Museo Archeologico Regionale Luigi Bernabò Brea

The Museo Archeologico Regionale Luigi Bernabò Brea occupies several historic buildings within the citadel of Lipari. Its collections trace the history of the Aeolian Islands from prehistoric settlements through Greek and Roman periods, with material from the island and its surrounding waters.

Why it matters

Archaeologist Luigi Bernabò Brea and Madeleine Cavalier began systematic research on the islands after the Lipari citadel was released from its use as a confinement camp in 1950. The museum opened to the public in 1954 and became the principal seat of the regional archaeological park of the Aeolian Islands. Its collections document settlement, burial and exchange across the archipelago.

What to notice

The museum's pavilions occupy adapted buildings across the citadel. The prehistoric section is housed in the former bishop's palace and presents material from the early villages through the Ausonian period. The classical pavilion includes grave goods from the Contrada Diana necropolis, where nearly 3,000 tombs were excavated. Other sections present underwater archaeological finds, Greek-period theatrical masks and statuettes, inscriptions and volcanic material. The museum also includes collections from smaller Aeolian islands.

Context and history

The museum began with a small group of archaeological finds in the early 1950s and expanded as excavations progressed on Lipari and the other islands. Its collections are distributed among several buildings in the citadel, including the former bishop's palace and a classical pavilion built around 1920. In 1987 the institution passed from the Syracuse superintendency to that of Messina. The Aeolian Islands were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 for their volcanic landscape.