June 13-15 sees the return of the European Archaeology Days, a unique opportunity to discover the treasures of Europe’s archaeological heritage and admire the richness and beauty of timeless masterpieces by taking advantage of guided tours of excavations and sites run by the Ministry of Culture. Activities designed to promote archaeological heritage and introduce the wonderful work of archaeologists to the general public are planned throughout the weekend. Three days, all with free participation, aiming to raise public awareness of the importance of archaeological heritage.
The event, in fact, takes place in several member states of the Council of Europe and allows enthusiasts, but not only, to participate in special guided tours with experts, access to activities dedicated to children and adults and conferences with specialists in the field in collaboration with Universities and Superintendencies working in the area. An unexpected and surprising way to approach and learn about the world of archaeology, which in Italy offers an extraordinary insight into a valuable cultural heritage.
Specifically, these are guided tours with experts, activities for children and adults, and conferences with specialists in the field, which within the Latium region involve the cities of Tivoli and Viterbo: at the Park of Villa Gregoriana, it will be possible to visit a magnificent garden in which to wander among Roman temples, ancient remains, natural caves and waterfalls; specialists in the field will accompany the public on a tour of the archaeological finds of the Tiburtine territory, without neglecting the workshop for children where they can follow a simulation of archaeological excavation and touch the tools of the trade.
To spread knowledge of the ancient world in the city of Rome, a veritable open-air museum, archaeologists and art historians share recent discoveries made on excavation sites while youngsters can try their hand at a simulated archaeological dig in the Imperial Forum area, among many other initiatives.
The Capitoline Museums are being told about the Capitol in the Middle Ages while special openings are scheduled with guided tours of Porta San Paolo, the Casale di Giovio at Villa Doria Pamphilj, the Barracco Museum of Ancient Sculpture, and the Museum of the Roman Republic and Garibaldian Memory. For the occasion, the National Archaeological Museum has chosen to present to the public the restoration of an important piece: it is a so-called Etruscan bronze ‘graffione’ dated between the fifth and fourth centuries BC.
To discover the ancient peoples of Abruzzo, these are the initiatives of the region’s main museum institutions:
- The MUNDA – National Museum of Abruzzo in L’Aquila, which acquired the Amiternum Archaeological Park in July 2024, is participating in the GEA by organizing cultural events of an informative and educational nature: four of the five fragments of stone sculptures found at the archaeological site and which have been kept in storage until now have returned to their territory of origin and are finally on display, allowing an interesting comparison between the Portrait of a Private Individual belonging to the Museum’s collections and the Portrait of a Private Individual with a Veiled Head from the Chieti depository to be proposed as well. The Theater andAmphitheater of the Amiternum Archaeological Park from June 13 to 15 will be open continuously; the East Bastion of the 16th-century Castle that houses the fossil skeleton of the Mammoth will be open on June 14 and 15, with the possibility of participating in a free guided tour (with admission subject to current fees).
- The National Archaeological Museum of Campli, welcomes and enhances the extraordinary archaeological findings of the Area Archaeological Museum of Campovalano, which, with the help of graphic and environmental reconstructions, offers an exhibition itinerary illustrating the cultural evolution of the Pretuzian ethnic group of the Middle Adriatic or Picene area. Among the museum’s special features, Campovalano is the only site in Abruzzo to have returned precise evidence of the use of the cart, almost entirely made of wood and similar in shape to the later chariots used by the Romans.
- In Chieti, in an elegant neoclassical villa in the heart of the Villa Comunale, one can visit the headquarters of the National Archaeological Museum of Abruzzo – Villa Frigerj where one can admire the famous Capestrano Warrior, an artistic masterpiece from the 6th century B.C. to which the ‘Beyond Time’ room is dedicated. There is also a rich numismatic section, along with artifacts found in the most relevant Abruzzi archaeological contexts dated between the protohistoric and early medieval phases. An authentic journey through time to discover the ancient peoples of Abruzzo through the artifacts of the Sabines, Equi, Marsi, Vestini, Peligni, Marrucini, Samnites, Frentani and Pretuzi.
In addition to museums, these will be ideal days to spend outdoors at archaeological sites scattered across Abruzzo and Lazio:
- in Teramo on June 14 you can discover the Roman Theater, with free admission and taking advantage of guided tours thanks to the “All on stage! Discovering the Roman Theater “;
- built in the Augustan age and located in the city’s historic center, it is in the best preserved condition of structures from the same era
- in Avezzano, in the vicinity of the shopping center, it is possible to access and visit the remains of a Roman Villa on Saturday, June 14, thanks to the event, organized by the Soprintendenza Archeologia, “Living in the Countryside: Roman Villa“; also on Sunday 15, it is possible to access with guided tours the archaeological park of Claudius’ Tunnels, one of the largest hydraulic works of the Roman era.
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Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15 at L’Aquila there will be a special opening of the Vestine Necropolis with guided tours to fully experience the scheduled event “Fossa Necropolis: special opening and historical narratives“; the birth of the Fossa necropolis can be traced back to the first population living in the area, which was the Vestini, dating back to a period from the 9th to the 8th century B.C. The area subjected to excavation campaigns is 3,500 m², with about 500 tombs of different types (mounds, pits, chamber tombs and infant burials in brick tiles) dating back to three different historical periods.
- in the small village of Oricola, easily reached via the the exit Carsoli-Oricola of the A24, on Sunday, June 15, it is possible to participate to the thematic meeting “Speaking of Equi,” the small people with a great history, eradicated by the Romans and recently rediscovered through archaeological excavations and multidisciplinary studies that have unearthed pottery, oil lamps, pitchers, ollae and an entire archaic sanctuary, with votive objects of heads and other parts.
- Saturday, June 14, you can also discover the Roman city of Peltuinum, corresponding to the current locality of Civita Ansidonia, between Prata d’Ansidonia and Castel Nuovo, in the province of L’Aquila; urbanization seems to date back to the Augustan age, as evidenced by the surviving monuments found in an area of about 22 hectares, crossed from east to west by the Via Claudia Nova, which here corresponds to the sheep-track that provided the inspiration for the planned event “Walking the tratturo. Of the large tombs, which must have flanked the Via Claudia Nova outside the city, a large core of a funerary monument outside the western gate still remains.The Roman city survived until the 5th century, although, still in the 1600s, it appeared partly inhabited and the ancient site was used at least until the 17th century. Reached via the exit L‘Aquila East of the A24, Prata d’Ansidonia is a municipality of 421 inhabitants that is part of the Campo Imperatore-Piana di Navelli mountain community and was one of the towns that contributed to the founding of the city of L’Aquila in the 13th century.
- Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli the most sumptuous and richest imperial residence of antiquity, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, was built between 118 and 138 A.D. by Emperor Hadrian in a verdant, water-rich area near Tivoli, ancient Tibur. The Villa covered an area of at least one hundred and twenty hectares and included residential structures, baths, nymphaeums, pavilions, and gardens. The extraordinary architectural and sculptural decoration of the villa has been an archetype imitated since the Renaissance. The archaeological area that can be visited is about 40 hectares and can be reached via the A24 highway from the Tivoli exit.
The GEA initiative is coordinated by theFrench National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP – lnstitut national de recherches archéologiques préventives) under the auspices of the transalpine Ministry of Culture and under the patronage of the Council of Europe. In 2019, the JNAs(Journées nationales de l’archéologie) opened their doors to Europe, and since 2020, the National Archaeology Days have been named European Archaeology Days (EAGs), representing an invitation to discover the heritage that surrounds us, to listen to the voices of history, and to actively participate in the preservation of collective memory.
