This content was automatically translated. View the original text.
Civic Archaeological Museum of Fondi: the oldest in the province of Latina, housed in the Caetani Castle
The Civic Archaeological Museum of Fondi is the oldest in the province of Latina. Established in 1877, it occupies the Caetani Castle — the city's most important monument — in Piazza Matteotti. In 2026 it reopened with a completely redesigned exhibition layout.
Origins and evolution
The project was first conceived by mayor Giovanni Sotis, with the collaboration of historian and epigraphist Theodor Mommsen and the support of Giuseppe Fiorelli, archaeologist and head of the General Directorate of Antiquities and Fine Arts at the Ministry of Public Education. At the end of the 19th century the first collection, which included ancient inscriptions, a statue of Diana, and seven heads, was moved to a cell in the former convent of San Francesco. In the 1950s archaeologist Domenico Facenna compiled the scientific inventory. In 1997 a new exhibition project was rolled out and inaugurated, curated by historian Giovanni Pesiri and archaeologist Gilda Nunziata.
The 2026 update
With €160,000 from the Lazio Region and €40,000 from the Municipality, director Maria Cristina Recco redesigned the entire museum layout. The inspiration for the new itinerary is the bust of Augustus, which has become the starting point of the museum route. Works previously scattered across inadequate settings are now gathered together in a single venue. The project envisages four sections — prehistoric, Roman, medieval, and modern/contemporary with a picture gallery. For now, the Roman and medieval-modern sections are open. One of the highlights is a strigilated sarcophagus from the 4th century AD.
The itinerary is linked to the entry of the Old Appian Way on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2024.
