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Horatian Archaeological Civic Museum in Licenza: a journey into everyday life at the time of Horace
In Licenza, in the Palazzo Baronale Orsini-Borghese, the Museo Civico Archeologico Oraziano tells the story of daily life at the celebrated Villa of Horace. This is not a museum containing grand monumental statues. Here, the artefacts unearthed during the 1911 dig relate to real people — their habits and the quiet luxury of a country residence in the Augustan age. It is an intimate portrait.
Objects from a life
The showcases house objects that seem to have just been set down. There are bone hairpins for elaborate hairstyles, oil lamps to light up the evening hours, loom weights and jewellery. And then ceramics, blown glass and coins, together offering a vivid image of the house and those who lived in it nearly two thousand years ago.
Colours that survived time
But the most striking sight is the extant frescoes. Preserved in the rooms near the tower of the palace, they are astonishing for the delicacy of their designs and brilliance of their colours. Look out for the winged sphinxes and the so-called "grotesque" figures — a style of wall decoration that imitated the paintings discovered in Nero's Domus Aurea in Rome.
The engineering of water
One detail not to be missed is the section on the water supply system. On display here are the fistulae aquariae, the lead pipes of the aqueduct. Some of them still show the names of the Officinatores — the craftsmen responsible for their production — engraved directly into the metal. A genuine hallmark from antiquity, which makes everything feel remarkably tangible.
The museum is part of the Licenza Musei network, which also includes the Villa of Horace. It is advisable to check opening hours and visiting arrangements through the official channels of the Municipality of Licenza, as these may vary.
