It was happenstance that I bumped into this museum. Exploring the streets around the Duomo di Salerno, and I walked past a bright yellow building with roman statues at the entrance. I soon realized that this was the wonderful archaeological museum in Salerno.
Provincial Archaeological Museum
Officially called the above, the archaeological museum is now housed inside the old monastery of San Benedetto. In the 1970’s the space was redesigned by a local architect and doesn’t look like there have been any changes since.
Consisting of two floors, this beautiful little museum holds hundreds and hundreds of local artifacts found in the area from the 6th century BC to roman times.
The Exterior
Out front and to the left are a few beautiful ancient Roman statues along the wall. To the right of the main doors, is a wee courtyard housing more Roman finds, including reliefs and honorary bases in marble.
Ground Floor
Once through the main doors the clerk directed me to take a path marked out on the floor with arrows. This floor is full of tall glass cases that house, in chronological order, finds from all around the province of Campania. Many of these items are jewellery, weapons, bronze items, pretty pottery, and the like.
I found larger floor standing information signs were in Italian and English, however the smaller placards inside the cabinets, that tell you what the actual items are that you are looking at, were all in Italian. I would have loved to know what some of these pieces were that I was seeing but unable to identify.
Second Floor
Up a set of stairs and you arrive at the second floor of the museum. Here are many artifacts found at a local Etruscan site called Fratte at the north end of the city of Salerno. They include gorgeous pieces of decorative pottery and some statues.
Along one wall are old black and white photographs of some of these pieces being excavated and discovered.
There are multimedia information area’s throughout the museum, however none of these were up and running when I went through.
Treasure
Perhaps the most prized possession of this entire museum, and its figurehead, is the stunning bronze head of Apollo found in the Gulf of Salerno. Housed in a room all his own, he commands your attention.
On the day I visited, I was given entry free of charge. I don’t know if this is the norm now, but I believe the cost was only ever €4 and €2 in 2018. If you are an admirer of ancient artifacts and want a peaceful and serene place to visit, I encourage you to check out this museum. I had the place to myself and it was a wonderful half hour spent here.
