After 18 years of enforced closure, the Museum has seen its dream come true and opens once more thanks to the appreciation and generosity of private sponsors. 
Currently the Museum displays some unique pieces of the collection and aims to digitalise the documents available in the archive of the Associazione La Raccolta della Barca Lariana as well as produce a virtual reality experience in the museum space. This will also involve museum visitors who, through the web and interactive tools, will be able to provide their own input to the Museum and add their photographs, videos and documents related to sailing.

A place created with the people for the people.

The Museum aims to be a living space, active and dynamic, with an approach that is contemporary, interactive and interdisciplinary, in keeping with the needs and priorities of contemporary society and making a concrete contribution to the life of the community. 
Museo Barca Lariana is one of the prime examples in Lombardy of a decentralised museum, a body which aims to safeguard the area in which it is located, expressing to the full the relationship between museums and cultural landscapes. 
This constitutes a heritage unequalled anywhere in the world, the fruit of years of experience and knowledge of the area and Lake Como which have given rise to a collection of inestimable value in terms of nautical and Italian history, all housed in 9400 square metres of exhibition and storage space and over 8000 square metres of gardens.

There are hundreds of historical boats in the collection including rowboats, gondolas, fishing, hunting and smuggling boats, inboard and outboard motorboats, steamboats for passenger transport, three-point hydroplanes and racing catamarans, sailboats and work boats from days gone by. 
And that is without counting the over 300 engines and thousands of articles pertaining to the construction and use of the boats. 
There are countless slides, period photographs, and an infinite number of recordings and testimonials from boatbuilders, boatmen and fishermen. 
Another noteworthy assrt is the huge library of over 2,500 books and historical and specialist periodicals. 
Today the Museum aims to recount not only the nautical history of Lake Como, but of Italy as a whole. 
From the ancient Romans to the present day, boats tell us the stories of ordinary and extraordinary lives, of common and exceptional men: a fascinating journey which we hope can conjure up memories of a marvellous Italy which must never be forgotten and which can provide inspiration for generations to come.
The Museum is also open to schools with special historical narration and fun game-based educational workshops.