National Archaeological Museum and Archaeological Zone of Luni
Opening hours / Our location / Contacts / Events / History / Staff / Documents
| OPENING HOURS | TICKET |
|---|---|
|
Monday closed from Friday till Sunday 10am – 1 pm || 3pm-6.30pm |
€ 5 general admission*
* ticket cost variation based on Legislative Decree 1 June 2023, No. 61 |
| OUR LOCATION | CONTACTS |
|---|---|
| Via Appia 9 19034 Luni SP |
drm-lig.museoluni@cultura.gov.it +39 0187 66811 |
DIRECTIONS AND PARKING ACCESSIBILITY |
OUR HISTORY
In the archaeological site of Luni you can visit the vestiges of the ancient Roman colony of Portus Lunae, founded in 177 BC. at the mouth of the Magra river after bitter battles against the Ligurians for the conquest of the territory. The city had a very long life until the thirteenth century when its decline was mentioned by Dante Alighieri in the XVI Canto del Paradiso.
The importance of the colony is due to the presence of the marble that today we call Carrara but in Roman times it was called “Lunense”. The prosperity of Luni, due to the direct management of the quarries and the marble trade, is still recognized today in the ancient floors of the domus, in the wall frescoes and in the public and religious buildings. The city of Luna, surrounded by walls and overlooking the sea, was organized in elongated rectangular blocks and had a large public area, the forum, in which the cardo and decumanus intersected and are still partially accessible today.
The Capitolium overlooked the forum, named after the Capitoline triad Jupiter, Juno and Minerva; further north was the Great Temple, dedicated to the worship of the goddess Luna , whose pediments (preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Florence) were curiously not in marble frequently used in Luni, but in terracotta. The life of the Roman colony thanks to the marble trade was prosperous and long, although a violent earthquake partially destroyed it in the 4th century AD; the city was abandoned only in the Middle Ages when the floods of the Magra river changed the plain, moving the coastline much further ahead.
The tour allows you to admire, together with the precious finds exhibited in the rooms of the Museum, the archaeological area and the forum with a section dedicated to the Capitolium, the Great Temple, the numerous private residences with mosaics and frescoes, the Christian basilica and the materials recovered during the research exhibited in the historic farmhouses scattered throughout the countryside.
DISCOVER THE MUSEUM
STAFF
Director| Antonella Traverso
Curator| Marcella Mancusi
The fruition, reception and surveillance services are guaranteed by
Guido Bologna
Donatella Bottari
Marina Foletti
Roberto Giustino
Gaetano Gragnano
Giuditta Kazantjis
Paola Peri
Melania Piricò
Emanuele Polidori
Chiara Rigacci
Sonia Massa Trucat
Eliana Valenti
SUGGESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS
Your opinion is important to improve our services | MODULO
DOCUMENTI
| DIRECTIONS AND PARKING | |
|---|---|
| by train From Genoa. Take the train to Sarzana. Upon exiting the station, turn left and drive alongside the station. On the right you will find the bus station. Take the bus towards Luni Scavi – Via Falaschi (20 min.). When you get off the bus, cross the road and take Via Appia, go along it for about 100 m. |
by car From May 2019, the Museum can also be reached directly from the A12 motorway (without exiting the motorway) through two dedicated parking areas marked as “Antica Luni”, located between Sarzana and Carrara. Once the car has been parked in the lay-by and passed the appropriate entrance passage, the archaeological area can be reached with a few minutes’ walk. It is necessary to keep the pass received at the turnstile to access the return area to the lay-by. For information, contact the SALT Operations Center 0584/909269 From the southbound access – Livorno it is possible to cross the tunnel with an immersive video that traces the history of the ancient city of Luna. |
| accessibility | |
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| Being updated. | |