Museo Archeologico Oliveriano

Pesaro's Oliveriano Archaeological Museum developed from eighteenth-century collections of antiquities. Finds from Novilara, the Lucus Pisaurensis and Roman Pisaurum connect the history of the surrounding territory with the history of collecting.

Why it matters

The museum and Biblioteca Oliveriana share their origins in Annibale degli Abbati Olivieri's bequests. Objects and books formed complementary resources for studying the ancient town and its region.

What to notice

Grave goods from the Picene necropolis of Novilara reveal aspects of Iron Age society. Votive stones and offerings from the Lucus Pisaurensis document a sacred grove near Pesaro. Roman inscriptions add evidence of civic and private life. Bronzes, lamps and vases from the Olivieri and Passeri collections reveal the varied interests of eighteenth-century antiquarians.

Context and history

Olivieri formalised a first donation in his testament of 1756, followed by a further bequest in 1787 that included Giovan Battista Passeri's collection. Palazzo Almerici became the institution's historic setting. A new display designed in 2022 brought archaeology and the history of collecting into a shared interpretation of the museum's holdings.