Who hasn't heard of the Arsenal, where the Serenissima had its merchant and warships built? In 1570, 100 galleys were built and outfitted there in just two months. So head to the Rio dell'Arsenale, where the Maritime Museum is located in an old warehouse (it's actually hard to miss: just walk along the Riva Schiavoni until you spot two larger-than-life anchors, and you're there).
The museum evolved from the Casa dei Modelli, where the Venetian government stored its ship models. Inspired by the Austrian Admiralty, the Museo Storico Navale was then established there.
Navigational instruments, scaled-down models of various ship types - some even originals - uniforms, models of the fortresses Venice once owned around the Mediterranean, and a total of over 25,000 exhibits offer visitors a comprehensive overview of the history of Venetian and Italian seafaring.
Even Peggy Guggenheim's gondola found a fitting home here.
This is "just" a torpedo on display, not the submarine we were promised. Because that - the Enrico Dandolo - is right here.
