The Romagna area is made up of unique contrasts and heterogeneous contexts: valleys, stones, buildings, works, monuments and objects that tell the story and experience of the people of this land.
Many of the museums in Romagna accept six-legged vacationers (four legs of the furry ones plus two of the owners). Not all museums in Romagna, however, are suitable for hosting dogs inside, which is why in this section we will provide you with some information about the Pet Friendly museums in Romagna: what they are, their characteristics, dedicated services and much more.
Simple, clear, useful information, dedicated to those who visit Romagna with their dog and to those who always bring their fur baby along.
The Museum of the Argenta Valleys with the adjoining naturalistic oasis is located at the Casino di Campotto, which in 1992 was awarded the “European Prize of the Year” awarded by the Council of Europe. The museum is a naturalistic oasis of 1,600 hectares where dogs of all sizes can enter accompanied on a leash by their owners. The oasis is in fact an open-air museum in the Po Delta Park of Emilia Romagna. Our four-legged friends can access all parts of the museum; at the Casino di Campotto you can find a water bowl and a free drinking water fountain where you can quench your furry friend’s thirst but also a picnic area in the greenery where you can make a refreshing pause.
The Saiarino Water Pumping Station is located inside a splendid Art Nouveau building dating back to 1925 in the immediate vicinity of the town of Argenta. In this museum of the reclamation of the territories between the Reno and Sillaro rivers, dogs are welcome and can participate on a leash, with their owners, in a guided tour inside by reservation (minimum 5 people). A real monument of industrial archaeology to see and discover in the company of your four-legged friend.
The Civic Museum of Argenta accepts dogs of all sizes on a leash accompanied by their owners. It is located in the centre of Argenta inside the fifteenth-century church of San Domenico and consists of the Municipal Art Gallery and the archaeological section resulting from the excavation campaigns carried out in the area during the Reno’s reclamation. Open only by reservation with guided tour to be agreed with the secretariat (minimum 5 people).
The Civic Museum of Belriguardo is located in the former Este summer palace of Belriguardo; dogs of all sizes are welcomed inside the museum. The museum is divided into three exhibition areas: archaeological, Renaissance and modern art, with educational spaces for schools. Since 2014, the Museum has been further enriched by a new section of Industrial Archaeology. For all furry friends, a bowl of water is always available to quench their thirst on hot summer days.
The “Casa Romei” museum accepts dogs of all sizes, and the four-legged friends can access the entire museum itinerary. Casa Romei was built in the 15th century by a rich merchant from Ferrara. The vaulted ceilings, decorated with frescoes, the Hall of the Sibyls and the Prophets constitute a unique artistic corpus in Ferrara. You can explore the late Gothic-style green internal courtyard with flower decorations with your dog. Since 1953, the museum has housed collections of detached frescoes, statues and lapidaries from city buildings.
Palazzo dei Diamanti is one of the symbols of Ferrara; international exhibitions are organised in collaboration with the Galleries of Modern and Contemporary Art of Ferrara. Dogs are not allowed to enter the Palazzo dei Diamanti but for those travelling with Fido and want to visit the museums and exhibitions at the palace, it is possible to organize the visit; the organization provides a service dedicated to Dog Sitting and Dog Walking (reservation required).
In the Este Castle and in the other museums of Ferrara, dogs can only enter carried in their owners’ arms or in a carrier, with the exception of the MEIS (National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah) where their entry is prohibited, as well as in the Cathedral and Churches.
The Museum of the Deer and the Woods of Mesola is located on the second floor of the Castle. The Estense Castle of Mesola is a Pet-Friendly museum; dogs of all sizes are allowed to enter and access the floors and various rooms of the castle (the Mesola Castle is one of the 19 “Delights” of the Este family). The Deer of the Woods of Mesola are animals with unique characteristics, in terms of physical appearance and behaviour, and they are present only in the Nature Reserve adjacent to the Castle. The museum dedicates an entire section to them where you can find out about their peculiarities and presence in nature, in the history and in the art of the tradition of the Estense Court of Ferrara.
