Museo Civico Archeologico Antonio De Nino

The Antonio De Nino Civic Archaeological Museum in Alfedena preserves finds from the Campo Consolino necropolis. Grave goods, reconstructed burials and excavation diaries connect the objects with the history of archaeological research in the upper Sangro valley.

Why it matters

The collection documents the material culture of the area’s ancient communities. Ornaments and weapons reveal different funerary customs, while the excavation records preserve the work of Antonio De Nino and Lucio Mariani.

What to notice

Two burials are reconstructed with their contents in the positions recorded during excavation. Displays include bronze collars, rings, amber and glass-paste beads, pendants, belts and weapons. Decorated bronze breastplate discs and the archaeologists’ handwritten diaries bring together ancient craftsmanship and the documentation of its recovery.

Context and history

Founded in 1897, the museum was looted in 1943 and its building destroyed. Surviving objects were transferred to Chieti; some stolen pieces were returned by the University of Tübingen in 1974. Further excavations preceded the opening of the present museum in 1987 beside the necropolis.