Mantua, new Virgil Museum Park opens, dedicated to the poet

A thirty-hectare park, an old military fort, the nature of the Mantuan countryside. The new Virgil Museum Park, a museum park dedicated to the great Latin poet located at the redeveloped Fort of Pietole in Borgo Virgilio, just outside Mantua, opened to the public this Sunday. It is a project that cost 3.8 million euros with spending supported by the Lombardy Region, Fondazione Cariplo and the Municipality of Borgo Virgilio.

The Fort of Pietole, located in the town of the same name (it is the ancient Andes, the place where the poet was born), represents an important historical site linked to the figure of Virgil, a native of this area and owner of the surrounding lands. Its construction during the Napoleonic era involved the destruction of the pre-existing settlement to make way for the defensive structure.

This fort was essential for the defense of the city of Mantua and to protect the system that allowed the Paiolo valley to be flooded using the waters of the Mincio River. Its layout, characterized by an “asymmetrical crown,” surrounds the central parade ground separated by a flood moat, ravelins and other external defensive structures, following the principles of modern fortifications. The complex structure of the fort includes numerous levels of defense, bastions, ramparts, wet and dry moats, counterscarp galleries, covered roads and casemates. This architectural ensemble reflects the construction techniques that developed over time, offering spaces of great evocative and historical value, surrounded by the greenery of a lowland forest spread over 33 hectares.

Theabandonment following its military use allowed nature to gradually take back its space, creating a balance between the historical-architectural heritage and the surrounding environment. The recent restoration of the structure has made it possible to preserve this important historical site and make it accessible to the public, allowing them to appreciate its beauty and historical importance.

Virgil

The area around Mons Virgilii in Andes/Pietole, traditionally identified as the birthplace of the poet Virgil, encompasses a millennia-long history extending from the Etruscans to the time of Napoleon, with particular reference to the water/city system that has characterized Mantua and its defense since the 13th century. Today, this area is a lowland forest, a vast green space of more than 30 hectares bordering the Vallazza Site of Community Interest, surrounding the Fort of Pietole and the waters of the Mincio River, a fundamental element in the lives of local people and in the setting of the majestic military structure.

Through footpaths, cycle paths and river moorings, visitors can explore this natural environment, guided by directions and signage that facilitate the discovery of the flora, fauna and especially the insects that inhabit the forest. Bees, in particular, take center stage in the secret life of the forest, with transparent hives that allow visitors to observe their tireless work for the life of the ecosystem. The search for the trees and shrubs mentioned and described by Virgil in his works becomes a way to rediscover his relevance and to live in harmony with nature, respecting its cycles and enjoying its fruits.

The Fort is also home to a museum dedicated to Virgil that offers an immersion in the poet’s world through the use of advanced technologies with low environmental and structural impact. Multimedia tools such as videomapping, QR codes, viewers, metavisual models, immersive and interactive projections, and olfactory diffusers allow visitors to experience the museum exhibit in an immersive way, while the Fort’s original structure remains visible. Through a multisensory approach, the museum enhances the Fort’s past by showing the degradation it has undergone over time and the natural patina it has formed, offering an experience that respects its surroundings.

A section devoted to artifacts from the Roman period, from excavations in the vicinity, accompanies visitors along the centuries of the Virgilian journey, helping to paint a complete picture of the legacy left by the great poet in the surrounding area.

The Park Museum already has a website(https://www.parcomuseovirgilio.com/). At present, it opens only on Sundays and midweek holidays, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (November through February until 5:30 p.m.). Full admission costs 8 euros, reduced 5 euros (for students aged 14 to 18, university students, the over-65s, groups of at least 10 people). On the other hand, children and young people up to 14 years old, disabled people and accompanying persons, members of the police force get in free. Until the end of the year, free admission also for residents of the municipality of Borgo Virgilio, after which residents will pay the reduced rate.

“The recovery,” said Massimo Sertori, regional councillor for negotiated planning, “aims to ensure the enjoyment of the Fort, a complex of relevant historical-cultural and environmental interest. Internal works are planned for the re-functionalization of the visitor reception center and exhibition space. Then planned are works for the redevelopment of open spaces, greenery and pedestrian paths. To which is also added the installation of a multimedia and multisensory museum dedicated to the figure of Publius Virgil Maron.”

“The Pietole Fort redevelopment project fills me with pride,” says instead Agriculture Councillor Alessandro Beduschi, former mayor of Borgo Virgilio. “I had the opportunity to follow its birth and I thank my colleague Sertori for overseeing its implementation. It is an emblematic example for all of Lombardy of how a historical asset, brought to new life, can become not only a place of memory and identity, but a living space, open to all. And thus be fully recovered in the social fabric and daily life of a community. To have the great poet Virgil return ’home’ to his native land, right where the Napoleonic fort stands, is also an achievement. One that honors both the Lombardy Region and Mantua and represents an opportunity to boost knowledge and tourism for our territory.”

Mantua, new Virgil Museum Park opens, dedicated to the poet

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