The “Delizia Estense del Verginese” is an ancient country castle in the Ferrara area given by Alfonso I d'Este to Laura Dianti. The Delizia houses the Sepolcreto dei Fadieni Archaeological Museum, with Roman finds discovered in a small necropolis near the castle and which tell the story of the daily, economic and social life of a Roman family. Four-legged friends are welcome; we accept dogs of all sizes and cats, too. The house is decorated with battlements and surrounded by a Renaissance garden with fruit trees, flowers and paths where our four-legged friends can go for walks with their owners. Pets can access all museum spaces; there are no limitations. A bowl of water is available at the entrance.
The Museum of the Castle of Bagnara traces the entire history of the territory of Bagnara and develops in the spaces and environments of the fourteenth-century fortress of Bagnara di Romagna. In the museum all pets are welcome as long as they are managed by the owners in respect of the place (the use of a muzzle is required for dogs if deemed necessary). We always inform visitors of the presence inside the fortress of a spiral staircase that can be challenging for the animal to tackle. The museum can also be visited with a guided tour; the management informs that “The fortress is also a welcome place for some feline friends who often come to visit us independently”.
In the Domus of the Stone Carpets, Ancient Port of Classe, Museum of Classis Ravenna.
Pets are allowed entry if:
• The owner is of legal age and responsible for his or her pet.
• The owner brings along a self-certification attesting to the possession of the health booklet with updated regular vaccinations and/or veterinary certificate of good health and registration in the animal registry.
• The owner leads the animal along the visit route, preventing it from producing excrement.
• The owner has a muzzle with him or her (in case it is necessary to wear it) and the kit for collecting excrement.
• The animal, if medium, large or giant in size, must be on a leash of no more than 1.50 m during the visit.
• The animal, if small in size less than 10 kg, must be carried in the owner’s arms, or on the shoulder or in a carrier.
Animals that accompany blind visitors and/or visitors for whom they play a “Pet therapy” role, as well as those who collaborate with the police in their work, may enter the museum site without any restrictions. A Pet-sitter service is available for four-legged friends (reservation required), water bowls and a large green area outside are always available. Possibility of booking ad hoc tour itineraries for groups or individual visitors with pets, for information prenotazioni@ravennantica.org
MAR Art Museum of the City
• Service dogs for people with disabilities are always allowed.
• In addition to service dogs, only small pets are allowed (held in arms or in a special carrier).
National Museum of Ravenna
• Entry allowed to small and medium-sized pets upon completion of a form at the ticket office.
Dogs are not allowed at the following sites: Basilica of S. Apollinare in Classe, Basilica of S. Apollinare Nuovo, Neonian Baptistery, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Basilica of San Vitale, Chapel of Sant’Andrea, Archiepiscopal Museum, Dante Museum, Dante’s House, Classense Library.
The MIC is the museum of ceramics in Faenza that houses one of the largest collections in the world devoted to ceramics. Only small dogs on a leash or in a carrier can visit the MIC; in this case, without limitations on access to the rooms or spaces. Larger dogs can be left in the internal garden or near the ticket office; moreover, there is usually a bowl of water available to them. The museum is a true cultural centre devoted to ceramics, with 60 thousand works ranging from 4000 BC to the present day. Inside, there is also a restoration laboratory, a library, photographic and documentary archives, and an educational laboratory.
Only small dogs held by their owners in their arms or a carrier are allowed inside the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art and the exhibition space of the Church of Santa Maria dell'Angelo in Faenza. The museum offers a thousand-year journey through sacred art, a journey amidst art and faith that spans all sectors and provides an overall vision of the life of Christian communities throughout the centuries. The Diocesan Museum of Faenza occupies an important area of the bishop’s residence, whose origins date back to the 12th century.
The Municipal Art Gallery of Faenza is the oldest museum in Faenza and one of the oldest in the Emilia-Romagna Region. Pets are allowed inside the Municipal Art Gallery of Faenza only if they are used to accompany disabled people or if they are small enough to be held in their owners’ arms for the entire duration of the visit. The Art Gallery is located in the former Jesuit convent, now Palazzo degli Studi. The Municipal Art Gallery of Faenza hosts the most important exhibition of art from the Middle Ages to the 20th century in Romagna.
