Italy’s Ministry Of Culture Funds €2M National Motorcycle Museum

Aiming to make Pesaro the capital of two wheels.

By: Dustin Wheelen

Sep 30, 2021 at 1:48pm ET

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The Pesaro Benelli Museum and Officine Benelli Museum features Benelli's most celebrated models. With over 200 Benelli and MotoBì motorcycles on display throughout the 11,000 square-foot facility, the Pesaro-based museums capture the 110-year journey of Italy’s oldest motorcycle manufacturer. Now, Italy’s Ministry of Culture will fund a €2M (≈ $2.3M USD) project to construct a National Motorcycle Museum in the same complex.

The development project will include Benelli’s museums in an attempt to make Pesaro the “world capital of two wheels”. Most recently, Pesaro mayor Matteo Ricci announced the arrival of the funds and positioned his city as the ideal site for such a culturally significant establishment.

"A place of great value, which could only be born in our city, the ‘Land of Pilots and Engines’,” stated Ricci, “where many collectors live, starting from the Morbidelli collection currently on display at the Pesaro Benelli Museum.”

After observing COVID-19 restrictions for over a year, the Benelli museums reopened on May 29, 2021. To help draw enthusiasts back in, the museum showcased the Automotoclub Storico Italiano’s (ASI) extensive Morbidelli collection. Consisting of 71 motorcycles representing 30 different makes, the collection diversified the Benelli Museum’s offerings with legendary motorcycles from Moto Guzzi, Harley-Davidson, and Moto-Rêve. The new project will build on the success of the special exhibit with hopes of increasing tourism in the region.

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“A great result, a further step forward,” added Ricci. “The motorbike is an identity trait of our territory and will increasingly become an element of tourist attraction.”

Though vintage bikes crowd the repurposed workshop, the museum touts four multimedia centers, projection screens, historical documents, and photographs to help visitors grasp Benelli’s rich history. Of course, with €2M to develop the National Motorcycle Museum we expect even more interactive exhibits at the new facility.