The museum is located in the former monastery of St. Agatha since 1985; the monastery was founded at the end of the 14th century in the area of the Roman Theatre. The halls are organized in various storeys, the oldest finds coming from both Spoleto and its surroundings, document the most ancient phases of the city of Spoleto, from the Bronze Age up to the Roman period. A rich section is dedicated to the archaeological interventions performed on Colle Sant’Elia, where the Rocca Albornoz stands: the finds on display show all historical phases of the area, from the first settlements (end of 2nd millennium BC) up to the Middle Ages.
At the museum’s second floor there are finds coming from the Valnerina, an area that has always been in a strict cultural relation with Spoleto. Here you can also see two limestone cippi (cippus: memorial or votive stone, TN) dating to the 3rd century BC, known as “Lex Spoletina”, in which an inscription in archaic Latin informs the reader on the laws for the protection of sacred woods, dedicated to Jupiter. The visit to the museum ends by the remains of the Roman Theatre, brought back to light following excavations performed by Spoletan archaeologist Giuseppe Sordini between the 19th and 20th centuries. Built at the end of the 1st century BC, it stands on a wide, artificial platform defined by a semi-circular ambulatory, from which you can access the cavea, the steps where the audience used to sit. The orchestra is also well maintained, the central space where the choir used to perform, and the stage, both embellished by polychrome marbles, while the scene behind was heavily altered in the Middle Ages when the church of St. Agatha was built.