Civic Archaeological Museum: Unearthing Milan's Ancient Past

Located on Corso Magenta, the Civic Archaeological Museum of Milan invites visitors to explore the city's rich history from Roman times through the Middle Ages. The museum is situated in the former convent of the Monastero Maggiore di San Maurizio, founded in the 8th century AD. The location itself bears historical significance, with remains of a Roman house, an imperial palace, the city walls, and a Roman circus visible within the museum complex. The museum's collection showcases artifacts from various ancient cultures. The first part of the museum is dedicated to the history of Mediolanum (ancient Milan), which was founded in the 4th century BC and conquered by the Romans in 222 BC. Visitors can discover remarkable masterpieces of art, including the Trivulzio's cup, a rare example of intact diatret glass from Roman times, the patera from Parabiago, a beautiful example of silverware from the late Roman Empire, and art from Gandhara, the region between India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The museum also boasts a numismatic collection of Greek, Italian, and Etruscan masterpieces. The museum's collections are exhibited in different rooms depending on their cultural context. The ground floor features the Milano Antica section, while the basement houses the Gandhara Art section and the Abitare section in Mediolanum. The inner cloister displays epigraphs of ancient Milanese alongside remains of Roman Milan. The new wing contains sections dedicated to Caesarea Maritima (Israel), the early Middle Ages, Etruscan artifacts, and ancient Greece. Parts of the museum's collection, including the prehistoric and Egyptian sections, are located in the Visconti rooms of the Castello Sforzesco.