Overview
The Finale Archaeological Museum, managed by the Finale Section of the International Institute of Ligurian Studies, is located in the historic centre of Finalborgo, within the monumental complex of Santa Caterina, consisting of two 15th-century cloisters. Its rich collections of Prehistory and Archaeology, the result of more than a century of research, are owned by the Finale Ligure Municipality. It exhibits the remains of human presence in the Ligurian coastal area of Finale, which offers distinctive naturalistic, environmental, historical and archaeological values, starting with the exceptional finds of Homo erectus from the Lower Palaeolithic, dating back to around 350 to 120 thousand years ago. Neanderthal evidence from 120 to 38 thousand years ago, the evolution in metal smelting techniques between 3600 and 300 B.C. and the Romanisation of the territory from the 2nd century B.C. onwards have all been documented in the grave goods from the necropolises of Isasco and Perti, the remains of the bridges of the Via Iulia Augusta in the Ponci Valley, the Byzantine Age, the Middle Ages and the Modern Age, illustrated by everyday objects from the excavations in S. Antonino and Finalborgo.
The museum is also committed to the promotion of archaeological culture, offering guided tours, a series of lecture and educational workshops on experimental archaeology. There are also a number of services for the public, such as the consultation of libraries and archives of images and data, along with the scientific work conducted in the Archaeology, Archaeobotany, Restoration, Classification and Finds laboratories.
