Museo delle Antiche Genti di Lucania — Attraction in Vaglio Basilicata

As graduate student researching southern Italy, this small (and free, at least on Sundays) civic museum was a gem! The focus is on the two big local Lucanian archaeological sites, the mountaintop city of Serra di Vaglio and the sanctuary of Rossano di Vaglio. In addition to evocative reconstructions of e.g. the portico at Rossano di Vaglio, the museum has small finds - incense burners (thymiateria), miniaturized pottery, figurines, architectural terracottas, bronze weapons - from Serra and Rossano you won't see anywhere else.

The museum's docent, Filomena, is the other attraction of the place. She loves to give tours (Italian or French only), walking you through case-by-case and display-by-display with an explanation of each. Same for the upstairs room with recreations of Leonardo da Vinci's inventions, which was a fun bonus. Best of all, when Serra di Vaglio was about to close in half an hour, Filomena called the site on our behalf and asked them to stay open for an extra 15-30 minutes for us!

Fun museum,...

The museum and the archaeological sites of Serra and Rossano are part of a multi-site archaeological park. The museum displays mainly reconstructions, such as the elite building of Braida, and a number of original finds from Rossano, both of which help to give an idea of the rich cultural heritage of Vaglio and its surroundings. The settlement of Serra and the sanctuary of Rossano are not to be missed, not only for their archaeological importance, but also for the breathtaking beauty of the landscape in which they are located. Both the museum and the sites are run by a local initiative, and I was lucky enough to be guided by Filomena and Faustin, whose knowledge and passion for Vaglio’s pre-Roman past was inspiring. Grazie mille e...

Very interesting local museum with an excellent and passionate guide who managed to present the local archeological findings cimprehensively despite my poor knowledge of Italian. Inspiring collection of models created from Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawings. Kids...