Colonia romana di Luna. Founded in 177 B.C. on the coast of the bay at the mouth of the Magra river, after the conquest of the territory of the Ligurian Apuani by Rome, it derives its name from the goddess Selene-Luna. The proximity to the now buried port, already frequented by Greeks and Etruscans, the richness of the marble veins of the nearby Apuan Alps, and the political interests of senatorial families such as the Aemilii soon favored the prosperity of the center, which was enriched with temples, honorary statues, and luxurious private buildings. At the end of the 4th century A.D., battered by the earthquake, the city was rebuilt using the remains of its imposing architectures. A Byzantine fortress against the barbarians, under the political and religious guidance of its bishops it was the center of the Diocese with the cathedral of Santa Maria, a destination for pilgrims and travelers along the Via Francigena. The silting up of the port and malaria marked its abandonment. Dante indeed remembers it among the dead cities. The Museum opens with a section related to marble statuary and portraiture, followed by one dedicated to ceramics, with a typological, chronologically ordered overview of the productions found in Luni, the numismatic section, with a vast repertoire from the republican age to the early Middle Ages, and also a section for jewelry and toiletry instruments. Transport containers, glassware, and a selection of metal objects are also displayed. The space of the portico beneath the Museum is dedicated to the capitolium, which presents a review of the elements of architectural decoration in marble and terracotta. Upon leaving the Museum, one can observe the remains of the “domus of mosaics” named precisely for its rich mosaic flooring. The dwelling, which underwent various construction phases, has particularly yielded a mosaic depicting Hercules and one with the Circus Maximus of Rome, both datable to the late 3rd — early 4th century A.D. Beyond the domus rise the ruins of the temple dedicated to the goddess Luna. The sacred building was erected in the republican era (to this period also belongs the decoration of the terracotta pediment dated around 150 B.C.) and later deeply remodeled in the imperial age. The sanctuary materials are visible in the sacred section set up in the nearby Maurino farmhouse. Returning along the path, on one side you can see a stretch of the foundations of the city walls, the remains of the “northern domus,” and the epigraphic section, while on the other side you can reach the central public area that develops around the forum. The large square was originally covered with marble and bordered on the long sides by porticoes with shops. In the imperial age, a series of public buildings with both sacred and civil character overlook it, including the capitolium, the civil basilica, and the curia, flanked by two twin squares. The visit continues with the section dedicated to private buildings where significant space is given to the “domus of frescoes,” a large residence named for the painted plasters found inside it. The visit ends with the amphitheater located outside the walls; the monument, built in the imperial age, could accommodate up to 7,000 people.
Information about the National Archaeological Museum and Archaeological Area of Luni
Via Luni, 37
19034 Ortonovo (La Spezia)
018766811
https://www.archeoge.liguria.beniculturali.it
Source: MIBACT
