Museo Archeologico San Lorenzo

The San Lorenzo Archaeological Museum presents Cremona’s Roman history inside the deconsecrated Romanesque church of San Lorenzo. Its collection of more than 500 objects is displayed alongside archaeological remains, including walls of a Roman house.

Why it matters

Founded in 218 BC, Cremona was the first Roman colony north of the Po, according to the municipal museum. Opened in 2009, the museum brings together archaeological remains found beneath and around the medieval church with objects from the civic collection. Its themes include public monuments, private houses and necropolises, tracing the development and destruction of the Roman city.

What to notice

The displays are organised around public, private and funerary life. The public-space section includes remains from a structure identified as a probable theatre. The domestic section presents mosaic floors and painted walls from the Domus del Labirinto, the Domus del Ninfeo and houses excavated on Via Colletta. Tomb monuments and grave goods include a slab depicting the Arruntii family. Floor openings and columns reveal where ancient structures meet the medieval church.

Context and history

San Lorenzo’s Romanesque fabric now frames archaeological remains of the ancient city. The collection developed from the civic museum’s antiquarian holdings and was reorganised in the church in 2009. Cremona was founded as a Roman colony in 218 BC, suffered destruction in 69 AD during the civil wars and recovered before a later Lombard destruction in 603.