Museo archeologico provinciale Sigismondo Castromediano - Lecce, Italy - History Museums on Waymarking.com

The Museo Provinciale Sigismondo Castromediano was established by Sigismondo Castromediano, an Italian Duke and scholar. Deemed to be one of the oldest museums in the commune, it displays collection and information pertaining to the Roman and Messapian settlements.

Sigismondo Castromediano collected the first finds and put them on display in some premises of the former monastery of the Celestini, where the museum remained until 1979, when it was moved to the present building which is a former boarding school built by the Jesuits at the end of the 19th century. After restoration by Franco Minissi between 1970 and 1979, it became the Provincial Museum and Library.

The visit can be carried out according to the itinerary one prefers: Prehistory, the Messapians, the Romans, the Middle Ages, the Baroque Age and contemporary artists.

The prehistoric archaeological sites tell us about the evolution of a land inhabited by man from the Palaeolithic Age. The result is a summary, from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Aeneolithic, from stone and ceramic working techniques with chronological references and how the artifacts were used. Some artifacts are particularly interesting such as the bone divinities depicting Mother Earth – called the Venuses of Parabita, from the place where they were found –, and the reproductions of some graves in their original state as they were discovered by archaeologists.

The archaeological itinerary continues with the Messapians, a population which probably originated from the Orient and established itself during the Iron Age. They developed a civilization that opened commercial and cultural contacts with Greece, from which they assimilated the alphabet – as numerous inscriptions kept in the museum show –, and also some ceramic shapes, developing at the same time some exclusive ones, such as the unique trozzella. From the Greeks the Messapians also adopted some social models, such as living in towns surrounded by large walls, as can be seen in the panels of the reproductions of Rudiae, Cavallino, Roca, Alezio, Ugento and other Messapian towns which are today known thanks to the archaeological excavations which are thoroughly illustrated in the museum.

Theme: History of the region beginning with pre-history through the Baroque period. Street Address: Viale Gallipoli, 30, Lecce LE, Italy Food Court: no Hours of Operation: Saturday 8:30AM–7:30PM Sunday 9AM–1PM Monday 8:30AM–7:30PM Tuesday 8:30AM–7:30PM Wednesday 8:30AM–7:30PM Thursday 8:30AM–7:30PM Friday 8:30AM–7:30PM Cost: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Museum Size: Small Relevant Web Site: [Web Link] Gift Shop: Not Listed

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