Archaeological museums

The civic museum of Santa Marinella, a wonderful city on the coast north of Rome, tells the life and history of the castle of Santa Severa.

The ticket includes a visit to all the halls and to the rooms of the fortress and 'maschio' tower. including the internal chapel of the castle.

Along the way, reproductions of costumes and armour are shown and daily life in the castle is illustrated.

The museum shows tools and technologies used by the inhabitants over the centuries and a reproduction of a medieval set table.

The museum is in the halls of the Santa Severa Castle.

The Museum is named after the militellese painter Sebastiano Guzzone (1856-1890) and built inside the former Convent of the Dominican Friars.

The Militello Civic Museum and Historical Archive boasts a precious collection of archaeological finds from the territory (such as the objects found in the Greek necropolis di Filodidonna), paintings, sculptures (including the relief of the Zizza), photographs and archival documents that tell the story and the artistic value of this city rich in beauty.

Among the paintings, there are two portraits of unknown authors by Don Francesco Branciforti and by Donna Giovanna D’Austria. The archive contains all the tenders, from 1600 to the time of the Anglo-American occupation.

The Civic Museum of Campagnano di Roma is located inside Palazzo Venturi at the entrance to the village and next to the Arco Gate.

Inside you can admire finds that illustrate, above all, the historical journey from the Etruscan period to the Roman Republican and Imperial periods.
It starts from the outfitting of a tomb of an Etruscan warrior that dates back to the 7th century B.C.

Most of the finds of the Roman times comes from the area of ​​the old Mansio ad Vacanas, a post station along the Via Cassia. This area was inhabited from the 1st to the 5th century A.D. and it is also called Mansio di Baccano for its position in the Valle del Baccano.

The collection includes objects from everyday life of women, such as makeup containers, up to game dice and other entertainment items.

The Civic Archaeological Museum of Anzio is located in the splendid rooms of Villa Adele, built in the seventeenth century during the rebirth of Anzio sought by Pope Innocent XII as a summer residence centre for cardinals and prelates.

The rooms of the museum tell the story of this area and of all its glory during the Republic and Imperial eras of Rome.

Among the most interesting findings there are some frescoes from the Imperial Villa begun by Augustus and made famous by Nero.

Giovanni Battista Ulisse Antiquarium

The municipal antiquarium of Cineto Romano collects many Roman artifacts that have been found in the area and in the Aniene Valley.

In particular, you can admire two particular roman burials called 'alla cappuccina' which seem to date back to the 1st-2nd century AD, a particular type of tomb made with terracotta elements similar to roof coverings.

The skeletons of the deceased were also found in this one in Cineto Romano. Part of the exhibits were recovered by the Guardia di Finanza and the antiquarium is dedicated to Giovanni Battista Ulisse, a journalist and historian originally from Cineto Romano.

The Civic Museum of Pofi contains archaeological finds of prehistoric times (from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic), Roman (I - II century BC) and medieval.

The most significant material is a fang "Elephans antiquus", a fragment of ulna, and tibia from a "Homo Erectus" of 430,000 years.

The National Etruscan Museum of Viterbo is located near Porta Fiorentina in the center of the city and is set up inside the magnificent Rocca Albornoz built in 1354 by Cardinal Albornoz from which it takes its name.

After the return from the exile of the papacy in Avignon, the cardinal-warrior Albornoz was charged with reconquering some territories that had rebelled against the papacy. To govern these new territories, the cardinal had built a series of fortresses in the border areas, including that of Viterbo which had a tormented life.

In 1375 it was partially destroyed by the prefect Francesco di Vico, an opponent of the pope, and after a reconquest it was destroyed by Pope Eugene IV in 1438.

After a series of reconstructions, it was enlarged with a large stable by Pope Sixtus IV and then transformed into a Renaissance palace by Pope Julius II della Rovere. The latter commissioned Bramante who arranged the internal courtyard, the fountain and a large loggia.

In 1523, the fortress was entrusted to the Knights of Jerusalem who had fled from Rhodes and spent a few years in Viterbo before going to their new headquarters in Malta. For many years the fortress was the site of a orphanage and after the unification of Italy it was used as accommodation for the military.

Rocca Albornoz, like the city of Viterbo, suffered heavy Allied bombing during the Second World War and after being restored it became the seat of the National Etruscan Museum to collect some important finds from the area.

The museum is divided into three floors, on the ground floor you can admire finds from Ferento and Musarna, including a famous mosaic with the Etruscan alphabet, and from the necropolis of Barbarano, Blera, Norchia and Castel d'Asso.

The middle floor is dedicated to exhibitions while the second floor is dedicated to finds from the area of ​​Lake Bolsena.

A section of the museum is then totally dedicated to the Tomb of the Chariot discovered in Ischia di Castro which contains an entire outfit of an Etruscan woman of the sixth century BC. including a beautiful and very rare chariot that gave the tomb its name.