Museo delle armi antiche

Collection of antique weapons and historic relics in a stately villa on the seafront of Martinsicuro, with free admission.

Opening hoursFree admission

Directions

About the museum

The museum grew out of about fifty years of historical research by scholars and enthusiasts of weapons from the area, who brought together their private collections. It is housed in a stately villa on the seafront, with two indoor rooms and a courtyard. The foundations of the building are said to rest on a Romanesque structure.

The collection includes weapons and war relics from the 13th to the 19th century: 17th-century pistols, flintlock pistols, revolvers and small handbag pistols for ladies, hunting weapons from the 17th to the 19th century, swords and walking sticks with concealed blades, and a section of secret weapons. Among the oldest pieces is a 15th-century culverin with a papal seal.

Also on display are medals, military documents, antiques and police and criminology material, as well as relics linked to Gabriele D’Annunzio, including his flying helmet. In the courtyard there are historic carriages, including one used by Garibaldi, and a Balilla truck that was used in the Second World War to carry the wounded.

Highlights

Weapons from the 13th to the 19th century
Section of secret weapons
15th-century culverin with papal seal
Relics of Gabriele D’Annunzio
Historic carriages and a Balilla truck in the courtyard

Permanent exhibition

Collezione di armi antiche e cimeli – Weapons from the 13th to the 19th century, D’Annunzio relics and historic carriages in the courtyard.

Operated by: Centro ricerche storiografiche