MANDA - National Archaeological Museum of Abruzzo - Villa Frigerj

The museum is located in Chieti in an elegant neoclassical villa , designed by the Neapolitan architect Errico Riccio at the behest of Baron Ferrante Frigerj in 1830 .

The building dominates a small hill, originally an agricultural land owned by the Frigerj family located outside the city walls, a short distance from Porta S. Andrea, the southern entrance to the city, now no longer existing. From the top of the hill you can enjoy a breathtaking view and you can admire both the municipal villa with the profile of the buildings in the historic center and the majestic mountain massif of the Majella with the valley below.

In 1864 the building became municipal property and was a school. In 1959 , thanks to the interest of the then archaeologist superintendent Valerio Cianfarani , it became a national archaeological museum and since 2014 it has been assigned to the Polo Museale of Abruzzo.

Outside, the visitor can observe the cladding of the facades, in smooth ashlar brick on the ground floor and in simple bricks on the remaining levels. The main facade, facing the city, is crowned by a small temple. Inside, the most important Abruzzo archaeological collection is exhibited, accessible through the new museum itinerary, set up in 2011 and expanded in 2014 following exhibition criteria that privilege the ethnic and topographical aspects of the ancient populations of the region. On the ground floor the visitor will be able to deepen the themes related to ancient statuary and, in particular, will be able to contemplate the famous Warrior of Capestrano , an artistic masterpiece of the sixth century BC, to which the “Beyond Time” room is dedicated. The setting up of the room was curated by the artist Mimmo Palladino, who states: “I almost wanted to purify the Warrior from the meaning that historically determines and dates him. Whoever looks at it must draw suggestions that go beyond its chronological position ”. On the ground floor there is also a rich numismatic section and the nineteenth-century Pansa collection , with heterogeneous objects.

On the first floor are presented the finds found in the most relevant Abruzzo archaeological contexts dated between the protohistoric and early medieval phases - above all necropolis and sanctuaries - and the visitor can, therefore, go to the discovery of the material culture of the Vestini , the Peligni , the Marrucini and Carricini . Through the monumental staircase you return to the ground floor and continue the visit to discover the ancient peoples of Abruzzo by observing the artifacts of the Sabines , the Frentani , the Equi and the Marsi .