Taverna ducale

About the museum

The Taverna ducale was built between 1333 and 1337 at the wish of Giovanni Cantelmo, duke of Popoli, and is a rare example of medieval civic architecture in Abruzzo. The limestone façade is decorated with twin windows (bifore), a pointed portal and heraldic coats of arms, including those of the Angevins and the Cantelmo, alternating with reliefs of fantastic figures.

The building was originally intended to collect and store tithes, and worked as a kind of counter linked to the economy of transhumance; later it became a tavern where travellers could rest and spend the night.

Today it houses a small antiquarium with local stone materials: two headless Roman statues, a pagan altar, a fragment of an inscription of the 1st century AD, a stele of the 1st–2nd century AD, a 16th-century column with an Ionic capital, and other elements from Palazzo Forniti, including an inscription of 1519 relating to the wool mill of Giovannella Carafa. The palace also hosts exhibitions and events.

Highlights

• Stone façade with twin windows, pointed portal and coats of arms
• Rare example of medieval civic architecture in Abruzzo
• Small antiquarium with Roman statues, altar and inscriptions
• Inscription of 1519 on the wool mill of Giovannella Carafa

Permanent exhibition

• Antiquarium – Small collection of local stone materials, including Roman statues, an altar and inscriptions.

Operated by

Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Abruzzo

Visitors per year

approx. 2,099

Admission & discounts

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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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