The Aeolian Archaeological Museum, founded in 1954 by Luigi Bernabò Brea and Madeleine Cavalier, documents and illustrates human settlements in the Aeolian Archipelago from prehistory to modern times, following a chronological path spread over several buildings. Among the many exhibits is an extraordinary collection of theatrical terracotta masks found in more than 2,500 tombs in the Contrada Diana Archaeological Park.
Visiting to the Aeolian Archaeological Museum
The rich collection of the Aeolian Archaeological Museum is displayed in various rooms along Via Castello. Inside the old Bishop’s Palace is the Lipari Archaeology section, while in a small building opposite is the “Prehistory of the Minor Islands” section. Next to it, in a 14th century house and a later 17th century building, is the Volcanology section. To the left of the Cathedral of Lipari, in a former Fascist barracks, is the Greek and Roman section, while in the former prison is the permanent exhibition of contemporary art “Mare Motus”.
Section “Prehistory and Foundation of Lipara” and Epigraphic Garden
The prehistoric section of the Aeolian Archaeological Museum testifies to the succession of different cultures that settled on the island of Lipari. The historical period covered ranges from the beginning of the Middle Neolithic to the foundation of the Greco-Roman city of Lipara. The artifacts testify to the fundamental role played by the obsidian trade in the development of the island’s population. Room X of the archaeological section is dedicated to the re-foundation of Lipari, around 580 B.C., by settlers from Cnidus. This room leads to the Epigraphic Garden, where inscribed tombstones and funerary steles from the Contrada Diana archaeological area are exhibited.
Minor Islands Prehistory Section
In a small building in front of the archaeological section of Lipari is the section dedicated to the prehistory of the Minor Islands. The period covered in this part of the Aeolian Archaeological Museum goes from the Neolithic Age to the 3rd millennium BC. At the end of the last period, all the villages of the Aeolian Islands, except those of Lipari, were abandoned. The itinerary is built around a central courtyard where a section of a typical stone hut of the Early and Middle Bronze Age has been reconstructed. The finds come from the main archaeological sites of the archipelago, such as the village of Capo Graziano in Filicudi and the settlement of Punta Milazzese in Panarea.
Volcanological Section “Alfred Rittmann”
After visiting the section on the prehistory of the Minor Islands, you can go to the Volcanological Section of the Archaeological Museum of the Aeolian Islands. On the ground floor there are two rooms dedicated to the theme “Man and the Environment in the Territory”, which explores man’s use of the territory of the Aeolian Islands and its raw materials. One part is dedicated to paleontology and natural sciences with fossils found in the territory of the archipelago. The first floor is dedicated to volcanology in general and the second to Aeolian volcanology.
“Greek and Roman” section
On the ground floor of the building that houses the “Greek and Roman Age” section of the Aeolian Archaeological Museum, there are artifacts found in the Milazzo area and some funerary objects found in Lipari. One room is entirely dedicated to marine archaeology, where there are several merchant cargoes discovered on the seabed of the Aeolian Archipelago. Among them, the large pyramid formed by amphorae found in a shipwreck of the 1st century B.C. stands out. The upper floor is dedicated to funerary objects, almost exclusively from the Greek and Roman necropolis of Contrada Diana. Here you can admire an extraordinary collection of red figurine ceramic vessels from the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. and a very special collection of terracotta objects. In fact, there are sacred terracottas related to cults of the underworld and a splendid collection of small theatrical masks.
The contemporary art section of the Archaeological Museum of Lipari
The contemporary art section of the Archaeological Museum of Lipari is housed in the former prisons of the island. The building was used as a place of detention for dissident intellectuals, politicians and artists during the Fascist period and was finally closed in the 1990s. In 2015, the Aeolian Museum involved 40 international artists in the creation of artworks that were then incorporated into the exhibition “Aeolian 1950-2014. Mare Motus. The island in contemporary art from Sicily to Chile”. Today they form the permanent collection of the Contemporary Art section of the Aeolian Museum and evoke feelings of freedom and escape from isolation. The works on display are by the following artists Matteo Basilé, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Gregorio Botta, Gonzalo Borondo, Alex Caminiti, Ettore de Conciliis, Teresa Emanuele, Carlo Gavazzeni Ricordi, Alessandro Giovannoni, Carin Grudda, Fati Hassan, Igor Mitoraj, Riccardo Monachesi, Maria Elisabetta Novello, Mimmo Paladino, Piero Pizzi Cannella, Fabrizio Plessi and Maurizio Savini.
The other rooms of the Aeolian Museum
Two other rooms are also part of the Aeolian Archaeological Museum. The first one is located in front of the Ex Carceri. It is the former church of Santa Caterina, now used for temporary exhibitions. Opposite is the other building, where the history of archaeological research and the birth of the museum is illustrated, thanks to Luigi Bernabò Brea and Madeleine Cavalier.
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