Civico Museo Archeologico e della Città di Savona

About the museum

The museum was inaugurated on 7 April 1990, when part of the Priamàr monumental complex reopened to the public, and is housed in the fifteenth-century Loggia of the Castello Nuovo. The display, designed by Guido Canali with the Istituto Internazionale di Studi Liguri, has been renewed several times to take account of the research carried out by the institute on the Priamàr and other sites in Savona over more than sixty years.

The route begins in the medieval Sala ad Ombrello, which houses the ticket office and where a video tells the story of the fortress. Two archaeological areas left visible follow, including a Byzantine necropolis of the 4th to 7th centuries with traces of the village of the Ligurian Sabazi, and the room with mosaics, reliefs, glass and Roman ceramics, with finds from the protohistoric period to the early Middle Ages. Since 2019 one section has been devoted to the ancient cathedral of Savona, closed for worship in 1543 and demolished in 1595 to enlarge the Genoese fortress.

The first floor, redisplayed in 2013–2014, tells the history of the city in the medieval and modern periods, with ceramics as the common thread, from imports from the Mediterranean to local production from the late 12th century onwards. There is also a route for blind and partially sighted visitors, with Braille captions and tactile points.

Highlights

• Archaeological areas left visible, including a Byzantine necropolis
• Medieval Sala ad Ombrello
• Section on the ancient cathedral of Savona
• Medieval ceramics, both locally made and imported
• Tactile route with Braille for blind and partially sighted visitors

Permanent exhibition

• Percorso archeologico e storico della città – From the archaeological areas left visible to the room of protohistoric and Roman finds, up to the first floor devoted to the history of medieval and modern Savona through its ceramics.

Founded

1990

Operated by

Comune di Savona, con l’Istituto Internazionale di Studi Liguri (Sezione Sabazia)

Visitors per year

approx. 7,042

Admission & discounts

The ticket includes the audio guide for the museum route. Free admission also for members of IISL and ICOM, and for teachers or guides accompanying a group.

Accessibility

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

The museum has no architectural barriers. A route for blind and partially sighted visitors, with Braille captions and tactile points along both floors, has been in operation since 2003.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

The museum offers family workshops in the afternoons or evenings; for schools there are educational workshops and a treasure hunt (€10 per pupil).

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Palazzo della Loggia, in the Priamàr complex, on Piazza del Maschio, next to the lift lobby.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit