Museo delle statue stele lunigianesi

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1975 in the Castello del Piagnaro, the fortress that overlooks the historic centre of Pontremoli. It was the wish of Professor Augusto Cesare Ambrosi, who had carried out research in the area in the 1950s and 1960s and had already gathered an initial archaeological collection at Casola in Lunigiana: his idea was to keep all the statue-stelae in a single prestigious location.

Statue-stelae are human figures carved in sandstone, male and female, with highly stylised forms and the typical head shaped like a “carabiniere’s hat”. They were made between the Copper Age and the Iron Age, over a period from the 4th to the 1st millennium BC, and are regarded as the identity symbol of the Lunigiana. Today archaeologists divide them into three typological groups (A, B and C).

The castle, built around the year 1000 to control the road and for defence, takes its name from the “piagne”, the sandstone slabs that cover the roofs. After centuries of military, school and private use and a period of abandonment, it was recovered through numerous restorations. In June 2015 a new display designed by the architect Guido Canali was inaugurated, which almost doubled the exhibition area and introduced multimedia stations, a virtual guide and a sensory room.

Highlights

• The richest Italian collection of statue-stelae from the Lunigiana, with documentation on find sites and working techniques
• Guido Canali’s display with multimedia route and virtual guide in Italian, English and French
• Sensory room with a statue-stele to touch and an audio narration for visually impaired visitors
• 15th-century keep and bastions of the Castello del Piagnaro with views over Pontremoli
• External lifts cut into the rock that lead up to the castle

Permanent exhibition

• Percorso permanente delle statue stele lunigianesi – The statue-stelae of the Copper and Iron Ages are displayed with documentation on find sites, materials and working techniques.

Founded

1975

Operated by

Comune di Pontremoli

Visitors per year

approx. 21,961

Admission & discounts

The weekday ticket covers the museum and the Castello del Piagnaro. Discounts on the full ticket for holders of the Card del Ducato di Parma e Piacenza e Pontremoli, FAI, TCI, Art’è and PleinAir, CamperLife, the Student Card of the University of Parma, the Carta dello Studente Universitario della Toscana, ICOM and EDUMUSEICARD. Online ticket sales are not currently active; payment by debit card (bancomat) is accepted, not cheques.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is accessible in all rooms thanks to a lift and a platform linking the floors. Two external lifts, in a shaft cut into the rock and reached by a pedestrian tunnel (entrance at Largo Spinetti, near Porta Parma), avoid the steep climb up to the fortress. The sensory room allows visitors to touch a statue-stele with an audio narration.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

For schools there are archaeology education activities; workshops on the Middle Ages are also held in the castle. Small and medium-sized dogs are admitted in the castle.

Getting there & parking

By car: A15 motorway, Pontremoli exit, or the SS 62 della Cisa. From the Via dei Chiosi car park, walk across the medieval Cresa bridge and along Via Garibaldi to Porta Parma, where the tunnel with the external lifts is.

Amenities & dining

• Coat check

The cloakroom is at the ticket office. Food and drink may not be consumed inside the museum; the castle has dedicated areas. The castle also has a guesthouse for pilgrims on the Via Francigena (open from 1 April to 30 September).

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 100 guests.

The castle’s conference room (75 m²) holds about one hundred people and has a professional kitchen for catering. For weddings only the civil ceremony is possible.

Plan your visit