Verona Museum Leads Recovery of 1509 Venetian Galleon Wreck

The submersibles of the Verona Museum, through thousands of artifacts recovered from the skeleton of the Venetian galleon, have now completed a photomontage of the warship sunk by the Serenissima in 1509 off Lazise, to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Visconti.

At this point, the retrieval from the seabed of the wreck, a unique world-class discovery of cultural and historical significance, becomes more concrete and inevitably imminent. With the subsidies from the EU and the joint efforts of regional, provincial, and local authorities, the aimed and now imminent goal is to raise and preserve what remains after systematic plundering of the incomparable galleon, positioning it in its most appropriate setting: the Lazise Customs House.

The value of this global rarity is incalculable: its captivating imagery and evocative power produce a strong psychological effect on scholars, connoisseurs, and tourists. The museum recovery is also an exceptional productive investment for the tourism industry. First and foremost, it would put an end to the cursed plundering by “lake tombaroli,” who loot countless artifacts, mostly ending up abroad as souvenirs.