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The Carlo Cicala Archaeological Museum in Priverno: Thirty Years of Excavations in Twelve Rooms
In the heart of Priverno, overlooking the main square, the Carlo Cicala Archaeological Museum has occupied the rooms of Palazzo Antonelli since 2013. This historic residence has frescoed ceilings in the Liberty style and Neo-Rococo grotesques. Thirty years of excavations and over a thousand finds tell the story of Privernum, a city that was first Volscian and then a Roman colony, in the heart of the Amaseno valley. From its protohistoric origins to the late Imperial age, the museum itinerary unfolds across three floors and twelve rooms.
Provincial Emperors
The forum and theatre of Privernum displayed statues and portraits of the imperial family: Claudius, Livia, Tiberius, Germanicus, Agrippina, the young Nero, Domitian. Several pieces — the seated statue of Tiberius, the bust of Claudius — made their way to the Vatican Museums following 18th-century excavations. But architectural elements - in particular precious marbles and inscriptions - remain here, reconstructing the prestige of a wealthy and well-connected city.
Mosaics and Everyday Life
Patrician townhouses provided the refined polychrome mosaics of Hellenistic inspiration. One stands out above all: a vestibule nearly 5 metres long, featuring a Nilotic landscape. There is a shift in register in the final rooms: kitchen ceramics, everyday objects and early medieval burials, talling the story of how Privernum slowly transformed into Piperno.