Palazzo Milzetti hosts the National Museum of the Neoclassical Age in Romagna; the building and the museum are partially accessible to four-legged friends of all sizes. In fact, it is not allowed to bring animals into the rooms, but there is a garden with an arcade and benches, where you can bring your four-legged friend. In the case of families or groups of friends, we usually suggest visiting the museum in turn, while someone stays with the pet, thus avoiding any pet anxiety. Of course, companion dogs and those assisting people with disabilities are allowed in all spaces, as per current legislation. Palazzo Milzetti is also one of the most important neoclassical residences in Italy. It is a place where architecture, painting, sculpture and applied arts come together to tell the story of the aristocratic culture of a family at the height of the Napoleonic period.
At the Venturini Cultural Centre in Massa Lombarda, which houses the Carlo Venturini Museum, the Municipal Art Gallery, the Collection of works of the Romagna Local Health Authority and the Carlo Venturini Municipal Library, pets are allowed in the areas open to the public. Dog owners who intend to bring their four-legged friends into the library must comply with the following rules: always use a leash and bring a muzzle, rigid or soft, for the dog in case of risk to people’s safety. The owner or keeper of a dog must ensure that the dog does not dirty the area and that they have the appropriate equipment to remove dog waste. The museum management also specifies that the owner is civilly and criminally responsible for any damage or injury caused by his/her animal to people, other animals or things.
The Civic Archaeological Museum of Verucchio is located in the former twelfth-century monastery of Sant’Agostino in the centre of the village of Verucchio, a few kilometres from Rimini. In the museum the dogs are quite welcome, the Malatesta Fortress and the Archaeological Museum of Verucchio are absolutely Pet Friendly without any kind of limitation as long as the dogs are on a leash and that there is always respect to other visitors. The museum exhibits materials from the excavations of the Villanovan-Etruscan necropolis located on the slopes of the hill of Verucchio.
The Button Museum tells the political and social history of humanity as well as that of customs and traditions, through the symbolism of buttons; these have been bought in haberdashery shops or millinery shops from the end of the 1800s to the present day. The museum is pet-friendly and accepts dogs of all sizes. Inside the building that houses the museum, there is a cave, where, for safety reasons, dogs are not allowed to enter.
The Nature Museum of the Onferno Nature Reserve is housed in the Pieve di Santa Colomba and is located near the Onferno Caves. There are no problems accessing the Museum in the Nature Reserve with dogs of all sizes. Several paths start from the Museum, all freely accessible to your four-legged friends. Only access to the Onferno Caves is not permitted to pets, as it is a protected environment ... the caves are famous for hosting several colonies of bats. It is, however, possible to make arrangements, during the booking phase, to leave your dog with the staff of the visitor centre for the entire duration of the guided tour of the cave.
The Piadina Experience is pet-friendly and accepts dogs of all sizes. Four-legged friends can access our museum spaces, and there are no limitations of any kind. There are also bowls available for the furry ones, and if your four-legged friend has difficulty climbing stairs, they can also use the lift. A tour into the world of the Piadina (a thin Italian flatbread), from the Neolithic to the present day, is an original, captivating, technological and interactive journey. The origins, history, peasant traditions and evolution of the Piadina, a symbol of Romagna, are a tribute to the "national bread of the Romagna inhabitants" as Giovanni Pascoli (Italian poet) wrote. Of course, there will be opportunities to taste our Piadina during the tour!
The Museum of Rural Arts, built in the mid-1500s, is located in the convent of San Girolamo. Dogs and cats are allowed in the museum, but not in the church, which is consecrated. Animals must be kept on a leash and must not dirty the area. In many cases, when the animal is small, visitors spontaneously carry it in their arms. The museum is dedicated to the memory of rural civilisation, the arts and crafts associated with it, and the art of making do with what was available.
Idro is a widespread museum located in the heart of the National Park of the Casentinesi Forests. Contextualized in the spaces adjacent to the Ridracoli dam, it presents itself as a sort of open-air museum; it consists of a central headquarters (multifunctional building) and thematic stations, the technological, landscape and naturalistic poles located in the area of the dam. In the museum complex of Idra and of the Ridracoli dam, dogs of all sizes on a leash can enter accompanied by their owners. And for those who want to try an unforgettable experience with your pet, we recommend a trip with the electric boat in the reservoir of the dam with your dog!
The Civic Archaeological Museum “T. Aldini” of Forlimpopoli – is accessible to dogs of all sizes as long as they are on a leash (better if short) and muzzled (especially if there are large groups). The courtyard of the Rocca, which overlooks the Museum, can be visited on one’s own and is always open to the public; the interior of the museum is entirely accessible to four-legged friends on a leash and muzzled. The Renaissance-era Rocca Ordelaffa houses valuable collections of local artefacts of daily life and construction techniques from the prehistoric, Roman, medieval and Renaissance periods along a path just waiting to be explored.
