to the museum near Catajo Castle-the boat basin, opened in 1923 and recently restored. It connects the Battaglia canal with the Vigenzone through the Rialto canal with a difference in level of up to 7.4 meters. On the banks next to the basin, the burcio “Luisa” has been placed on traditional carèghe.
Ground Floor. These “river workers” had their own culture tied to specific work-related objects and an intelligent use of resources adapted to the slow and often irregular flow of water. Between the boatman and his freight boat (burcio or padovana) a toil- and emotion-filled relationship was established. His boat was his home and the setting in which both the everyday and momentous events of life took place. It not only transported goods, but was also a means for getting to know the “outside world” which the boatman saw float by while on the river and in which he himself entered during the long stopover periods while waiting for his boat to be loaded and unloaded. In it, he passed through the basins and butà, the flooding created artificially twice a week to make up for the shallow river bottoms.
Hall A. Boats A cross-section shows the composition of the boats, the various types used for transport of goods or people and how they were constructed. Of special interest are the scale models of the burcio “Nuova
Hall B. Boatyards On exhibit are the tools and equipment used in the squeri, the yards in which the boats were built and repaired and, at one time, there were many of these along the river. Working in these yards were carpenters, blacksmiths, caulkers, sawers and other skilled laborers. The hall displays a yard hoist in wood and corresponding taje (tackles) for beaching and launching the boats. Displayed on a number of panels are the various tools used by squeraroi (yard workers) to cut, saw, measure, shape and drill, as well as samples of materials, such as the pégola that was spread on the hull.
Mezzanine. Hall C. Navigation Routes This room contains historical information about the waterways, hydraulic works and goods transported. There are a number of maps of the waterways that underscore the importance and complexity of the Padua waterway system fed by the Brenta and Bacchiglione rivers. Trachyte rock and calcrete flake from the Euganean Hills, riverbed sand extracted using the bailón, and coal, grains and fertilizers from the port of Marghera, were the goods normally transported by the burci. Battaglia was the sorting point for material arriving from and going to the Euganean Hills and this role was further reinforced with the construction of the boat basin (1923) that opened the short route towards Chioggia, shown here in a large scale model.
First Floor. Hall D. Propulsion Methods Freight boats were wind-propelled, pulled by horses or pushed along by the boatmen themselves using long oars. In the post-war period, these propulsion methods were replaced by inboard motors. On one side of the room the various traditional means of propulsion are shown (93 square meter mainsail and lower mast of the burcio “Nuovo Antonio”, oars and rowlocks, rigging systems, etc.), and on the other the components of motorized propulsion (axles, inverters, deadwood, navigation lights, tugboat models).
Hall E. Life On-board These boats were not just used for work, they were also actual houses. Below deck, in the bow, lived the marinèro (sailor) and morè (cabin-boy), and in the stern the skipper, who could be either the parón (owner) or, more often, the boatman. In addition to the accessories required for navigation, such as anchors, boathooks and the sèssola (used to bail water from the boat), the boatmen carried aboard everything they needed for daily life, for example the bóta for water, moschéto to keep insects away from the food, wooden trunks for linens and wood-burning stove for cooking and keeping warm.
(all flat-bottomed), the pride of the area around Venice; the means of propulsion and picturesque but gruelling life on-board; the waterworks and developed network of waterways and the art of navigating in internal waters.
In addition to taking the nearby waterways and trails in the Euganean Hills, other points of interest include the imposing Castello Catajo (Catajo Castle), the lovely Chiesa di S. Giacomo (St. James’ Church), the falls at the Arco di Mezzo, the natural sudoriferous cave (previously INPS) and the elegant SelvaticoSartori villa. Or you can simply follow the “Ferro di cavallo” (Horseshoe) nature trail and the shore along the Battaglia canal. Nearby are Monselice with its Rocca (Citadel), Castle and the Sette Chiese (Seven Churches), Emo Villa in Rivella, the medieval churches of S. Stefano (St. Stephen) in Due Carrare and S. Giustina (St. Justina) in Pernumia, the castle of S. Pelagio (St. Pelagius), today the Museo dell’Aria (Museum of Air) and the Butterfly Arc – Casa delle Farfalle in Montegrotto Terme. All within the radius of just a few kilometers.
ASSOCIAZIONE per la CULTURA e
Stampa Tipolito Moderna
The Museo della Navigazione Fluviale di Battaglia Terme (Museum of River Navigation, Battaglia Terme) offers visitors the opportunity of becoming acquainted with the fascinating history and culture of river boatmen (barcari), drawing them into this humble, yet rich universe. River navigation is not a lesser or easier type of navigation compared to its sea-going counterpart. It is simply a different experience, the toils and stories of which have been described less dramatically, but with more realism and involvement. Thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of a number of ex-boatmen who, starting in 1979, began gathering together numerous exhibits and invaluable documentation, and the permission to use the former public slaughterhouse as the museum’s home, this key and previously-unexplored aspect of the history of the Veneto and Po Valley regions is now accessible to all. Navigation began to wane on some river branches with the construction of the railways in the 1800s and the decline continued through the period following the second world war thanks to fierce competition from road transport which rendered profitless and cumbersome the traditional wooden boats which remained in use up to the 1950s. The purpose of the Battaglia Museum is to provide a journey through the “lost” world of river and lagoon transport in all its facets including: activity in the boatyards and the various types of boats
Realized with the contribution of:
Visiting Battaglia Terme and its environs
la TRADIZIONE FLUVIALE
Information Museo Civico della Navigazione Fluviale - Battaglia Terme Via Ortazzo 63, Tel. +39 049 525170 – 525711, Fax +39 049 9100347. www.provincia.padova.it/museo_navigazione museo.navigazione@turismopadova.it
Hours:
RIVER ITINERARIES
Winter hours: Saturday and Sunday 10am to 12 noon / 3pm to 7pm Summer hours: Saturday and Sunday 10am to 12 noon 6pm to 10 pm (with prior reservation) Visits on other days and times are possible with prior reservation.
