Sigismondo Castromediano Museum is located in the historic center of Lecce and is considered the oldest museum in Puglia. The Museum was founded in 1868 by Sigismondo Castromediano, Duke of Cavallino, with a first group of works belonging to his private collection. The Museum is divided into three main sections: archaeological, art gallery and lapidary. In the archaeological section there are numerous testimonies of the Messianic civilization and of the Roman settlements. The Museum has the most complete collection of Attic red-figure vases, Messapian ceramics, vases and finally statues of the imperial age, coming from the amphitheater. Of great interest is the reconstruction of the Grotta dei Cervi in Porto Badisco, with unpublished rock paintings. The picture gallery houses paintings that testify the relations between Puglia and the Byzantines and the Venetians. Among the most famous artists we find: Alvise Vivarini, Paolo Finoglio, Pacecco De Rosa, Corrado Giaquinto, Francesco de Mura and Oronzo Tiso. A small nucleus is dedicated to the minor arts: pottery, ceramics, silver, ivory and bronzes.