National Museum of Archeology
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Located in Piazza San Marco and neighboring on the monumental Marciana Library, the National Museum of Archeology is one of the oldest museums in Venice. It was set up in 1523, and since then its collections have increased, such that at present the exhibits fill 20 rooms laid out thematically. The museum pieces have been amassed from private collections which were, in time, donated to the museum by the aristocratic collectors who previously owned them.
Thus, for instance, room 2 showcases an extensive and valuable collection of coins and medals which amount to some 9,000 items. The collection was donated to the museum by Pietro Morosini in 1683, and it comprises exhibits which date back to as early as the 5th century BC. Most of these coins come from cultural and economic spaces such as ancient Greece, the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire.
However, the numismatic collection aside, most of the patrimony of the National Museum of Archeology of Venice consists of sculptural works of Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Assyrian-Babylonian origin, most of them again donated by noblemen who had previously collected them from antiquity traders. Also worthy of attention are the collections of precious stones and ceramics showcased in sundry other rooms of the museum.
Holders of a Museum Pass are entitled to enter Museo Archeologico Nazionale with considerable discounts, given this museum is an integral part of the Museums of Piazza San Marco (a single ticket, in fact, grants access to all of the museums included in this tour).
National Museum of Archeology (Museo Archeologico Nazionale)
52, San Marco, 30124, Venice, Italy
www.polomuseale.venezia.beniculturali.it
1st April to 31st October: 10am to 7pm; 1st November to 31st March: 10am to 5pm