Museum of Antiquity, Turin

Museum of Antiquity in Turin (Museo di Antichità) is one of the oldest collections in all of Europe. It carries one more name – the National Archaeological Museum of Piedmont. In its collections there are many exhibits, from the time of the first people, the Greek and Roman periods, and ending with Renaissance objects, which testify to the history of Piedmont.

History of the museum

The museum was opened by the Duke Emanuele Filiberto I, who in 1572 placed his collection of antiques in the theater. The collection, which is the property of the ruling house, was expanded by its heirs and in the early 17th century it was placed in a new picture gallery. In 1723-1724 Vittorio Amedeo II reorganized the collection and handed it over to the Royal University of Turin. In 1824, collections were replenished with items stolen by the famous Bernardino Drovetti from ancient Egyptian tombs. In 1832 the united exposition was placed in the Palace of the Academy of Sciences. Enriched in the middle of the 19th century, it was there until 1940. Then it was decided to separate a part of the exhibits and create a new museum dedicated only to Egypt.

The remaining exhibits were located on areas that were too small, and therefore in 1948 some of them were exhibited on the first floor of the Palace of the Academy of Sciences. The other part was hidden from visitors and is accessible only to scientists. In 1970-1980 the museum was moved to the greenhouses of the Royal Gardens, adapted to accommodate collections, and opened to the public in 1989. At the end of the 20th century, the gardens were joined to the New Wing of the Royal Palace, in which museum collections are now located. In 2012, the Sabauda Gallery was moved, and in 2013 a new exhibition "Archeology of Turin" was opened on the ground floor.

Exposition of the museum

Today the museum occupies premises of greenhouses of the Royal Gardens, the New Wing of the Palace and the actual transitions between them. The current museum collection is quite large and divided into 3 thematic parts:

1. Historical core. This part is the largest. It includes exhibits belonging to different epochs and civilizations, mainly before our era. Thousands of objects made out of ceramics, bronze, stone, copper, iron, as well as many statues are collected here. Artifacts from Cyprus, ancient Greece and Rome, from the Middle East, as well as objects of Etruscan civilization are among the ancient objects. The main pride is the "Papyrus of Artemidorus", acquired by the museum in 2008, and dates back approximately to 15-85.
2. History of Piedmont. In this exposition, the entire development of the local region, represented in reverse order opens in front of the visitor. At the beginning of the hall there are objects from the Renaissance, and it ends with the oldest evidence of the presence of a man in the north of the Apennine peninsula. They were all collected during excavations in the territory of Piedmont.
3. Archeology of Turin. It is a part of the collection dedicated to the history of the city from the time of the first settlement and until today. There is also a valuable artifact, "The Marengo Treasure." This considerable amount of silverware (total weight about 28 kg) was found in 1928 near Alessandria, 100 km from Turin. All of them presumably belonged to some collector-aristocrat.

The museum also has an interesting complex of statues of the Lower Garden of the Royal Palace, and the archaeological zone of the Roman Theater. The museum offers excursions for schools, groups and individual visitors, and scientific seminars and conferences are regularly conducted here.

How to get there

The Museum of Antiquity is located in the center of Turin, it can be accessed from Via XX Settembre, 88. It is a part of the Royal Museums, together with the palace and the armory. The Diocesan Museum, dedicated to the history of Christianity in Turin is situated next door. Near the museum there is a public transport stop Duomo/Musei Reali. Trams № 4, 7, and buses № 11, 19, 27, 51, 57, 92, N04 run to it.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 19:00. The ticket office closes at 18:00. Monday is the day off. For information and booking, you can call (+39) 011 5212251.

Admission: the cost of the full ticket is 12 euros, with a discount (students of EU countries from 18-25) – 6 euros. For those under the age of 18, admission is free. Also there is free admission on every first Sunday of the month. Data of May 2018.