Provincial Archaeological Museum of Salerno — Attraction in Salerno

In the annals of history, the earliest mentions of the monastic complex of San Benedetto trace back to the Lombard epoch, in the year 868. Ravaged by the tempests of destruction in 884, it was reborn under the benevolent hand of Abbot Angelario, resurrected from the ashes of ruination. By the year 930, this humble monastery ascended to the august rank of an abbey, its spiritual stature elevated. Through the slow procession of the fifteenth century, the complex bore witness to the artistry of restoration and embellishment, its walls echoing with the voices of artisans laboring to adorn its sacred halls. Then, in the year 1581, the abbey exchanged hands, finding itself in the custodianship of the Olivetani congregation. But time, the silent sculptor of destinies, soon wielded its inexorable blade. The echo of Napoleon's laws rang through the land, leading to the suppression of the abbey, and the church's stage was transformed into the Royal Theater. Only in the year 1857 did it regain its original liturgical purpose, emerging from the shadows of the theatrical world. In the year 1868, a different mantle of duty cloaked its venerable facade as it became a depot for the military district. A century later, the church returned to the ecclesiastical embrace of the Curia. The frontage of the church once boasted a stately quadriportico, a colonnaded embrace that the passage of time and the construction of roads cleaved asunder. The walls that once framed the atrium were subsumed into the Castelnuovo Reale, the palace that cradled the final years of Queen Margherita di Durazzo in the early 1400s. The structure that now houses the Museum is thus a multi-layered tapestry of extraordinary significance. As one explores its depths, they encounter not only the vestiges of the southern and eastern quadriportico of the Church of San Benedetto, which grace the ground floor, but also, on the main facade, the remnants of the loggia of the Castelnuovo Reale. Below street level, in the shadowed confines of its repositories, lie the fragments of Lombard fortifications, whispers of an ancient era buried beneath the...

Very interesting museum with a lot of potential. Free entrance, but there was no donation box. I appreciated that most of the information was available in english. No guided tours. Video’s didn’t work. Feels a bit neglected. Requires modernisation - more children friendly plus more interactive. A bit more story about Etruscan people and the symbolism of what is on the exhibition would be beneficial. The gem of the exhibition - head of the Apollo is hidden on the second floor - would be nice if there could be more information or pictures of how it potentially could have looked in the past would be great. Not enough information on what Etruscan people were known for in terms...

We visited today, so the messages about the place being closed or abandoned can be ignored, although opening hours were not very clear. Yes, it's a bit run-down and could do with a little tlc, but the collection is actually quite attractive with some very nice pieces we had never seen before. The head of Apollo is quite stunning. Definitely worth a visit if you are really...