Parco archeologico del Santuario di Minerva

About the museum

The archaeological park is at Breno, in the middle Valle Camonica, on a plain along the Oglio at the foot of a cliff with caves and tunnels carved by water. For about 2,500 years it was a sacred place and a cultural landmark for the area. From the 10th century BC the site was frequented for worship, and from the 6th century BC it hosted a large open-air native sanctuary, with enclosures and stone altars on which votive fires were lit.

Around 16 BC, with the Romanisation and the founding of the town of Cividate Camuno, a first monumental building with porticoed wings and a courtyard was built. In the Flavian period, when the Valle Camonica became politically independent of Brescia, a larger one was built, and the older structures were ritually sealed. Worship continued until the late 4th century AD, when Christianisation led to the abandonment of the sanctuary.

The principal deity was Minerva, who also inherited the role of an indigenous divinity linked to the water and the nature of the place. The statue of Minerva, a Roman copy in Greek marble, and the other finds are kept in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale della Valle Camonica at Cividate Camuno. The site, discovered in 1986, has been open to the public since 2007; the structures are protected by a modern roof.

Highlights

• Roman sanctuary with a porticoed courtyard and central halls with mosaics and frescoes
• Large dry-stone altar linked to pre-Roman worship, visible in the park
• Continuity of worship from the Iron Age to the late Roman period
• Bilingual explanatory panels and a modern roof protecting the structures

Permanent exhibition

• Parco archeologico del Santuario di Minerva – Remains of the native and Roman sanctuaries, with altars, a porticoed courtyard and decorated halls.

Founded

2007

Operated by

Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Lombardia

Visitors per year

approx. 3,303

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free. The park is included in the Musei Lombardia–Valle d’Aosta pass and the Formula Extra.

Accessibility

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

The structures are protected by a modern roof that makes the visit possible; the route runs across the plain at the foot of the cliff.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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