Museo Archeologico Lametino

The Museo Archeologico Lametino occupies the first floor of the former Dominican convent of San Domenico in Nicastro. Its collections trace the history of the Lamezia plain from Palaeolithic settlements to the Middle Ages, with material from the Greek colony of Terina and from the abbey and castle.

Why it matters

The museum brings together discoveries from across the plain of Lamezia, a corridor between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts. Its three sections span prehistoric, classical and medieval periods. The displays also link the modern city with Terina, the Greek colony whose finds form a major part of the collection, and with medieval sites in the surrounding territory.

What to notice

The prehistoric section includes Neolithic finds from sites such as Casella di Maida, Acconia and San Pietro Lametino, including obsidian brought from the Aeolian Islands. The classical galleries focus on Terina through coin hoards, bronze inscriptions, a red-figure hydria dated about 380–370 BC and an inscribed bronze nail from Capo Suvero. The medieval section includes objects from the chapel of the Santissimi Quaranta Martiri at Caronte, the Abbey of Sant’Eufemia and Nicastro Castle, among them marble, painted plaster and mosaic paving from the abbey.

Context and history

The Dominican convent was founded between 1506 and 1521; Tommaso Campanella studied there. After the 1638 earthquake, the complex was rebuilt under the D’Aquino princes. An upper floor was added in the late nineteenth century, and restoration was completed in 2006. The archaeological museum has occupied the first floor of the monumental complex since 2010 and also serves as the local office of the Archaeological Superintendency of Calabria.