Museo Civico al Carcere Borbonico «Luigi Sturzo»
The civic museum of Caltagirone in the former Bourbon prison, with an archaeological section, picture gallery and historical collections.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum is housed in the Carcere borbonico (Bourbon Prison), a late-18th-century building designed by the architect Natale Bonaiuto from Syracuse, built between 1782 and 1798 on the site of the potters' workshops, which the city council had bought in 1781. The prison remained in use until 1890; in 1899 it was assigned to the Monte di Pietà (a public pawnbroking institution), and later it also housed other offices. In the mid-1960s the civic museum was moved there, and the building has since been restored.
The collections derive from the Gabinetto di archeologia e di storia naturale (Cabinet of Archaeology and Natural History), set up in 1843 by Emanuele Taranto Russo and rebuilt in 1914 by Don Luigi Sturzo. The archaeological section documents human presence in the area with Neolithic finds, Bronze and Iron Age grave goods from the Montagna necropolis, with tholos tombs, and materials from the indigenous and Hellenised settlements of Monte Balchino, Piano Casazze and Monte San Mauro.
Alongside the archaeological rooms is the picture gallery, with canvases by mainly Sicilian artists from the 16th to the 20th century, the Vaccaro family collection and paintings by Francesco Lo Jacono, Francesco Netti and others, as well as a collection of Sicilian ceramics. Among the historical objects are the 16th-century processional float of Saint James, a 19th-century Nativity scene and a late-18th-century episcopal sedan chair.
Highlights
- Former Carcere borbonico by Natale Bonaiuto
- Archaeological section with the Montagna necropolis
- Picture gallery with the Vaccaro family collection
- Sicilian ceramics, including four busts of the Seasons
- 16th-century processional float of Saint James
Permanent exhibition
- Sezione archeologica e pinacoteca – Finds from the Neolithic to the Greek period from the Caltagirone area and paintings by mainly Sicilian artists from the 16th to the 20th century.
- Operated by
- Comune di Caltagirone
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
