Museo archeologico nazionale dell'antica Capua

National archaeological museum with finds from the necropolises, sanctuaries and the ancient city of Capua, in a former 19th-century military complex.

Temporarily closedAdmission €6

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Temporarily closed. The museum has been closed to the public since 2 February 2026 for energy-efficiency works; afterwards the site will reopen with a more inclusive visit route. No reopening date has been announced.

About the museum

The museum opened in 1995 to display the materials that emerged from the excavations of ancient Capua carried out in the second half of the 20th century, and it continues the tradition of the Museo provinciale campano di Capua. The building is a 19th-century complex, formerly a cavalry barracks, which stands on the remains of the Capitolium, on the southern edge of the ancient forum, and incorporates the medieval tower of Sant’Erasmo. It has been state property since 1981 and since 2014 has been managed by the Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Campania. The courtyard of about 2,800 m² houses pieces in the open air, including a large marine mosaic from a thermal complex near the forum.

The route, in nine rooms, proceeds in chronological and thematic order from prehistory to the decline after Rome: Iron Age grave goods, orientalising pottery and buccheri, bronzes and terracottas, Attic vases of the archaic age, weapons and gold jewellery of the Samnite age with painted tufa tombs, funerary stelae after the Roman conquest of 211 BC, and materials from the sanctuaries of Diana Tifatina and the Fondo Patturelli, with the statue of Mater Matuta.

Among the best-known pieces is the Resting Satyr (Satiro in riposo), a Roman copy of a Praxitelean original, found in 2002. Since 2022 the permanent display “I Segni del Paesaggio. L’Appia e Capua”, with about 100 works, many of them brought out of storage, has been open to visitors. The museum is part of a circuit with the Campanian Amphitheatre, the Museum of Gladiators and the Mithraeum.

Highlights

Resting Satyr, Roman copy after Praxiteles
Statue of Mater Matuta and materials from the sanctuaries
Iron Age grave goods and painted Samnite tombs
Display “I Segni del Paesaggio. L’Appia e Capua”
Large marine mosaic in the courtyard

Permanent exhibition

I Segni del Paesaggio. L'Appia e Capua – Permanent display with about 100 works on Roman Capua and the Via Appia, many of them from the storerooms.

Founded: 1995
Operated by: Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Campania
Visitors per year: approx. 38,080 (2022)

Admission & discounts

Adults	€6
Reduced	€2European Union citizens aged 18 to 25
Children & teens	freefree up to age 17 · Free admission in accordance with current regulations.

The €6 ticket is valid for the whole circuit and also covers the Campanian Amphitheatre, the Museum of Gladiators and the Mithraeum. Tickets can be bought online (website and Musei Italiani app) or at the automatic ticket machine.