A trip into the past with over 2,000 finds

A museum for everyone, where fun is assured.

The Archaeological Museum of the Territory of Populonia is the main exhibition centre of the Parks System of Val di Cornia, as well as the natural completion of the visit to the Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia.

The over 2,000 finds displayed find their voice thanks to an installation accompanied by full-scale reconstructions of activities, ancient environments and landscapes.

The attention paid to instruction and to the communication of scientific data makes the museum the ideal place for an educational and fun visit, suitable for everyone: adults, children, families, organised groups and schools.

An historical itinerary among culture, environment and mining resources

THE INSTALLATION

Entering the Archaeological Museum of the Territory of Populonia is like taking a leap into the past. In the museum there are over 2,000 finds, from the Palaeolithic to the Late Antiquity, with a special Etruscan and Roman section that traces the history of the territory of the ancient city of Populonia.

The common thread that accompanies visitors is the bond between man, resources and nature. Indeed, the ancient mining and metal-working activities, that have always been of vital importance for Val di Cornia, are particularly significant.

Of the most important artefacts on display, worthy of mention are the famous silver Amphora, re-discovered in 1968 in the stretch of sea between the Guff of Baratti and San Vincenzo and the “Pesci” mosaic, from Roman times, with the scene of a shipwreck, from the Acropolis of Populonia, in the nymphaeum of the sanctuary dedicated to Venus, in the Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia.

You will find numerous illustrative panels to accompany you on your visit, that clearly and attractively illustrate the life and times of the locals, focussing attention on specific archaeological themes.

The reconstruction illustrations that trace the transformations of the landscape in the various periods are of great impact, celebrate the moments of the discoveries of the objects on display and take the visitor back in time, re-living situations of everyday life from the Prehistory to the last century, with particular emphasis on the Etruscan and Roman times.

The Banquet Hall, with its reconstruction of an ancient Etruscan banquet, accessible also to visitors with low vision thanks to the multi-sensory itinerary, is great fun and also educational.

The objects discovered in the sea around the headland of Populonia are displayed in “aquarium” display cases that guarantee their perfect conservation, presenting them to visitors in a clean and elegant way.

The educational and cultural offer is completed with musical and multi-sensory points that extend the interpretation and accessibility of the Collection also to wheelchair users, making the Archaeological Museum of the Territory of Populonia a museum accessible to all.

History as it has never been heard

THE MULTIMEDIA ITINERARIES

Sensory stimuli, interactive videos, emotional paths.

The history of the territory of Populonia is accessible to all with two multimedia itineraries. A Museum in All Senses and Sounds from the past.

A MUSEUM IN ALL SENSES

At the Archaeological Museum of the Territory of Populonia it is possible re-live history in a simple, enjoyable and, above all, fully accessible way.

The multi-sensory itinerary A Museum in All Senses – planned as a tactile, visual and auditory experience to make the museum accessible also for visitors with visual and hearing impairment – is an instructive and stimulating experience for all.

Three points with special sensors activate interactive videos in which a voice, accompanied by music and sounds played on reproductions of ancient instruments, tells the story of the three symbols of the territory of Populonia and, more in general, of Val di Cornia:

• the Tomba dei Carri, 7th century BC Etruscan monumental mount tomb, that can be visited at the Archaeological Park of Baratti and Populonia;
• the “Pesci” mosaic, discovered at the sanctuary of the Acropolis of Populonia, can now be admired in the museum;
• the silver Amphora of Baratti, masterpiece of the Late Antiquity, recovered in the Gulf of Baratti.

SOUNDS OF THE PAST

Listen to the sounds that the Etruscans and Romans listened to?

Thanks to modern technologies and a philological study of ancient music (fundamental in the life of the Etruscan and Roman populations), at the Archaeological Museum of the Territory of Populonia it is now possible to listen to the sound of some musical instruments, faithfully reproduced based on illustrations such as those on the frescos, ceramics, mosaics and statues that have survived.

A moving journey among music, sounds and words that transports visitors into the ritual and funerary life of the Etruscans and Romans.