Inaugurated in 2006, it is located in the Casotto ex Locamare of the Port of Tricase.
It consists of two parts: the "active" part is represented by the fleet of traditional boats. After being saved from fire, historical gozzi, varche and schifareddhi, today have a special space in the museum, they have been carefully restored and returned to visitors.
These boats are also available to the public, during educational paths organized in collaboration with the School of Ancient Seafaring, to live the thrilling experience of traditional sailing.
During the winter season, boats find shelter in the Museum shipyard, where a team of craftsmen, with their antique art, perform the necessary maintenance of the hulls, their masts, lateen yards and sails.
The "static" part is a welcoming house-museum, place of a sublime combination of history and modernity, antique items and modern technologies for an educational, recreational and socializing experience, thanks to the direct contact with objects, tools and testimonies of the Mediterranean culture that it contains and offers.
The most important piece is the flagship of the fleet of the Museum of Traditional Boats and also the first emblem of the Port-Museum of Tricase of which it bears the ancient name. Its story is very symbolic and suggestive: its journey ended right in Tricase Porto, in May 2002, when 98 Kurdish Iraqi refugees, escaping from their own country, arrived in Italy.
Very famous in the whole Aegean area, especially in Greece and Turkey, its simple and linear shapes, meet a constructive model handed down for centuries by the carpenters of the Aegean area.
The ship is a travelling museum, a venue for cultural and institutional events, a training ship where to learn and practice the traditional manoeuvres.
The story
For now this text is only available in Italian.
Il Museo delle Imbarcazioni Tradizionali e dell'Arte Marinaresca ha sede nel Casotto ex Locamare del porto di Tricase ed è stato inaugurato nel 2006 1. Ha una parte "attiva", la flotta di imbarcazioni tradizionali restaurate usate in percorsi didattici con la Scuola di Antica Marineria, e una parte "statica", una casa-museo con oggetti e testimonianze della cultura mediterranea 1. Fa parte del Porto Museo di Tricase (Ecomuseo di Venere), riconosciuto come ecomuseo regionale nel 2017 2,4.
History
30 aprile 2006
Inaugurazione del museo nel Casotto ex Locamare del porto di Tricase; secondo le schede dell'associazione gestore, il Porto Museo e il Centro culturale permanente furono inaugurati il 30 aprile 2006 1,2,3.
Maggio 2002
Il veliero ammiraglia della flotta, di tipo diffuso nell'Egeo, concluse il suo viaggio a Tricase Porto facendo approdare in Italia 98 rifugiati curdi iracheni 1.
2017
Il Porto Museo ottenne il riconoscimento regionale come ecomuseo ai sensi della L.R. 15/2011 2,4.
Agosto 2020uncertain
Inaugurazione di una cisterna dei primi del Novecento restaurata, con ascensore per l'accessibilità, come nuovo ingresso al museo; il progetto era finanziato nell'ambito di Co.Co.Tour 5.
2024uncertain
Un articolo del 25 marzo 2024 celebra i dieci anni di attività del Porto Museo 4.
Dates with an empty square are uncertain: few or unverified sources report them.
Architecture and works
Il museo occupa il Casotto ex Locamare del porto di Tricase 1; il Centro culturale permanente ha sede nel Casotto della banchina sud del porto vecchio 3. La parte statica è una casa-museo con oggetti antichi e tecnologie moderne 1. La mediateca conta oltre 1500 testi sul Mediterraneo 6. La flotta comprende gozzi, varche e schifareddhi sottratti al fuoco e alla distruzione e restaurati; d'inverno riposano nel cantiere del museo, dove artigiani curano scafi, alberi, antenne e vele 1. L'ammiraglia, nave scuola e sede di eventi culturali e di rappresentanza, ricorda per le forme semplici un modello costruttivo tramandato dai maestri d'ascia 1; il suo nome antico è quello del Porto Museo 1 e la scheda dell'associazione cita la nave Portus Veneris 7.
Visiting
Curiosities
Where sources disagree
Sources (8)
The story is written only from these sources: the numbers in the text refer here. Last updated: October 21, 2026.
- 1.Regione Puglia, scheda del luogo (viaggiareinpuglia.it) · institutional
- 2.The Port Museum - Porto Museo di Tricase — Associazione Magna Grecia Mare · institutional
- 3.The Permanent Cultural Center on Sea Ancient Traditions — Associazione Magna Grecia Mare · institutional
- 4.Happy 10th Birthday Port Museum of Tricase! — Blue Life Hub (Orazio Albano, 25/03/2024) · web
- 5.ADF project Co.Co.Tour inauguration of Port Museum of Tricase — Albanian Development Fund · web
- 6.Porto Museo di Tricase — Port Muse (rete europea di ecomusei portuali) · web
- 7.The Museum of Sea Art and Traditional Boats — Associazione Magna Grecia Mare · institutional
- 8.The Municipal School of Lateen Sailing and Ancient Seafaring — Associazione Magna Grecia Mare · institutional
Events nearby
In the coming days, within 15 km.
Karaoke
Karaoke night at Bar da Sasi to sing together.
Fiera di San Vito e Sagra del Maiale
The celebration of pork in Ortelle combines gastronomic tradition and local crafts in a convivial event.
L’asino fofo
Launch of the book "L’asino Fofo" with the author and illustrator at Libreria Idrusa.
Pumpkin Park Autumn Festival
Autumn event moves to Surano with workshops, live music, and a funfair.
Yuts And Culture
Yuts and Culture in concert: funk and soul of the '70s reimagined.
Salento International Film Festival 2026
International independent cinema in the heart of Salento
More places nearby
- Museums and theatresThe permanent cultural centre on sea ancient traditionsFounded and run by the association Magna Grecia Mare, is the centre of many cultural initiatives. Tricase very close
Sea and cavesPorticciolo di Marina di Porto - TricaseThe Marina di Porto harbor in Tricase features a surfaced, banked-out mooring, a banked-out section of shoreline and an internal dock. Tricase very close
Sea and cavesTricase PortoTricase Porto, with its caves and small bays, the small island and the
beautiful cliffs, is the perfect place to discover by boat the coastline of
Capo di Leuca. Tricase very close
Sea and cavesMarina SerraMarina Serra, surrounded by cliffs, marine caves and small fjords, boasts a
natural pool nestled amid the rocks, with crystal clear water. Tricase 2 km away
Churches and cryptsChurch of the Madonna of ConstantinopleAncient rural church in the countryside of Tricase, also known as the
Church of the Devils. Tricase 2.2 km away
Nature and gardensQuercia ValloneaThe Quercia Vallonea in Tricase is the most beautiful and important tree
in Puglia and, according to a legend, Frederik II took refuge under its
foliage, together with all the other soldiers, during a terrible storm. Tricase 2.2 km away