“A. C. Simonini” Civic Archaeological Museum

The Civic Archaeological Museum, named after the Castel Franco-born artist Anton Celeste Simonini, was opened by the local council in 1999 to house the artefacts unearthed in the area since the mid-19th century, in collaboration with the Superintendency for Archaeological Heritage of Emilia-Romagna and the then Institute for Artistic, Cultural and Natural Heritage (IBC). Over the years, a number of changes were made to the museum’s exhibition layout, partly as a result of various archaeological excavations and research projects carried out both within and outside the town centre (mainly in Via Peschiera, Via Canale and Piazza Aldo Moro).

Between 2009 and 2011, the Museum was awarded the prestigious title of ‘Museum of Quality’ by the IBC, now the Cultural Heritage Service of the Emilia-Romagna Region.

Since 2021, the Museum has expanded the number of artefacts on display and completely reorganised the way they are exhibited: the current museum itinerary, organised chronologically and by geographical context, has been designed to enable visitors to trace the entire history of the settlement of the region whilst drawing their attention to the exhibits, thanks to the installation and use of new, state-of-the-art technological systems.

The new museum comprises four exhibition rooms, organised by historical period, and the main entrance hall, which features a timeline and a large video wall displaying animated footage of the archaeological sites of Madonna degli Angeli, the Roman mansio situated along the Via Emilia, the medieval town of Borgo Franco, the Etruscan sites of Forte Urbano and the Riolo ingot deposit ‘Aes Signatum’.