Museo Lapidario Estense: Echoes of Roman Modena

The Museo Lapidario Estense, established in 1828 by Duke Francesco IV d'Austria-Este, stands as Modena's first public museum, with the goal of celebrating the city's rich history dating back to Roman times. Inspired by renowned lapidary museums, it was founded as the 'Museo Lapidario Modenese'. The museum's collection began with pieces from the Este family collection and was enriched by archaeological finds from Modena and Reggio Emilia. Citizens, including clergy and nobility, contributed to its growth. The collection features a variety of stone artifacts, including funerary monuments, Roman sarcophagi from Ravenna dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, reliefs, and carved slabs. The museum is located in the ground-floor quadrangle of the Palazzo dei Musei. The collection includes Roman honorary bases, public epigraphs, dedications to deities, and a series of tombs, altars, and sarcophagi adorned with portraits and figurative scenes. The medieval and Renaissance sections showcase the reuse of ancient sarcophagi and subsequent imitations, documenting the lives of notable Modenese figures. A multilingual tablet guide enhances the visitor experience with texts, audio commentary, and photo galleries.