Giovanni Rambotti Civic Archaeological Museum, Archaeological museum in Desenzano del Garda, Italy
The Giovanni Rambotti Civic Archaeological Museum occupies the cloister of the former Santa Maria del Carmine convent in Desenzano del Garda. The square cloister, completed by 1547, has five arches per side resting on twenty stone columns with leaf capitals. One floor is devoted to the pile-dwelling village of Lavagnone, with finds spanning the Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages.
The collection originated from archaeological work that began in 1873 during peat extraction near Desenzano. These excavations uncovered a large quantity of artifacts from prehistoric settlements in the region.
The museum displays everyday objects that belonged to people living near the lake thousands of years ago. Visitors can see pottery, tools, and other items that reveal how these ancient communities organized their daily routines.
The museum occupies the cloister of the former Santa Maria del Carmine convent, whose square portico has five arches per side on twenty stone columns. The cloister was completed by at least 1547 and restored by the municipality at the end of the 20th century after Allied bombing damaged the building in 1944. One floor is given over to the pile dwellings, with the Lavagnone settlement treated in detail.
The museum houses a wooden plough carved from a single piece of oak and dating back roughly 4000 years. This tool ranks among the oldest fully preserved ploughs ever discovered.
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