Museo Archeologico Etnografico "Athena"

About the museum

The Athena museum is the local history museum of Capannori, in the Lucca plain. It occupies a three-storey historic building in the centre of the village, along the route of the Via Francigena, and is also a point where pilgrims can collect their credential. In front of the museum stands the “Labirinto del Pellegrino” (Pilgrim's Labyrinth), a permanent wooden installation that recalls the capasanta, the scallop shell that symbolises the Via Francigena, and which is also accessible to visually impaired people.

On the ground floor is the wooden building of the Frizzone, dating from the late Republican age (2nd–1st centuries BC), discovered during the excavations for the new motorway toll station at Capannori: it measures 4.5 by 3.5 metres and is built with interlocking oak beams. Here too is the section of Latin epigraphy, with the Stele of the Laronii discovered in 1954 at Castelvecchio di Compito. On the first floor the section “Archeologia delle terre dell'Auser”, curated by the Gruppo Archeologico Capannorese, displays Roman and prehistoric finds from the territory.

The second floor houses the section on rural life in the Plain, curated by the association Ponte, with farm tools and images of the cultivation of sessantino maize and Lucchesia beans, and a collection of ancient dry measures; and the rooms dedicated to the explorer from Capannori Carlo Piaggia (1827–1882), curated by the Istituto storico lucchese Auser-Sesto.

Highlights

• Wooden building of the Frizzone (2nd–1st centuries BC)
• Stele of the Laronii and other Latin inscriptions
• Roman and prehistoric finds from the lands of the Auser
• Rural-life section: sessantino maize and Lucchesia beans
• Rooms dedicated to the explorer Carlo Piaggia
• Pilgrim's Labyrinth and Via Francigena credential point

Permanent exhibitions

• Edificio ligneo del Frizzone ed epigrafia latina – On the ground floor, the late Republican wooden hut of the Frizzone and the Latin inscriptions of the territory, including the Stele of the Laronii.
• Archeologia delle terre dell'Auser – Roman and prehistoric finds from thirty years of excavations in the Capannori area, with materials from the Frizzone site.
• Civiltà contadina della Piana e Carlo Piaggia – Farm tools, images and ancient measures of the Plain of Lucca, and rooms on the explorer Carlo Piaggia and his travels in Africa.

Founded

2003

Operated by

Comune di Capannori

Visitors per year

approx. 1,497

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission according to the network of local museums of the Province of Lucca.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• 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 Pilgrim's Labyrinth in front of the museum is accessible also to visually impaired people; for accessibility information, the reference website is that of the Comune di Capannori.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the centre of Capannori, along the Via Francigena.

Amenities & dining

On the ground floor there is a space for temporary exhibitions and small cultural events.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit