The Museo Archeologico di Salerno (Salerno Archaeological Museum) in Campania has reopened after three years of renovation work that cost €580,000.
The museum is housed in the former monastery of San Benedetto. ‘Corriere Del Mezzogiorno’ reports that the museum has not just undergone structural repairs. The newspaper reports that the museum has been redesigned to offer more modern ways for visitors to appreciate its exhibits using multimedia.
The first floor of the museum is dedicated to the Etrusco-Sabellian archaeological site of Fratte uncovered in 1927. The site is located on the northeast outskirts of the city along the River Irno. Fratte is thought to have risen in the sixth-century BC with the arrival of the Etruscans. Experts believe it was inhabited until 273 BC, when it was destroyed by the Romans and replaced by the Roman colony of Salernum. Various vases and artefacts from the necropolis are on display at the museum.
Among the star exhibits from prehistoric to Roman times are a 2,500-year-old iron wagon wheel, a bronze bust of the ancient god Apollo discovered in 1930, and Corinthian-style helmets. The museum has dedicated sections to the Roman colony of Salernum and the myth of the Ancient Greek hero Hercules.
