Museo archeologico nazionale e Teatro romano di Spoleto

The museum is located in the former monastery of Sant'Agata, in the southern isolation of the historic center of Spoleto, consisting of the encounter of today's streets Monterone and Sant'Agata, in an area occupied in Roman times by the theater. It was once home to a monastery named after Sant'Agata, which was built at the end of the 14th century on the ruins of the Roman theater (1st century BC), whose scene was heavily altered by the construction of the religious building.Opened in 1985, the museum is articulated on several levels adapting the exposure to the architecture of the historic building. An organic renovation project is under way, which has already completed (2008) a first section of this new exhibition path. Through the findings of the most recent research, the first testimonies of the presence of human presence in the fortress and the old town, dating back to the Bronze Age and the development of the settlement in the Umbrian period, are documented, witnessed above all by the rich VII- VI sec. B.C. Of the necropolis of Piazza d'Armi. On the second floor of the museum are exhibited exhibits from Valnerina, an area that was always in close contact with Spoleto. Particular attention is given to the final bronze age cineraries from the Monteleone necropolis of Spoleto, the finds from the shrines of Montefranco, the funeral kits from the Hellenistic and Roman necropolis of Norcia. Many of the finds from the Canzio Sapori collection, recently donated to the State, come from the same territory. Among them is a cinerary with a geometric decoration from Cerreto Bridge and a remarkable portrait of late-republican men from Ferentillo.In the section dedicated to the illustration of the Roman theater are exposed the decorative sculptures found in the monument during the excavations of the 1950s, including a statue of Aura (light breeding personification), reworked as Venus; Recognized by recent studies as an original Greek marble of the 5th century BC, was reworked in Roman times to adapt it to the features of the goddess goddess of the giulio-claudia dynasty. The interest of this discovery is compounded by the rarity of the original Greek statues, which are mostly known through the many copies made by the Romans.The theater, which is an integral part of the museum's visit, dates back to the 1st century BC. B.C. And partly was incorporated into the rear buildings, undergoing a partial dismantling in medieval times. Systematic restoration work, begun in the 1950s, allowed the entire complex to be recovered by restoring the steps. However, the lower floor is well preserved, with the ambulatory still viable.During the events associated with the Festival of Two Worlds, the theater is used for shows.