Museo archeologico nazionale di Adria

About the museum

The museum showcases the archaeological heritage of Adria, a city whose name is linked to the Adriatic Sea. The Greek and Etruscan centre, founded at the beginning of the 6th century BC, stood in the southern part of the present town, while the necropolises extended to the south, east and north. The first discoveries date back to the 18th and 19th centuries, thanks to members of the Bocchi family, in particular Francesco Girolamo and Francesco Antonio, who assembled a “domestic museum” of tens of thousands of finds, visited by archaeologists and nobles from all over Europe.

That collection is today the nucleus of the museum, enriched by finds from the most recent excavations. The route illustrates everyday life, funerary rituals, the transition to the Roman age and the imperial phase, with particular attention to the multi-ethnic character of the city, a crossroads of traditions, languages and cults.

Among the most important collections are Attic black- and red-figure pottery, the grave goods of the Archaic and Hellenistic necropolises with amber, glass pastes and Etruscan gold and silver jewellery, and the so-called “Tomba della Biga” (Chariot Tomb) of the 3rd century BC, discovered in 1938, with a chariot and its pair of horses. The last sections document the coastal area in the late imperial age through the finds from San Basilio di Ariano nel Polesine and Corte Cavanella di Loreo, along the Via Popillia. The museum is surrounded by a large public park with free access.

Highlights

• Attic black- and red-figure pottery
• Tomb of the Biga of the 3rd century BC, with chariot and horses
• Etruscan gold and silver jewellery, amber and glass pastes
• Display case of Roman glass with computer-controlled lighting
• Milestone of Popilius Laenas of the Via Popillia

Permanent exhibition

• Collezione archeologica di Adria – Finds from the Greek and Etruscan settlement and the necropolises of Adria, from the Archaic period to the imperial age, with sections on Romanisation and the Via Popillia.

Founded

1903

Operated by

Ministero della Cultura – Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Veneto

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of the month (“Domenica al museo”), European Heritage Days and other free admissions established by ministerial decree.

Free admission by law for the categories provided for, on presentation of an ID document. Tickets can be bought online via the Musei Italiani app or the museum's portal.

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