The Archaeological Museum of Perugia is the most important archaeological collection in central Italy. It is located within the San Domenico complex, in the area adjacent to the Basilica which is accessed from Piazza Giordano Bruno, in the southern area of ​​the historic center of Perugia.

Since 1948, the Archaeological Museum has gathered in this place the collections of various civic museums scattered throughout the territory. The museum itinerary was renovated in 2009 and today allows you to retrace the history and local art according to a chronological approach.

The visit to the museum is a journey from prehistory to Roman times, passing through Umbrians and Etruscans, enriched by various thematic rooms.

The Archaeological Museum of Perugia, what to see: the thematic rooms

Before starting the actual visit to the museum, the splendid cloister of the San Domenico complex deserves a mention. Here, where some Etruscan cinerary urns from the necropolis of Perugia and Roman inscriptions are exhibited, there are five thematic rooms:

the room of the collection of ancient and modern amulets from the Bellucci collection, collected mainly during the Italian campaigns of the late nineteenth century
the room of the numismatic collection, with coins from the third century. B.C. to the nineteenth century. A.D.
the hall of goldsmiths and monetary treasures
the room of the Etruscan bronzes of Castel Mariano, including the remains of three ancient chariots
the tomb of the Cacni, a new exhibition space with finds and funerary materials

Another room is particularly suggestive: it is an underground room located next to the entrance, where the tomb of the Cai Cutu has been rebuilt with the related funerary objects. The reconstruction refers to an underground tomb found in 1983 in the Monteluce district of Perugia, just outside the ancient Etruscan walls, and was built respecting the shape and size of the original sepulcher, dating back to the III-I century. B.C. The sarcophagus and the 52 cinerary urns are therefore arranged in an environment identical to the past, with the sarcophagus at the bottom of the room, aligned with the entrance, and the urns on the sides.

The Archaeological Museum of Perugia, what to see: the museum itinerary

The museum itinerary begins with the finds from the prehistoric period: lithic materials from the Paleolithic; materials, artifacts and ceramic finds from the Neolithic and Bronze Age. All enriched by interactive multimedia supports that allow you to deepen specific aspects of these distant eras.

It then continues with the Umbrian and Etruscan room, the two peoples who for centuries inhabited the lands along the two banks of the Tiber river. The works and testimonies present in the hall retrace the parallel evolution and exchanges that took place between the two peoples from the 9th to the 3rd century. B.C. Particular space is also dedicated to the history of the city of Perugia, from its origins to the early stages of occupation, up to the urban structuring.

The Sala dell’Umbria romana then tells a very important period for the Umbrian territory, providing an extremely interesting overview of the subjection of the territory to the power of Rome. Various themes introduced thanks to finds, ancient Latin inscriptions and materials found in the archaeological excavations of the region, starting with the ceramic production found in the Scoppieto area.

Among the works preserved in the most valuable museum, in addition to Roman materials and epigraphs that recall the rebirth of Perugia after the destruction it suffered in 41 BC, we point out the well-known Cippo Perugino: it is one of the most important inscriptions in Etruscan we.

The Archaeological Museum of Perugia: practical information

The Archaeological Museum of Perugia is open every day at the following times:

from Tuesday to Sunday, open all day from 8:30 to 19:30
on Mondays, open all day from 10:00 to 19:30

The museum is closed on public holidays of December 25th, January 1st and May 1st.

The entrance ticket costs € 4.00 and there are reductions for visitors aged 18 to 25, EU citizens. Admission to the museum is free up to 18 years.

Have a good visit to the Archaeological Museum of Perugia