Centuripe Regional Archaeological Museum

The Centuripe Archaeological Museum

Those who love ancient history and are passionate about archeology cannot fail to pay a visit to the Regional Archaeological Museum of Centuripe, a small pearl that is little known but houses the main historical finds inside of the Roman era found throughout inland Sicily.

The Archaeological Museum is located near the remains of the temple of the Augustalis and, more generally, within a vast area which includes various archaeological finds. Here's how to reach it and what not to miss during a visit.

History of the Regional Archaeological Museum of Centuripe

Since ancient times, the territorial area that extends around the municipality of Centuripe has been affected by the discovery of numerous archaeological finds that have attracted the attention of a vast audience of scholars.

The idea of ​​a real museum, however, dates back to the early 1900s, when the Municipality decided to collect the material found spontaneously and combine it with that resulting from the excavations carried out from the University of Catania to give life to a first collection that animated the new civic museum which found its place right inside the town hall.

Subsequently, around 1956, it was decided to build a structure that would house the collection in a more suitable way, which was growing year after year: thus the construction of a structure was started which occupied a panoramic position with a view over the valley and on Etna. For bureaucratic reasons and structural problems, the construction of the new museum suffered several slowdowns but at the beginning of 2000 there was finally the inauguration of the new headquarters and the baptism with the name of Regional Archaeological Museum of Centuripe.

Architecture and works of art present

Today the structure offers its visitors the opportunity to admire over 3000 artifacts which in particular reconstruct the history of the town from its construction to the day of its destruction. The museum is divided into three floors, each of which is dedicated to a particular aspect of life in Roman times, with numerous exhibits that act as a support to allow visitors to imagine in greater detail what happened at the time.

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The first floor collects all the finds that tell of the daily life of the inhabitants of Centuripe, starting from some finds from the Hellenistic era and insisting above all on the economic aspect, through the finds of the productive activities of the time.

In the center of the first floor is the reconstruction of the Augusteum and numerous significant finds including the head of the emperor Hadrian, dating back to the XNUMXnd century, which was probably part of a larger statue. There is also another marble torso which is not part of the same composition but which was probably a depiction of Hadrian anyway. Finally there is a female statue of great value, above all due to the articulated drapery that covers the body, and several columbaries.

- Mezzanine floor
All the false finds are collected here, those that cannot be dated with certainty and objects that have been the result of clandestine excavations and which have been recovered over time.

- Second floor
The second floor is dedicated to the funeral rite and beliefs of the time relating to the afterlife. There are statues, grave goods and other material resulting from authorized excavations that help to better understand Roman culture.

- Third floor
Here there are temporary exhibitions that can be organized on topics related to the object of the museum or simply dedicated to other forms of art.

What you can do in the surroundings and inside the Archaeological Museum

Inside the Regional Archaeological Museum of Centuripe it is possible to visit the collections of permanent archaeological finds but also the temporary exhibitions which follow one another from month to month. In addition, educational workshops are periodically scheduled for the little ones to combine play and knowledge.

However, those who decide to extend their holiday in Centirupe will be able to have more time to visit all the other beauties of the place, such as the Roman baths, which are located in the nearby Contrada Bagni, Or the Conradin Castle which is a very well preserved medieval fortress.

In the city centre, the Church of the Crucifix and that of Monte Calvario are worth a visit, even if the most suggestive is certainly the one dedicated to theImmaculate Conception which is located in the center of the town, in Piazza Duomo.

How can you get to your destination

Centuripe is easily accessible by various means of transportation, so it's the perfect stop for a cultural day trip or a longer vacation. Those traveling by car will have to take the A19 motorway from both Palermo and Catania, take the Catenanuova exit and then continue on state road 121 or 192 which lead directly to Centuripe.

Alternatively, it is possible to reach the locality by train, but there is no railway station in the town, therefore it is necessary to stop in Catenanuova and from there continue to the destination using the regional bus service which operates every day of the week. Provincial buses are also scheduled from Enna, Catania and Palermo and include a stop in Centuripe on their way.

© Davide Mauro, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons