Museo archeologico nazionale della Valle del Sarno

The National Archaeological Museum of the Sarno Valley occupies Palazzo Capua in Sarno. Its collections trace the valley’s communities from the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages, including Roman material from settlements affected by the eruption of Vesuvius.

Why it matters

Burial assemblages and settlement finds reveal the connections between inland communities and the Mediterranean. Weapons, ornaments and imported pottery record changing patterns of wealth and exchange.

What to notice

The palace has a volcanic-stone entrance portal, an arcaded courtyard and decorated rooms. Painted slabs from the late-fourth-century BC Warrior’s Tomb depict the return of a warrior. Roman rural objects and medieval ceramics extend the collection beyond the pre-Roman burials.

Context and history

Established in 1975, the museum moved to Palazzo Capua in 2011. The eighteenth-century residence belonged to the Ungaro and then the Capua family before being acquired by the state. Its historic interiors provide a setting for material recovered across the Sarno valley.