Sicily, Centuripe Archaeological Museum reopens after 10 years of closure

After ten years of closure, the Centuripe Archaeological Museum, located in the heart of Sicily, halfway between Catania and Enna, finally reopens its doors to the public, presenting itself with a renewed look and an expanded collection. Renovation work, necessary to secure two floors of the structure, has finally been completed, allowing the museum to fully reopen. The success of this project was possible thanks to the collaboration between the Regional Department of Cultural Heritage, the Archaeological Park of Catania and the Valley of Aci, of which the museum is a part, and the Municipality of Centuripe. This joint effort has enabled not only the restoration of the building, but also the expansion of the collection on display.

The museum now houses a wide range of artifacts that tell the millennia-long history of Centuripe, ancient Kentoripa, from its origins in the Neolithic to its flourishing Roman imperial era. Among the most valuable pieces is the beautiful Head of Augustus, considered by historians to be the finest portrait of the emperor ever found in Sicily. This precious artifact is on loan from the Paolo Orsi Museum in Syracuse and will remain in Centuripe until 2026. Also on display are the busts of two of Augustus’ relatives and numerous other pieces from the Roman period, dating from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. These artifacts were previously stored in the museum’s storage rooms due to lack of exhibition space.

Another important addition to the museum’s collection are centuripine vases, typical of the Sicilian city’s ceramic production. These vases are characterized by relief decoration and polychrome painting, with yellow and pink hues predominating, reflecting the rich local artistic tradition.

The reopening of the Centuripe Archaeological Museum represents an important milestone in the enhancement of Sicily’s cultural heritage. Thanks to restoration work and collaboration between local and regional authorities, this historical treasure is now accessible again, offering visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in Centuripe’s thousand-year history and appreciate the city’s rich artistic heritage. The reopening of the museum also goes of the direction of greater tourist, cultural and economic development of this area of Sicily. Authorities are convinced of this, starting with Regional Councillor for Cultural Heritage Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, who says, “Re-opening after 10 years totally the Regional Archaeological Museum in Sicily is another objective that the Regional Department had set for itself and which it is turning to fulfill. The museum is a feather in the cap of Sicily’s cultural offerings that deserved the right attention, it is in fact a unique museum in Sicily both for the high value of the works it holds and because it is one of the rare cases in which the collections come exclusively from local excavations and finds that testify to the archaeological value of ancient Kentoripa.”

“I am very pleased,” says the mayor of Centuripe, Salvatore La Spina, “this result is the fruit of a serious and constructive collaboration between the entities. I would like to thank the Councillor for Cultural Heritage Francesco Paolo Scarpinato for having personally worked for the reopening; the Director Giuseppe D’Urso and all the officials of the Archaeological Park of Catania and the Dell’Aci Valley; and all the workers involved. I am convinced that if you work for the common good with determination and unconditionally, the goals are achieved.”

“I share,” says Giuseppe D’Urso, director of the Archaeological Park of Catania and the Valley of the Aci, “the mayor’s appreciation for the goal achieved with the common commitment and the active collaboration among the many individuals who have worked for the integral opening of this extraordinary museum, a witness to the ancient history of Centuripe. So much needs to be done for the redevelopment of the museum structure both through projects already in the pipeline and with others to be prepared. Also to be encouraged are initiatives for the expansion of the exhibition through the return, after the marble head of Augustus, of other important artifacts, such as the rare Centuripe vases, which for various vicissitudes are kept elsewhere.”

The Centuripe Archaeological Museum will be open to the public starting tomorrow, June 8, 2024, daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sicily, Centuripe Archaeological Museum reopens after 10 years of closure

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