The Interfaith Museum of Bertinoro (MIB) is located inside the Rocca Vescovile of Bertinoro and is situated in the ancient dungeons of the thousand-year-old building. The rooms that house the objects on display and the ancient cistern are original and well-preserved environments, but they are small areas; so, small dogs held in their owners’ arms are accepted. The museum exhibition route is divided into three sections with interactive activities that tell the story of the cultures and the three monotheistic religions, the shared values and the peculiarities of the different faiths.
The Museum and Visitor Centre of the Casentino Forests National Park and the Museum of Water and Fauna are housed inside the Premilcuore Visitor Centre. The museum examines the themes of fauna and water, and is particularly suitable and accessible to "younger" visitors. The entrance of four-legged friends to the Museum of Water and Fauna is permitted, regardless of size. Dogs can access all museum areas without any limitations or restrictions whatsoever. The museum tells the story of biodiversity linked to the different aquatic habitats and man’s use of water in the past for his activities.
The Cesena Museum of Ecology is Pet-Friendly and accepts dogs of all sizes both inside and outside (private garden of the Museum) of our facility. Dogs are allowed in all areas; we ask that they be kept on a leash in consideration of those who might be afraid of them and because some stuffed animals are displayed outside of the cases. One wing of the museum is inside a 15th-century tower with slightly steep stairs where older dogs might have difficulty climbing. Dogs must be on a leash also in the private garden of the museum because there is a small pond that hosts various plants and freshwater animals where dogs cannot bathe (so as not to disturb the ecological balance of the pond). Our museum is a flight of steps away from the central Piazza del Popolo and consists of a garden planted with local plant species and an internal space made up as follows:
- Main room (ground floor) devoted to the environments and species that can be observed along the Savio river, from the mountains to the beach.
- Conference room (1st floor) that hosts exotic animals, insects, fossils and shells.
- Venetian Loggia (ground floor) that directly overlooks Piazza del Popolo and hosts a reproduction of the Apennine Grey Wolf: dogs usually do not react well to the sight of the wolf (for this reason, we recommend a leash).
- Torre del Nuti, where 3 different areas are set up: the lower floor is devoted to the Adriatic marine environment and to raising awareness of plastic pollution; the ground floor hosts dioramas of the Poles (North and South) with infographics on climate change while the top floor is dedicated to diurnal birds of prey (eagles and hawks).
The Musicalia Museum in Cesena is a Pet-Friendly museum and accepts small and medium-sized dogs. Four-legged friends can enter all the areas of the museum, but of course, they must be on a leash. The Museum was designed as a journey retracing 500 years of the history of mechanical music. From its invention to the various stages of its development and establishment in society, it has declined since the appearance of the gramophone and other modern means of sound diffusion.
In the National Archaeological Museum of Sarsina, access is permitted only to small and medium-sized pets in a carrier or held in their owners’ arms. The museum occupies a building located in the centre of the town that follows the perimeter of the ancient Roman civitas of Sassina. All the exhibits on display come from excavations and discoveries; the collections were gradually formed following the first discoveries of stones and inscriptions by local scholars, which began in the 16th century. The museum itinerary winds through seven rooms on the ground floor - devoted to the 19th-century collection, the necropolis and the town - and five rooms on the upper floor - dedicated to prehistory, funerary objects and the town's domus.
The Museum is located on the premises of the Malatesta Castle of Longiano and hosts one of the richest collections in Emilia Romagna. The museum is pet-friendly, and dogs of all sizes can access it as long as they are kept in tow by their owners for the safety of other visitors. Dogs are welcome in all of the common areas of the museum, which usually hosts exhibitions, conferences, seminars, and lessons. The museum hosts works by the greatest artists of the Italian 20th century (from Mafai to Rosai, from De Pisis to Sironi, passing through Guttuso, Morandi, Vespignani, Zancanaro) and of the international scene (Chagall, Goya, Kokoschka, Matisse, Twombly among others). There are numerous works by Mino Maccari, a close friend of the poet’s and an important figure in Italian painting of the second half of the 20th century.
