Museo Nazionale d'Abruzzo (MuNDA)

The National Museum of Abruzzo (MuNDA) presents archaeological finds and artworks from across the region. Its historic home is the sixteenth-century fortress above L'Aquila; after the 2009 earthquake, the collections were displayed at the former municipal slaughterhouse before returning to the restored castle in December 2025.

Why it matters

Opened in 1951 in the presence of President Luigi Einaudi, MuNDA brings together archaeology, medieval and modern art, decorative arts and regional history. Its collection includes works by Saturnino Gatti and Teofilo Patini, panels associated with the Maestro di Collemaggio and Maestro di Campo di Giove, and the skeleton of a southern mammoth.

What to notice

The mammoth skeleton was found in the 1950s at Madonna della Strada near Scoppito and entered the collection in 1958. The museum's paintings and sculpture include Gatti's Madonna enthroned with angels, Patini's La Redenzione, the L'albero della croce associated with the Maestro di Collemaggio, and works from the Saint John of Capestrano cycle. Displays also trace the region's archaeological and artistic heritage.

Context and history

Plans to establish a museum in the fortress began in the 1940s. The collections opened there in 1951 and expanded in later decades. The 2009 earthquake closed the castle seat; on 19 December 2015 the museum reopened at the former municipal slaughterhouse in Borgo Rivera. On 19 December 2025, a significant part of the collection returned to restored ground- and first-floor spaces in the castle.