Museo NINA

Museo NINA in Civitella del Tronto preserves decorative arts, textiles, clothing, documents and domestic objects associated with the town and its region. The collection developed from the work of collector Gaetana Graziani Scesi and the cultural association that bears her name.

Why it matters

The museum presents textile and decorative arts as part of Civitella del Tronto's cultural history. Its objects include textiles, fashion, embroidery and household pieces, alongside materials associated with the town's history as a royal and frontier centre. The collection's breadth connects local family histories with wider artistic and commercial exchanges.

What to notice

Displays bring together clothing, textiles, glass, domestic objects, sewing equipment and works in several craft traditions. A green silk coverlet is associated with Ferdinand II of Bourbon's visit to Civitella in 1832. The collection also includes an Ottoman-era Ushak carpet and a Treasury bond issued in Naples in 1862. These objects illustrate different histories of trade, domestic life and public finance.

Context and history

The institution opened in 2013 as a museum of creative textile arts. It grew from the collection and research of Gaetana Graziani Scesi, whose work helped preserve textiles and related objects. The organisation's roots lie in the town's craft exhibition, while the museum's collection now encompasses a broader range of decorative arts and local history.

Civitella del Tronto's position on the former border between the Kingdom of Naples and the Papal States provides context for the collection's varied objects. Alongside the military history represented by the fortress, Museo NINA foregrounds textiles, domestic life, fashion and the movement of goods and artistic ideas.