L’edificio del National Archaeological Museum of Mantua is inspired by the Scala di Milano, adapted to the circumstances of the site, where the narrowness of the area enclosed by the already existing walls of other buildings prevented the construction of the dressing rooms dedicated to the boxes and gave the cavea an elongated shape.
After the Unification of Italy, the building, which was now used only occasionally and deprived of maintenance, was put up for sale by the State Property Office and purchased by the Municipality of Mantua in 1896, which designated it as the Market for Silkworm Cocoons and later, in 1930, for the fruit and vegetable trade.
Donated by the Municipality of Mantua to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, the restoration began with the aim of preserving the environmental and architectural characteristics of a remarkable example of late 19th-century paleoindustrial architecture, maintaining its original external appearance, and transforming it into a archaeological museum intended to collect works found in the city and others coming from the numerous archaeological sites of the province of Mantua.
The space inside the Archaeological Museum has been horizontally cut by three floors, with views both inside and outside, so as not to lose the perception of the original building.
Since the work is still ongoing, only 200 of the nearly 2000 sq m of exhibition space are open to the public, represented by the temporary exhibition rooms.
Here, since 1998, the permanent exhibition “Archaeology from the Mantuan territory” is visitable, which proposes itself as a synthesis of the future museum. The entrance of the Archaeological Museum is currently located in Piazza Castello. The museum’s collections include Neolithic, Bronze Age, Etruscan, Venetic, Celtic, Roman, Lombard, Gothic, medieval, and Renaissance materials.
Information on the National Archaeological Museum of Mantua
Piazza Castello 46100 Mantua Tel. 0376.329223 or 0376.320003.
