Museo archeologico nazionale d'Abruzzo – Villa Frigerj

Villa Frigerj houses the National Archaeological Museum of Abruzzo in Chieti. Its collections include the Guerriero di Capestrano and archaeological material from communities across the region, presenting Abruzzo's ancient history in a nineteenth-century villa.

Why it matters

The Guerriero di Capestrano is among the best-known works of ancient Abruzzo. Found at Capestrano in the province of L'Aquila, the sixth-century BC statue is displayed here alongside material from the Vestini, Peligni, Marrucini, Frentani, Sabini, Equi and Marsi. Together, these objects show the variety of communities and burial practices across the region.

What to notice

The museum's display gives particular prominence to the Guerriero in a room designed by Mimmo Paladino. Other highlights include funerary beds from Italic necropoleis, a bronze Hercules from a Pelignian sanctuary and Roman sculpture. The Collezione Pansa and the numismatic collection add further layers to the museum's regional holdings.

Context and history

Errico Riccio designed Villa Frigerj in 1830 for Baron Ferrante Frigerj. The municipality acquired it in 1864, and the villa later served as a school. Archaeologist Valerio Cianfarani helped establish the National Archaeological Museum of Abruzzo here in 1959. The exhibition was reorganised in 2011 and extended in 2014 around the peoples and territories represented by the collections.