# Mole Vanvitelliana: a pentagon built for quarantine

> Vanvitelli's lazaretto in the port of Ancona sits on its own artificial island: first stone July 26, 1733, finished 1743, close to 20,000 square meters.

URL: https://myitalia.it/attractions/mole-vanvitelliana-ancona
Last updated: 2026-09-03

The Mole Vanvitelliana is a pentagonal quarantine station on an artificial island in the port of Ancona: first stone July 26, 1733, finished 1743, close to 20,000 square meters, and today an events venue rather than a monument with a turnstile.

## A pentagon, built on water, for disease

Luigi Vanvitelli designed it as a lazaretto, a quarantine station, and the first stone went down on July 26, 1733. The work finished in 1743, on an artificial island outside the old walls, covering close to 20,000 square meters.

The five-sided plan is the medical logic made into architecture. Goods and people came off the ships, went into the pentagon, stayed there for a fixed period, and only then entered the city, which is why the building sits in the water and not on the quay.

Ancona was a free port under Pope Clement XII at the time. A free port needs a quarantine station the way an airport needs a customs hall, and this is that hall, built at the scale of a fortress.

## No timetable, because the program is the timetable

Nobody publishes fixed opening hours for the Mole. It opens for the cultural and musical events it hosts, so the door is governed by a season program rather than a museum clock.

The Comune of Ancona answers at cultura@comune.ancona.it. Check what is on before you plan a detour, because on an empty week the courtyard is open and the halls are not.

Accessibility is the one thing the city does state: ramps in every hall, and the building is listed as accessible to people with disabilities. For an 18th century structure that is the exception, and it comes from the conversion work rather than from the original build.

## Free inside: the tactile museum

Entry to the Museo Tattile Statale Omero, which lives inside the Mole, is free in 2026, with the separate Design Collection at €5 and free on the first Sunday of the month. Prices on this page are in euros.

It is a museum where the instruction is to put your hands on the work. Full hours and how the collection is laid out are on [the Museo Omero page](/attractions/museo-omero-ancona).

## The port around it is not scenery

Ancona's port handled 817,627 passengers in 2025, of whom 739,399 traveled on ferries and 78,228 on cruise ships, down 12% on the 927,415 of 2024. That traffic runs past the Mole's front door.

Plan for it. The approach is a working quay with trucks queuing for Greece, Croatia and Albania, and the walk from the center crosses lanes that are busy at sailing times rather than at tourist times.

## The archaeological museum is a separate ticket

The Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Marche is in Palazzo Ferretti at via Gabriele Ferretti 6, not in the Mole, and costs €5 full and €2 reduced for EU citizens aged 18 to 25 (2026). It closes on Monday.

Hours run 8:30 am to 1:30 pm Tuesday to Thursday, 8:30 am to 7:30 pm Friday and Saturday, and 2:00 pm to 7:30 pm on Sunday. A combined ticket with the Roman amphitheater is €8. The city as a whole is at [Ancona](/towns/ancona).

## FAQ

### What is the Mole Vanvitelliana?

A pentagonal quarantine station in the port of Ancona designed by Luigi Vanvitelli, on an artificial island outside the old walls. The first stone was laid on July 26, 1733 and the work finished in 1743, across close to 20,000 square meters.

### What are the opening hours of the Mole Vanvitelliana?

There is no fixed timetable. The building opens for the cultural and musical program it hosts, so hours change with the event. The Comune of Ancona takes questions at cultura@comune.ancona.it, and the museums inside keep their own hours.

### Is the Mole Vanvitelliana accessible with a wheelchair?

Yes. The Comune of Ancona lists the building as accessible to people with disabilities, with ramps in every hall. That is unusual for an 18th century structure and it is a consequence of the conversion into an events venue.

### Is there anything to visit inside the Mole?

Two things. The Museo Tattile Statale Omero, where entry is free in 2026 and the Design Collection costs €5, and the temporary exhibition program. The archaeological museum of the Marche is elsewhere in town, in Palazzo Ferretti.

### Where exactly is the Mole Vanvitelliana?

Banchina Giovanni da Chio 28, 60121 Ancona, inside the working port area and a short walk from the passenger terminal. In 2025 that port handled 817,627 passengers, so expect trucks and ferry queues on the road alongside it.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Mole Vanvitelliana di Ancona e' un lazzaretto pentagonale progettato da Luigi Vanvitelli: la prima pietra fu posata il 26 luglio 1733 e i lavori finirono nel 1743. Si estende per quasi ventimila metri quadrati su un'isola artificiale nell'area portuale, fuori dalle vecchie mura, e oggi ospita iniziative culturali e musicali; e' accessibile alle persone con disabilita' grazie alle rampe presenti in tutte le sale. | [Comune di Ancona](https://www.comune.ancona.it/it/point-of-interest/758716?category_id=344165) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Ad Ancona, dentro la Mole Vanvitelliana, il Museo Tattile Statale Omero espone opere che si toccano con le mani: l'ingresso al museo e' gratuito (2026), la Collezione Design costa 5 euro. | [Museo Tattile Statale Omero](https://www.museoomero.it/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Marche, in Palazzo Ferretti ad Ancona, costa 5 euro intero e 2 ridotto (UE 18-25) nel 2026 ed e' chiuso il lunedi'. | [Musei Nazionali delle Marche - MiC](https://museinazionalimarche.cultura.gov.it/museo/museo-archeologico-nazionale-delle-marche/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Nel 2025 il porto di Ancona ha registrato 817.627 passeggeri (739.399 sui traghetti e 78.228 crocieristi), il 12% in meno rispetto ai 927.415 del 2024. | [AdSP Mare Adriatico Centrale](https://www.porto.ancona.it/it/news/il-2025-annata-positiva-per-il-sistema-portuale-del-mare-adriatico-centrale); [doc 2](https://www.porto.ancona.it/it/news/adsp-mare-adriatico-centrale-11-2-milioni-di-tonnellate-di-merci-e-939-mila-passeggeri-nel-2024) | medium | 2027-06-30 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.ancona.1600.jpg
Author: Terragio67. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ancona_-_Monumento_ai_caduti_di_Ancona,_dettagli_-_GT_ver2_-_2025-09-11_21-09-15_001.jpg

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