The Marengo Museum, dedicated to the Battle of Marengo, is housed in Villa Delavo, built in 1846 by the pharmacist Giovanni Antonio Delavo. Inside are preserved finds and memorabilia of the time, next to works made by contemporary artists. Outside the Museum there is the Park of the villa, with the funeral monument dedicated to the fallen of the battle and to General Dessaix.
Symbol of the Marengo Museum is the Pyramid (which can also be found in the logo), built in 2009 based on an idea of the then Consul Napoleon Bonaparte who, a few years after the end of the battle, issued an edict to give order to build a pyramid, in the style of the Egyptian ones, in perpetual memory of his victory and the fallen in battle, first of all General Louis Charles Antoine Desaix, the true protagonist of the victory. Historical evidence tells that the pyramid was built for about a third of its volume thanks to the funds of the French Genius, but its construction was interrupted for unknown reasons, and the building materials were dispersed. Today’s pyramid is covered with cast iron plates which, by rusting, have given the metal the colour of sand and recall Napoleon’s original idea. Inside is the museum’s reception area, information space, cloakroom and library.
