From August 29 to September 27, 2026, the Museo del Mare in Gaeta hosts the XXXII Mostra Marinara «Gaeta e il Mare», entitled this year Navigando nella Storia. The opening ceremony takes place on Saturday, August 29 at 19:00.
There is one important detail to know right away, as it can save you an unnecessary trip: the exhibition is only open on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, from 17:30 to 20:30. From Monday to Friday, the museum is closed. Throughout the entire period, there are only ten available visiting days.
Who was Don Lidio Borgese
The exhibition is dedicated to the notes on Gaeta’s history published in the 1960s by the Reverend Don Lidio Borgese (1905-1967). Borgese served as honorary inspector of antiquities for Gaeta: a role that, at the time, entrusted local scholars with monitoring the area’s archaeological and artistic heritage, reporting discoveries and deterioration to the heritage authorities.
He left behind writings that can still be found in academic bibliographies on Gaeta — including Gaeta ciclopica, published in Veroli in 1963, and Note sulla chiesa di S. Giacomo in Gaeta, published in 1967, the year of his death.
The tone, as the organizers note, is that of scholarly writing laced with subtle irony: not a mere compiler of index cards, but someone recounting his own city out of genuine love for it.
What to see
Archaeological finds, works of art, and local monuments: lesser-known witnesses to Gaeta’s artistic and cultural richness, featuring frequent references to the city’s ancient seafaring history. This is the common thread running through all thirty-two editions of this exhibition: the bond between Gaeta and its sea, told through historical documents and artifacts rather than postcards.
The venue is perfectly suited: the Museo del Mare houses ship models, nautical equipment, and memorabilia of Gaeta’s maritime traditions, right in the heart of Gaeta Medievale, just steps away from the neighborhood that truly lived that history.
The ten opening days
Since it is only open on weekends, it helps to mark the dates: Saturday August 29 and Sunday August 30; then, in September, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27. There are no midweek public holidays during this period: ten opening sessions in total, always from 17:30 to 20:30.
Practical information
- Where: Museo del Mare, Via Annunziata 60, Gaeta Medievale.
- When: from August 29 to September 27, 2026, only Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, 17:30-20:30.
- Opening: Saturday, August 29, at 19:00.
- Organized by: Associazione Culturale «Gaeta e il Mare», in collaboration with Comune di Gaeta, I.I.S.S. G. Caboto, and VogAmareGaeta.
All details, the map, and directions are available on the event page. If you would like to know beforehand what the museum houses, we have a dedicated guide to the Museo del Mare.
A summer evening in Gaeta Medievale
The 17:30-20:30 schedule is the best they could have chosen: it is the hour when the medieval quarter cools down from the sun and comes alive with people. After the exhibition, you step outside into the soft evening light on the alleyways — and from there, it is just a few minutes’ walk to the waterfront or to dinner.
If you need help fitting everything into your schedule, Enea — ScopriGaeta’s assistant — knows the opening and closing times of every monument and is available at any hour via the central button on the bottom bar.
