Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Museo Archeologico
Regionale Eoliano
OFFLINE MAP
MUSEUM
( 090 988 01 74;
www.regione.sicilia.it/beniculturali/museolipari
; Castello di Lipari; adult/18-25 yr/EU citizen un-
der 18 yr & over 65 yr €6/3/free; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun)
A must-see for lovers of
Mediterranean history, Lipari's archaeological museum boasts one of Europe's finest col-
lections of ancient finds. Especially worthwhile are the Sezione Preistorica, devoted to
locally discovered artefacts from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages to the Greco-Roman era,
and the Sezione Classica, highlights of which include ancient shipwreck cargoes and the
world's largest collection of Greek theatrical masks.
The museum is divided into several sections, each housed in a separate building. Start
in the
Sezione Preistorica
in the Palazzo Vescovile (Bishop's Palace) next to the Cattedrale. A
plethora of artefacts displayed in chronological order provides a fascinating insight into
the development of the island's earliest cultures. Among the first items on display are
finely sculpted tools made from the obsidian on which Lipari's early economy was based
- telling evidence of the relative sophistication of the island's prehistoric civilisation. Pre-
historic finds from the other islands are housed in a small pavilion directly in front of the
Palazzo Vescovile.
On the other side of the cathedral is the
Sezione Classica
. Highlights here include finds
from Lipari's 11th-century-BC necropolis, including a sizeable collection of burial urns.
There's also a staggering array of amphorae salvaged from shipwrecks off the coasts of
Panarea, Filicudi and Lipari itself. Upstairs are impressive displays of decorated vases and
the museum's treasured collection of Greek theatrical masks. On this same floor you'll
find a number of statu ettes - the one of
Andromeda con bambino
( Andromeda with
Child) is particularly beautiful - along with some elegant jewellery and a collection of
polychromatic vases decorated by an artist simply known as Il Pittore Liparoto (the Lipari
Painter; 300-270 BC).
Other sections worth a quick look are the
Sezione Epigrafica
(Epigraphic Section), across
the road from the Sezione Preistorica, which has a small garden littered with engraved
stones and a room of Greek and Roman tombs; and the
Sezione Vulcanologica
(Vulcanology
Section), which illustrates the Aeolians' volcanic geology.
Town Centre
One of Lipari Town's great pleasures is simply wandering its streets, lapping up the laid-
back island atmosphere. Lipari's liveliest street is
Via Vittorio Emanuele
, a cheerful thorough-
PROMENADE
