October at the Adria Museum: 2026 events and where to stay
October is an ideal month for discovering the Delta del Po through its history. The Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Adria offers free admission, a lecture on the Roman excavations at San Basilio, a guided visit to the Roman ‘sewn’ boat and a final chance to see the pre-cinema exhibition. Adria, the city that gave its name to the Adriatic Sea, is about a 40-minute drive from Porto Tolle.
The October 2026 calendar
| Date | Time | Event | Cost | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All October | museum hours | Free admission with a Komen Italia donation receipt | free | not required |
| Sunday 4 October | 8.30 a.m.–7.30 p.m. | #domenicaalmuseo, first Sunday of the month | free | not required |
| Friday 9 October | 5 p.m. | Lecture San Basilio in Roman times, Professor Caterina Previato | ask the museum | 0426 21612 |
| Saturday 17 October | 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. | Guided visit Discovering ancient Adria, the Corte Cavanella boat and pre-cinema exhibition | included in admission (€6) | 0426 21612 |
| Until 8 November | museum hours | Exhibition ...E l'immagine prese vita... about pre-cinema | included in admission | not required |
Information and bookings: 0426 21612, drm-ven.museoadria@cultura.gov.it. The museum is closed on Mondays; it opens Tuesday to Saturday from 8.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m., and Sundays and public holidays from 2.30 to 7.30 p.m. The ticket office closes thirty minutes earlier.
Each event in detail
### Sunday 4 October: free admission for everyone
On the first Sunday of the month admission is free and the museum remains open all day, from 8.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. It is the easiest opportunity for a first visit, perhaps followed by a fish lunch and an afternoon in the Delta.
### Friday 9 October: San Basilio, the Delta's Roman port
At 5 p.m. Professor Caterina Previato of the University of Padua presents the latest discoveries from the excavations at San Basilio, in Ariano nel Polesine. This is the Delta's oldest trading centre: Etruscan and Greek merchants arrived here as early as the seventh century BC. In Roman times it became a substantial settlement along the Via Annia, home to the mansio Hadriani, a stopping place for travellers along the coast.
The University of Padua returns to excavate every year. The site has yielded coins, pottery and a long third-century AD marble inscription. San Basilio is very close to Porto Tolle: after the lecture, the archaeological area and visitor centre are worth adding to the itinerary.
### Saturday 17 October: ancient Adria and the ‘sewn’ boat
At 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. the museum staff lead the visit ‘Discovering ancient Adria’. Its centrepiece is the Corte Cavanella boat, found in 1983 at Loreo along the Via Popilia. This Roman boat from the second–first century BC has planks joined not by nails but sewn with vegetal-fibre ropes: a very ancient technique that survived only in the lagoons of the upper Adriatic. Following a long restoration, it returned to the museum in May 2026 with a new multimedia display.
Illustration: an artistic reconstruction of a Roman sewn-plank boat in an ancient lagoon; it is not a photograph of the Corte Cavanella find.
The visit is included in admission, free for pass holders, and repeated every third Saturday of the month. Booking is required.
### Until 8 November: the pre-cinema exhibition
‘...E l'immagine prese vita...’ explains the path towards cinema through a rich collection of pre-cinema objects and images. Curated by Associazione Polesine Terre Emerse with the Collezione Minici Zotti, it has been extended until 8 November 2026.
Read the Diario del Delta article about the exhibition
### All October: free admission with Komen Italia
During breast cancer prevention month, visitors who show a receipt for a donation to Komen Italia enter free of charge.
The museum where the Adriatic took its name
Adria was founded at the beginning of the sixth century BC and was a port frequented by Etruscans and Greeks. It was important enough to give its name to the Adriatic Sea. The museum tells this story through thousands of finds, beginning with the Bocchi family's private collection in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and continuing with modern excavations.
- The Chariot Tomb (third century BC), discovered in 1938: a chariot with its horses and a saddle horse.
- Roman glass, blown and iridescent, in an exceptional collection.
- Attic pottery with black and red figures, brought from Greece by sea.
- The sewn-plank boat from Corte Cavanella, in its new 2026 display.
The museum is accessible to disabled visitors. Full admission is 6 euros and reduced admission is 2 euros for ages 18–25; entry is free under 18. Tickets are also available online.
An October weekend in the Delta from Albergo Italia
The Adria events make an excellent reason for a weekend in the Delta del Po. Albergo Italia in Porto Tolle is a practical base: about 40 minutes from Adria, very close to San Basilio and near the lagoons, valleys and sea. In the evening, RistòItalia serves the Delta's catch, from Scardovari mussels to true clams.
Illustration: an autumn cycling itinerary on the Po Delta embankments; it does not depict one specific location.
Weekend 9–11 October: archaeology and lagoons - Friday afternoon: San Basilio lecture at the Adria museum, then dinner in Porto Tolle. - Saturday: San Basilio archaeological area and an afternoon by boat in the Delta. - Sunday: cycling along the embankments to the Sacca degli Scardovari.
Cycling along the Po Delta embankments
Weekend 17–18 October: ancient Adria and Scano Boa - Saturday afternoon: guided visit Discovering ancient Adria. - Sunday: a day at Scano Boa with the fishermen, by boat from Pila to the cason, for groups of 10 to 15 people.
Weekend 24–25 October: museum and Ostricando - Saturday: museum and pre-cinema exhibition in Adria. - Sunday 25 October: Ostricando, the gravel ride leaving from the Pila fish market, with 60 and 90 km routes and a final tasting.
The hotel does not sell packages: we help you combine your stay with events and, on request, provide contacts for guides and fishermen running the excursions.
Message Albergo Italia on WhatsApp
### From Albarella, Rosolina Mare and nearby cities
Visitors staying on the coast at Albarella or Rosolina Mare can combine the museum with a day in the Delta. For travellers from Padua, Ferrara, Rovigo or Venice, Adria and Porto Tolle make an ideal off-season weekend of history, nature and local fish cuisine.
Sources
Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Adria — October events and news (newsletter, 28 September 2026)
Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Veneto — Visitor information and opening hours
Sistema Museale Provinciale Polesine — Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Adria
Archeologia voci dal passato — The sewn-plank boat from Corte Cavanella
Rovigo.News — San Basilio, the Delta's oldest trading centre
Frequently asked questions
- When is the Adria archaeological museum free in October 2026?
- On Sunday 4 October from 8.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. for everyone. Throughout October, visitors with a Komen Italia donation receipt also enter free. Admission is always free under 18.
- How much is admission to the Adria museum?
- Full admission is 6 euros and reduced admission is 2 euros for ages 18–25. The guided visit on the third Saturday is included.
- Must the lecture and guided visit be booked?
- Yes. Call 0426 21612 or email drm-ven.museoadria@cultura.gov.it.
- Until when can I see the pre-cinema exhibition?
- Until 8 November 2026, during museum opening hours.
- What is San Basilio?
- An archaeological site at Ariano nel Polesine in the Po Delta: first an Etruscan trading centre, then the substantial Roman settlement of mansio Hadriani. The University of Padua excavates it each year.
- Where can I stay to visit Adria and the Po Delta?
- At Albergo Italia in Porto Tolle, about 40 minutes from Adria and close to San Basilio, the lagoons and the sea, with RistòItalia restaurant.
