Civic Archaeological Museum of Marciana
Prehistoric and Etruscan finds of the island on display
The 17th-century Palazzo del Pretorio houses the Civic Archaeological Museum of Marciana, with archeological finds illustrating the history and prehistory of the area.
The exhibits also include the oldest materials found on the island, dating from the earliest phases of occupation of Marciana, and Elba in general, during the Paleolithic period. Visitors will be able to admire the archaeological finds by following a chronological order, starting from the history of settlements in ancient times to modern times. There is also no shortage of insights into the people's connection with the sea, thanks to the presence of two ancient shipwrecks.
The first room testifies to the presence of a series of villages on Mount Capanne in the Stone Age. Inhumation tombs dating to the Archaic Etruscan period were also found in this area, where bucchero pottery, ceramic pieces, Ionic cups and fibulae were recovered.
One space is devoted to the excavations of the fortress of Monte Castello di Procchio, a site that witnessed an important development between the late 4th and 3rd centuries BC. However, its origins are thought to date as far back as the 5th century BC, a time when a place of worship probably stood here - as the terracotta head and other fragments found show.
Prominent in the collection are four Villanovan bronze axes, originally located in the Chiessi Gneccarina Valley, as well as findings from the 2nd century uncovered within the Procchio wreck. This is a Roman-era ship that sank in these very waters and contained very interesting objects, such as the splendid ivory perfume bottle.
