NATIONAL ARCHAELOGICAL MUSEUM

Housed in the beautiful 16th-century Palazzo Ferretti since 1958, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Marche (National Archaeological Museum of Le Marche) boasts a rich collection of artifacts and finds, which present an overview of the history of Le Marche region from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages.

The itinerary begins on the mezzanine level of the second floor with the Prehistoric section, which exhibits, among Paleolithic finds from the area, the Frasassi Venus.

Exhibits in the third floor include Neolithic and Protohistoric findings from Picene settlements, an Italic people that lived here before the Roman conquest, and objects belonging to the Senones, an ancient Gallic tribe, such as weapons, bronze and ivory objects, tools and ornaments.

Palazzo Ferretti, which houses the museum, is itself worth the visit: the frescos in the Salone delle Feste, Pellegrino Tibaldi’s frieze, the peculiar molded ceilings, the view of the port and the bay of Ancona from the terrace designed by Vanvitelli, these are some of the palace’s features.