History of Archaeological museum of the territory of populonia

Rediscovered treasures. A constantly changing history

Palazzo Nuovo, seat of the Archaeological Museum of the Territory of Populonia, was built in 1807 based on a project by the architect Gabrielli, within the context of the organisation of the imperial buildings of Napoleonic Piombino and of the princes Felice and Elisa Baciocchi, Napoleon’s sister: its 1800 square metres had the function of hosting the court on the upper floors and the servants and cooks on the ground floor.

Transformed into a school in the 1960s, it was then abandoned in the early 1990s.
After the demolition of the school building that occupied the original space of Piazza Cittadella, the renovation works recovered the original, typological and architectonic features of the building.

The fortified area of the Citadel, where the Appiani urban complex developed inside the walls and terraces that stretch along the cliff at the end of the 15th century, has therefore been restored to its original role as a point of reference for the city and territory and a centre of attraction for the cultural activities of Piombino and the surrounding area.

The collection in the Archaeological Museum of the Territory of Populonia mainly comprises objects discovered at the site of the ancient city of Populonia between the 19th and 20th centuries. A small part, now public heritage, consists of finds acquired from private collections, forfeitures and donations.

The largest part, which includes the silver Amphora of Baratti, was stored in the warehouses of the Archaeology Museum of Florence, from where it reached the Piombino Museum in 2001 for the first exhibition.

Over the years, the Collection has gradually grown and the exhibitions have been enriched with interactive and multi-sensory installations.

The Archaeological Museum of the Territory of Populonia is a museum in constant evolution which, besides documenting the long history of the digs, aims to be a reference point for the archaeological studies still ongoing in the urban areas and in the area of the ancient city of Populonia.