The Archaeological Museum of Milan is housed in an 8th century former convent. Previously, a number of imposing Roman buildings stood on this spot. The objects exhibited in this museum are divided by country or region of origin.
Archaeological Museum Milan
Address, opening times and ticket price
Address: Corso Magenta 15, 20123 – Milano. Telephone: +39 02 88445208. Opening hours: From Thursday to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:30. Entrance fee: 5 Euro (discount: 3 Euro). A combined ticket for all city museums costs 12 Euro and is valid for three days. Public transportation: Metro M1 and M2 (Cadorna stop).
History and description
San Maurizio Convent
The seat of the Archaeological Museum is the former Convent of San Maurizio, founded in the 8th century. Still earlier, in Imperial times, a Roman residence, a circus and parts of the city wall occupied the site. The Imperial Palace was located slightly further away.
Some other sections (Egypt, prehistory and protohistory) were moved to the Castello Sforzesco.
Museum
The collections are divided according to the different cultures. After the first cloister, you come to the section Milano Antica. The title of the section in the basement is “Living in Mediolanum” (the original name of Milan). Here there are also two sections devoted to Gandhara (a kingdom on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan) and Caesare Maritima (an ancient port city in Israel).
Epigraphs are displayed in the second cloister. The tower at the end of the cloister is decorated with frescoes dating back to the 3rd century. From here you enter the new part of the museum, on Via Nirone.
This building has three floors. The first one is dedicated to the early Middle Ages, the second one to the Etruscans and the top one to Ancient Greece.