The town council and a group of passionate gave birth, in 1974, to the Municipal Archeological Museum of Casteggio and Oltrepo’ Pavese after the discovery of two Roman tombs in Torino street. Thanks to the acquisition of new findings, derived from private donations and from the excavations of the superintendency of archeological heritage, in 1988 the Museum faced the first enlargement of the exhibits rooms.

The Museum as it is now is the result of another enlargement made after the restoration of the Certosa Palace in 1999. Thanks to a new convention stipulated between Casteggio municipality and the superintendency of archeological heritage in Lombardy, the Museum could acquire findings from recent exavations made in Oltrepo’ Pavese.

Museum is made up of four sections:

Geology and Palaeontology

The first section hosts proofs of a life previous than man arrival in Oltrepo ‘ such as animal and vegetal fossils.

Prehistory and proto-history

From Neolithic (IV millennium before Christ) to the arrival of the Celts (II century before Christ) touching the Copper, Bronze and Iron ages, in this section we can admire some finds (ceramic pots, stone instruments, bronze objects and a unique celtic head) demonstrating the first settlements in Oltrepo’ Pavese.

Roman, late Roman and Middle Age period

In this section, very rich in handmade products, there are objects showing the arrival of Romans in Oltrepo’ Pavese during the III century before Christ. Many are the funerary outfits found during the excavations of the Pleba area, in 1987 in Torino street in Casteggio. Some glass objects, such as a Renish goblet and a precious stamping tray. Worthy of mention are some bronze and ceramic objects like a couple of statues of Mercury and Jupiter, or the terra sigillata patera with a planta pedis seal.

Collections

This section hosts some private collections that Casteggio Municipality received as a present. These objects come from Oltrepo’ Pavese and Central and Meridional Italy (such as an Etrurian buccaro and a jew from Puglia).