Whilst at the National Archaeological museum we were
able to have a frontal view of the gilded horse riders that we’d seen from the
cathedral visit earlier in the morning. They were over 5 metres high and stood
on a large marble balcony which is part of the museum building which has views
over the coastline of this part of the city.
T
he National Archaeological Museum and its extensive
exhibits and artefacts are housed in a magnificent four –storey Gothic
building, which is a museum piece in its self. Originally this building was
built as a palace for an extremely wealthy, local resident. The walls and
ceilings in each room have very ornate paintings or carvings. The doors have
decorative carvings and the floors have been covered in richly coloured marble
patterns- sourcing these would have been costly. The very wide impressive central
staircase went from the ground floor to the fourth floor. It had marble steps with
carved marble balustrades and handrails and each room had chandeliers as a
final decoration.
he National Archaeological Museum and its extensive
exhibits and artefacts are housed in a magnificent four –storey Gothic
building, which is a museum piece in its self. Originally this building was
built as a palace for an extremely wealthy, local resident. The walls and
ceilings in each room have very ornate paintings or carvings. The doors have
decorative carvings and the floors have been covered in richly coloured marble
patterns- sourcing these would have been costly. The very wide impressive central
staircase went from the ground floor to the fourth floor. It had marble steps with
carved marble balustrades and handrails and each room had chandeliers as a
final decoration.
Although many buildings and local monuments suffered
earthquake damage in the1970 earthquake the palace’ damage was minimal. One
positive outcome of earthquakes is that they often reveal new archaeological
artefacts previously not discovered. In 1970 further evidence of Rome’s rule in
this area was discovered. Recently, the exhibitions in this museum were
refurbished by housing some artefacts in humidity controlled glass display
units, relabelling with English translations and dedicating each floor to
different eras in history. 
We were amazed at the extensive range of the displays
we saw. We gasped and marvelled at the ingenuity and creative talents of
earlier generations and the fine detains of artisans centuries ago. We have included
a few examples of the many photographs we took.
Many large clay pots and urns which have be patiently pieced
together and restored.
Intricate colourful ceiling designs in geometric
patterns or ceilings with landscape paintings or monogrammed montages.
Brass and iron helmets with embossed designs.
A string of coloured, glass beads.
Coloured floor-tile patterned designs.
