Civic Archaeological Museum of Mergozzo

The Archaeological Museum of Mergozzo, born as an Antiquarium in 1969, established as a Civic Museum in 2004 and renovated in 2018, offers a journey through time from Prehistory to the Middle Ages, exhibiting finds from all over the territory of Verbano Cusio Ossola. The prehistoric evidence, exhibited on the first floor, dates back to the end of the Stone Age and the Bronze Age: it is mostly lithic industry coming from Mergozzo, alongside materials from other locations (Baceno, Baveno, Crodo, Cesara , Omegna, Brovello Carpugnino, Verbania ...), among which the bronze dagger of the Passo dell'Arbola stands out. The early Iron Age is documented by a warrior's burial from Montecrestese, while the late Iron Age is represented by the grave goods from the necropolis of Carcegna and the territory of Crodo. On the second floor the Roman age is presented, through materials from the numerous excavations carried out in Mergozzo, which allow us to grasp both the funeral customs and some aspects of daily life, cults and ancient production techniques. The itinerary ends with the finds of the late ancient tombs (IV-V century AD) of Carcegna and the early medieval ones of San Giovanni in Montorfano, opening a glimpse of the end of the ancient world and the Christianization of the territory. The tactile workstations, for a multisensory approach, and multimedia insertions, which open a virtual view of the whole territory, enrich the itinerary.