Civic Museum of Belriguardo
It exhibits the finds which have been unearthed from the excavations of the Roman necropolis of Voghenza: gold and amber jewellery, amphorae and other types of containers, oil lamps, money, balsam jars in glass paste and a beautiful balsam jar in onyx.
The artefacts unearthed in the 67 burials (inhumation and cremations are conserved in the Museo Civico di Belriguardo, which was opened in 2001. The burials were characterised by various monuments like steles, stone tablets, a sarcophagus and large tombstones; some were surrounded by family funerary enclosures, while others were dug in the bare earth.
Several Roman funerary inscriptions are exhibited in the Lapidary section. There is a rich epigraphic section where the funeral steles for Valerian and Junia Lucinian, as well as burial stones for Hygia and Ulpius Secondus are displayed. The upper room is dedicated to other finds from the neighbourhood and especially from the area of Fondo Tesoro, where, together with testimonies from different historical eras, are some interesting objects from an early-medieval burial ground.
Among the funerary goods found in the necropolis tombs, green and blue glass items, amphoras, glass scent bottles of various shapes, a scallop shell, a coin, and a bronze cup and mirror stand out. Also displayed are lamps of varying styles and decoration, often marked beneath by the name of the craftsman who made them, as well as ceramic vessels, a funerary urn with terracotta lid, two rings, and an amber necklace composed of thirty beads depicting different admirably sculpted animals and figurines.
The funerary goods recovered from Tomb 45 are extraordinary, featuring a wooden chest lined with parchment meant to contain the occupant’s treasured possessions.
The last exhibit on display is a splendid and unique scent bottle, carved from sardonyx, of incredible purity of form, state of preservation and manufacturing technique, which, from a small single block of stone resulted in such a dainty perfume bottle.
One section of the museum is dedicated to artefacts from the Byzantine age, recovered from the 5th-6th century necropolis which was found in the layers of earth immediately above those containing the ancient Roman dwellings. In general, only simple objects were unearthed in the 60 tombs discovered, although several interesting artefacts like a silver broach with chains and a cross, bronze rings and earrings, glass bead necklaces, double combs made of bone, and ceramic vessels did come to light.
Modern Art Section
Giuseppe Virgili (Voghiera 1894 - Bologna 1968). Sculptor.
This sculptor was one of the Masters of Ferrara art in the 1900s. The Museum displays original works some of his, including the famous Danzatrice (Female Dancer) for which he was awarded first prize in a national competition organised by the Rome Academy of Dance in 1950.
Opening
Thursday, Saturday and Sunday: 10.00 am - 12.30 pm and 4.00 pm - 7.30 pm
Friday: 4.00 pm - 10.00 pm
The other days by reservation only - tel. 0532 328500 - 392 6761945
Price
5,00 euro. Red. 2,00 euro (disabled persons, students, under 18)
Contacts
How to get here
By car: from Ferrara motorway Ferrara-Porto Garibaldi, Gualdo exit, then follow signs for Voghiera.
By bus: suburban line 2400 Ferrara-Longastrino, stop in Voghiera, in front of Delizia.
