This content was automatically translated. View the original text.
Pio Capponi Civic Museum in Terracina: the collection born from the excavations of Monte Sant'Angelo
The Pio Capponi Civic Museum is located in the heart of the old upper town of Terracina, overlooking the Forum Aemilianum. It displays numerous artefacts from the town and surrounding territory, particularly from the Roman period, and is housed in multiple venues: Torre Frumentaria, Palazzo della Bonificazione Pontina, and Favisse.
A collection born from excavations
The museum was founded in 1894 by Pio Capponi, its first director. The goal was to systematically collect objects emerging from the excavations conducted at the sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo. Initially, it was housed in ground-floor rooms of the “hemicycle” building in Piazza Garibaldi. Then, in the 1930s, it was moved to a new location — with a catalogue compiled by Giuseppe Lugli, an archaeologist, topographer, and author of the first volume of the Forma Italiae dedicated to Anxur. Wartime events caused significant losses, but subsequent recoveries partly made up for the damage. The most recent reorganisation of the collection dates back to 1999.
What to see inside
The collection consists mainly of sculptures and architectural elements in marble: statues, herms, altars, and portraits. Among the most notable pieces: a circular altar from the Augustan age, an altar dedicated to Trajan, and a telamon in ancient yellow marble from the Roman Theatre. There is also an altar with a dedication to "Iovi Axuri" — the first epigraphic attestation of the god Anxur, found during excavations of the Roman Theatre.
Practical information
The museum is located in Piazza Municipio 7, Terracina (LT).
