Museo civico Gaetano Savasta
Civic museum of Paternò with an archaeological section in the former Bourbon prison and an ethnoanthropological section in the former municipal slaughterhouse.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The civic museum is named after Monsignor Gaetano Savasta, a local historian, and is spread over two sites. The archaeological section occupies the former Bourbon prison in Piazza Martiri d’Ungheria, in the historic centre: the building, erected at the start of the 19th century, served as a prison for minor offences and short detentions until the early years after the Second World War, and from 1997 to 2001 housed the municipal library. Restored after years of neglect, it was inaugurated as the archaeological section on 8 December 2007.
The display cases hold amphorae, fragments and plates from the Roman and medieval periods, found in the excavations carried out between 1993 and 1998 on the hill of Paternò, in the districts of Poggio Monaco, San Marco and Poggio Cocola and on Monte Castellaccio.
The ethnoanthropological section, the Museo della Civiltà Contadina, is located in the former municipal slaughterhouse, built after the ban on slaughtering in the square introduced in 1835 and in use until the 1970s. Restored from 2005, it was inaugurated in 2009 and holds tools of traditional crafts and farming. In September 2026 the museum was reopened on an exceptional basis for two days, as part of a plan to revive it as the seat of the Ecomuseo del Simeto.
Highlights
- Roman and medieval finds from the excavations on the hill of Paternò
- Archaeological section in the former Bourbon prison
- Tools of traditional crafts and farming
- Museo della Civiltà Contadina in the former municipal slaughterhouse
Permanent exhibitions
- Sezione archeologica – Amphorae, fragments and plates from the Roman and medieval periods, from the 1993–1998 excavations on the hill of Paternò.
- Sezione etnoantropologica – Museo della Civiltà Contadina – Tools and implements of traditional crafts and farming in the former municipal slaughterhouse (irregular opening).
- Operated by
- Comune di Paternò
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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