Italy is full of incredible museums but the majority of them are formal spaces in which the museum experience is very much the same: visitors keep their distance, they stay behind lines and ropes, and they never touch artworks. However, there is one museum where the exact opposite is true. In fact, in this museum, the whole point is to feel the works of art and to have a completely different experience with them and the visit to the museum, in general. A must for those interested in art and those intrigued by different museum experiences, and especially for those who might be visually impaired or completely blind, the Museo Tattile Statale Omero, or State Tactile Museum Omero, is an incredibly unique gem in Italy’s Le Marche region. Those who find a vacation rental in Le Marche should definitely make a point of planning a visit!
Located in the Mole Vanvitelliana, a historic building and former hospital for those with leprosy built on a small artificial island in the port of the city of Ancona, the Museo Omero is one of a very small number of places in the world where visitors are encouraged to engage with works of art with their sense of touch rather than their sense of sight. The roots of the museum date back to 1985, when Aldo Grassini and his wife Daniela Bottegoni, a pair of non-sighted travellers and adventurers, became exasperated with the constant refrain of, “Do not touch,” in other museums around the globe. They wanted, instead, to create a rather different kind of museum that would be the exact opposite of this and accessible to all. After establishing a foundation, fundraising, and filling out endless applications, they were able to finally make this dream of theirs a reality.
First opened to the public in 1993 with the aim to give the visually impaired an opportunity to experience art for themselves, the unique multi-sensory exhibition of Museo Omero is also something special that truly anyone can enjoy for the unique thrill of the novelty of the experience and for the different perspective that this can offer on works of art with which you might think yourself to already be very familiar. In fact, the museum actively encourages any and everyone to come and visit and experience it all for themselves. Officially made a state museum then in 1999, the Museo Omero was ultimately moved to its wonderful and spacious current home inside some of the halls of the Mole Vanvitelliana back in 2012. In 2021, the museum was further expanded and enriched with the addition of a design museum that currently has 32 examples of iconic Italian designs on display. Among the objects displayed by well-known Italian companies such as Moka, there are items such as shoes, typewriters, radios, chairs, wine openers, coffee makers, lamps, and more.
The main museum, meanwhile, boasts a collection of copies and casts of a wide range of pieces and objects from archaeological finds to models of famous buildings to recreations of some of the most famous works of art in the world. Visitors to the Museo Omero can get their hands on, and experience, the likes of the Venus de Milo, Michelangelo’s Pietà, the Parthenon, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and other famous forms. There is also a collection of some original sculptural pieces by contemporary artists that visitors can also engage with, allowing them to get a feel for the art of today that is alive and well, as well as the history of art. Divided into four different sections – Greco-Roman art, Romanesque to Gothic art, Renaissance art, and Contemporary art – the collection is comprised of more than 150 pieces today. New acquisitions and donations have continued to be added to enrich the collection and grow it over time. Alongside this permanent collection of the museum, there is also a regular programme of thematic exhibitions and various special talks and tours offered on the premises throughout the year. Be sure to check out their website if you have found a holiday rental in Le Marche to see what is happening at the museum around the time of your vacation in Italy and to properly plan your trip.
In addition to the works of art themselves, the rest of the museum has also been designed to be accessible through touch, with the descriptions of the works printed in Braille alongside them and various other services throughout the building. The Museo Omero has also been made wheelchair accessible despite being located inside a historic building. It is free of charge to visit (though booking ahead of your visit is essential and there is a fee and separate entrance to access the design area of the museum) this wonderful and unique gem of a museum. A truly special and once-off experience, it is something that one should definitely make time for if they are planning a vacation in Le Marche and this part of Italy in particular.
Museo Tattile Statale Omero
Mole Vanvitelliana
Banchina Giovanni da Chio 28
60121 Ancona, Italy
Offices: +39 0712811935
Reservations: 335 5696985 (also a Whatsapp number)
info@museoomero.it
Opening hours:
September – June:
Tuesday to Saturday 16:00 – 19:00; Sundays and public holidays: 10:00 – 13:00 and 16:00 – 19:00.
July and August:
Tuesday to Saturday 17:00 – 20:00, Sundays and 15 August 10:00 – 13:00 e 17:00 – 20:00.
1 January: 16:00 – 19:00.
Closed: on Mondays, 24, 25 and 31 December.
