Morgantina
(Contrada Morgantina)
Morgantina is one of the largest, most important archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. As an exceptional case-study for knowledge of the Siculians and Greeks of Sicily, it covers an area of around 92 hectares, including the splendid agora with monumental public buildings, including a theatre and benches for the citizens’ assemblies, as well as residential quarters with aristocratic residences with elegant mosaic and cocciopesto floors. Those who visit Morgantina today can appreciate an ancient city that has been entirely preserved: a small ‘Pompeii of Sicily’ as it was called by the archaeologist Paolo Orsi, among the first to conduct regular excavations
there in the early 20th century.
Regional Archaeological Museum
(Largo Torres Truppia, 1)
The Regional Archaeological Museum was
inaugurated in 1984 inside the 17th-century
convent and adjoining Capuchin church; the
treasure chest tells the story of Morgantina
from prehistoric times to the Roman era, bearing witness to the daily life of the rich Greek city of Sicilian origin. The lower floor was renovated in 2009 and includes the Acrolites, the Goddess, the Silvers and the Head of Hades, the well-known finds excavated illegally and recovered through archaeological investigations and research. These exceptional works of art, masterpieces of Greek sculpture and goldsmithing, make the institution an interesting example of a museum of legality.