MUNDA – National Museum of Abruzzo, L’Aquila

At the National Museum of Abruzzo, established in the early 1950s, the Aquilan collections from the Civic Museum and the Diocesan Museum merged to form, through mutual integration, a single complex highly representative of Abruzzese art and notably enhanced by the monumental prestige and significant potential offered by the new museum venue. The works, which included many of the most significant documents of regional art, from evocative medieval icons and wooden sculptures to Renaissance masterpieces such as the processional cross of the L’Aquila Cathedral by Nicola da Guardiagrele and the full-round sculpture of St. Sebastian by Silvestro dell’Aquila, were arranged in a series of large rooms on the first floor of the eastern wing, corresponding to the façade. Subsequently, a selected series of works from the 16th to the 18th century were installed on the second floor. In 1975, a significant bequest from Marquis Francesco Cappelli, consisting notably of a remarkable collection of paintings by Mattia Preti, was deposited at the museum for conservation purposes. The archaeological section, transferred from the Civic Museum, was set up in the southeast bastion: the initial core of the current collection results from the donation of the collection passionately assembled by Prince Francesco Caracciolo in his palace in Barisciano around the mid-18th century. Other important finds come from 19th-century excavations directed by Antonio De Nino and Nicolò Persichetti, especially in the area of ancient Amiternum. In 1926, finds from Alba Fucens and Guardia Vomano were deposited in the Fortress. Alongside the so-called Amiternum Calendar, of exceptional importance, there are other highly interesting pieces: reliefs depicting a Funeral Ceremony and a Gladiatorial Game, a snake-shaped sepulchral stele, and a varied collection of inscriptions of a commemorative or funerary nature. In the northeast bastion, the imposing fossil specimen discovered in 1954 near Scoppito has been reconstructed. In recent years, the museum has undergone a comprehensive and substantial intervention aimed at restoring the museum heritage, revising the exhibits, and significantly enhancing the museographic structures thanks to the installation of new lighting and air conditioning systems and the provision of effective educational aids and services.