To get to the Museum: -motorway: Padua-Bologna, “Terme Euganee” exit -local road: Adriatica no. 16 -rail: Padua-Bologna, Battaglia Terme station.
M
Tourist information: Battaglia Terme Tourist Office Via Maggiore 1 – Tel. +39 049 526909 Montegrotto Terme Tourist Information Office Viale Stazione 60 – Tel. +39 049 8928311
The Museum of River Navigation Sponsors: Maestro Carpentiere Ottorino Farinazzo Via Pontemanco, 119 Due Carrare - Padova
useo.
Maestro Falegname Antonio Favaro Via Pontemanco, 49 Due Carrare - Padova Trattoria Da Nicola Via Sabbioni, 38 Montegrotto Terme - Padova
Riviera dei Mugnai, 8 35137 Padova Tel. +39 049 8767911 Fax +39 049 650794 www.turismopadova.it www.turismotermeeuganee.it
PARCO REGIONALE dei COLLI EUGANEI
Provincia di Padova
Consorzio Terme Euganee
Comune di Battaglia Terme
© Photo credit: Museum of River Navigation - Battaglia Terme.
Parco Regionale dei Colli Euganei
November 2006
Museum of River Navigation, Battaglia Terme.
Museum of River Navigation, Battaglia Terme.
(all flat-bottomed), the pride of the area around Venice; the means of propulsion and picturesque but gruelling life on-board; the waterworks and developed network of waterways and the art of navigating in internal waters.
In addition to taking the nearby waterways and trails in the Euganean Hills, other points of interest include the imposing Castello Catajo (Catajo Castle), the lovely Chiesa di S. Giacomo (St. James’ Church), the falls at the Arco di Mezzo, the natural sudoriferous cave (previously INPS) and the elegant SelvaticoSartori villa. Or you can simply follow the “Ferro di cavallo” (Horseshoe) nature trail and the shore along the Battaglia canal. Nearby are Monselice with its Rocca (Citadel), Castle and the Sette Chiese (Seven Churches), Emo Villa in Rivella, the medieval churches of S. Stefano (St. Stephen) in Due Carrare and S. Giustina (St. Justina) in Pernumia, the castle of S. Pelagio (St. Pelagius), today the Museo dell’Aria (Museum of Air) and the Butterfly Arc – Casa delle Farfalle in Montegrotto Terme. All within the radius of just a few kilometers.
ASSOCIAZIONE per la CULTURA e
Stampa Tipolito Moderna
The Museo della Navigazione Fluviale di Battaglia Terme (Museum of River Navigation, Battaglia Terme) offers visitors the opportunity of becoming acquainted with the fascinating history and culture of river boatmen (barcari), drawing them into this humble, yet rich universe. River navigation is not a lesser or easier type of navigation compared to its sea-going counterpart. It is simply a different experience, the toils and stories of which have been described less dramatically, but with more realism and involvement. Thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of a number of ex-boatmen who, starting in 1979, began gathering together numerous exhibits and invaluable documentation, and the permission to use the former public slaughterhouse as the museum’s home, this key and previously-unexplored aspect of the history of the Veneto and Po Valley regions is now accessible to all. Navigation began to wane on some river branches with the construction of the railways in the 1800s and the decline continued through the period following the second world war thanks to fierce competition from road transport which rendered profitless and cumbersome the traditional wooden boats which remained in use up to the 1950s. The purpose of the Battaglia Museum is to provide a journey through the “lost” world of river and lagoon transport in all its facets including: activity in the boatyards and the various types of boats
Realized with the contribution of:
Visiting Battaglia Terme and its environs
la TRADIZIONE FLUVIALE
Information Museo Civico della Navigazione Fluviale - Battaglia Terme Via Ortazzo 63, Tel. +39 049 525170 – 525711, Fax +39 049 9100347. www.provincia.padova.it/museo_navigazione museo.navigazione@turismopadova.it
Hours:
RIVER ITINERARIES
Winter hours: Saturday and Sunday 10am to 12 noon / 3pm to 7pm Summer hours: Saturday and Sunday 10am to 12 noon 6pm to 10 pm (with prior reservation) Visits on other days and times are possible with prior reservation.
To get to the Museum: -motorway: Padua-Bologna, “Terme Euganee” exit -local road: Adriatica no. 16 -rail: Padua-Bologna, Battaglia Terme station.
M
Tourist information: Battaglia Terme Tourist Office Via Maggiore 1 – Tel. +39 049 526909 Montegrotto Terme Tourist Information Office Viale Stazione 60 – Tel. +39 049 8928311
The Museum of River Navigation Sponsors: Maestro Carpentiere Ottorino Farinazzo Via Pontemanco, 119 Due Carrare - Padova
useo.
Maestro Falegname Antonio Favaro Via Pontemanco, 49 Due Carrare - Padova Trattoria Da Nicola Via Sabbioni, 38 Montegrotto Terme - Padova
Riviera dei Mugnai, 8 35137 Padova Tel. +39 049 8767911 Fax +39 049 650794 www.turismopadova.it www.turismotermeeuganee.it
PARCO REGIONALE dei COLLI EUGANEI
Provincia di Padova
Consorzio Terme Euganee
Comune di Battaglia Terme
© Photo credit: Museum of River Navigation - Battaglia Terme.
Parco Regionale dei Colli Euganei
November 2006
Museum of River Navigation, Battaglia Terme.
Museum of River Navigation, Battaglia Terme.