MAC – Museo Archeologico della Città di Vercelli «Luigi Bruzza»

About the museum

The museum is housed in the former monastery of Santa Chiara and is named after the Barnabite father Luigi Bruzza, a 19th-century scholar who collected and published a wide body of epigraphic documentation of the Vercelli area. It is run by the Comune di Vercelli and forms part of the city's network of museums.

The display presents more than six hundred finds from the stratigraphic excavations carried out in the city over the last thirty years, often almost intact and placed in their context of discovery. The route begins in the pre-Roman period, when the territory was inhabited by the Libui, a population arising from the encounter between the local Ligurians and groups of Celtic origin, and continues with the entry into the Roman sphere from the 2nd century BC.

The rooms illustrate changes in material culture, town planning, housing, funerary and religious rites and the economy, up to the threshold of Late Antiquity. Infographics, animations and virtual reconstructions accompany the finds. At the start of the visit a hologram of Apollo, a digital reconstruction of the statue found at Vercelli in the 16th century, introduces visitors and tells, among other things, the story of the bilingual inscription in Latin and Lepontic.

Highlights

• More than 600 finds from the archaeological excavations in Vercelli
• Hologram of Apollo at the start of the route
• Bilingual inscription in Latin and Lepontic
• Celtic gold coins and terra sigillata pottery
• Oil lamps with gladiatorial scenes and glass unguent bottles
• Multimedia support and workshops for families and schools

Permanent exhibition

• Percorso archeologico permanente – More than 600 finds from the urban excavations of Vercelli, from the pre-Roman period of the Libui to Late Antiquity, with a hologram, animations and virtual reconstructions.

Operated by

Comune di Vercelli

Admission & discounts

With the MAC ticket you can also visit the Museo Leone (Via Verdi 30). Since December 2025, buying a full-price ticket at one of the museums in the MUVV network (Borgogna, Leone, MAC, Tesoro del Duomo and Palazzo dei Musei) entitles you to a reduction at the other museums on the circuit, on presentation of the paper ticket for stamping.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum has a lift to reach the first floor.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

The multimedia support allows a participatory visit for families and school groups, for whom specific workshops are offered. Free admission up to 5 years.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Coat check

Cloakroom and vending machines for drinks (automatic coffee bar).

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit