Museo Archeologico 'Antonio Lazzari'

The Antonio Lazzari Archaeological Museum in Castro preserves finds excavated within the municipality, from prehistoric cave material to the Hellenistic sanctuary of Athena.

Why it matters

The museum presents Castro's archaeology as a continuous local history, from Palaeolithic activity through the Messapian and Greek periods to the medieval town. Its collection is closely tied to ongoing discoveries around the ancient acropolis.

What to notice

The displays include flint tools from local caves, Messapic inscriptions and a large limestone statue of Athena recovered in fragments during recent excavations. A bronze statuette of Athena Iliaca and fifteenth-century glazed ceramics from the Capanne area add further phases to the collection.

Context and history

The museum opened in 2009 and was expanded in 2015 in rooms of the Castello Aragonese. Excavations in the Capanne area beginning in 2000 revealed Messapic walls and a sanctuary associated with Athena. Subsequent discoveries included a bronze statuette and fragments of a monumental limestone statue, which was restored and displayed in 2023.