The Museum Omero occupies one side of the Mole Vanvitelliana, an eighteenth-century architectural complex rising from the sea, recognisable by its distinctive pentagonal form and located in the Archi district of Ancona – just a short walk from both the city centre and the port area.
The Mole, also known as the former lazzaretto, is a unique architectural landmark designed in the 1700s by Luigi Vanvitelli and today regarded as one of the symbols of Ancona. This 20,000 square metre pentagon on the water has served many purposes over the centuries: defensive bastion, hospital, sanatorium, warehouse, and more. It now functions as a multifunctional cultural centre of the City of Ancona, managed by Ancona Servizi, and hosts, in addition to the Omero Museum, the Orfeo Tamburi Auditorium (400 seats), exhibition rooms, and The Mole Bistro and Literary Café.
The area of the complex assigned to the Museo Omero covers approximately 3,000 square metres and occupies the north-eastern side of the pentagon. The museum spaces are arranged over five levels:
- Level zero, beneath the inner courtyard: the Design collection and the storage areas.
- First level, opening onto the inner courtyard: the two entrances to the Museum’s exhibition rooms -via a monumental staircase and a lift – together with the entrance to the offices, the Documentation and Research Centre, and the tiflodidactic workshop.
- Second level: the exhibition rooms, the conference hall, the refreshment and consultation area, the restrooms, and the administrative offices.
- Third level: the mezzanine with the exhibition route, two workshop spaces equipped with restrooms, and the office of the Education Department.
- Fourth level: the offices of the Secretariat and Presidency, Projects and Communication, and the Archive.