Museo Archeologico Nazionale e Teatro Romano di Spoleto

Spoleto's National Archaeological Museum occupies the former convent of Sant'Agata beside the Roman theatre and presents finds from the region's prehistory through the Roman period.

Why it matters

The museum and theatre bring together archaeological objects and the monument they help explain. The collections document the development of Spoletium and the wider territory of Umbria and the Valnerina.

What to notice

Two inscribed stone cippi preserve the Lex luci spoletina, an archaic law protecting a sacred grove dedicated to Jupiter. Other displays include prehistoric and Iron Age material, votive terracottas, inscriptions, sculpture and objects from the Valnerina. Finds from the Piazza d'Armi necropolis and sculptural fragments recovered from the theatre connect the collections with local excavation.

Context and history

The Roman theatre dates to the first century BC and was partly dismantled in the medieval period, when later buildings—including the convent of Sant'Agata—grew against its structure. Restoration campaigns began in the 1950s. The National Archaeological Museum opened in 1985, arranging finds from the territory in the former convent. The adjacent former church of Sant'Agata was reopened in 2021 as a cultural hall.