ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF MARIANA

Its architecture is the work of Pierre-Louis Faloci, winner of the 2018 Grand Prix for Architecture and winner of the international project management competition opened by the Commune of Lucciana in 2012. Perfectly integrated into the landscape, it resonates with the nearby Canonica. A resolutely modern building of concrete and glass, the perspectives created open up the view of the ancient and medieval site. The permanent exhibition on the first floor is thus linked to the site it presents.

The collections resulting from the archaeological excavations carried out in Mariana over the last 50 years are presented along a chrono-thematic path, crossing Protohistory, Antiquity, the beginnings of Christianity and ending at the end of the Middle Ages. The integration of Mariana in the exchange networks and in its insular and Mediterranean environment is at the heart of the discourse, supported by collections of great quality. Ceramic dishes, glassware, jewellery, sculpted marble, mosaics, coins and other objects of daily life are accompanied by models and interactive digital devices, facilitating the understanding of these testimonies of the past.

The archaeological park

The museum is directly linked to the archaeological park of Mariana, nestled in the heart of the exceptional natural landscape of the Marana. A window on an incredibly rich archaeological site, it allows visitors to project themselves through three different eras.

The remains of the southern quarter of the ancient city are visible first. A street lined with porticoes, town houses (domus), shops and a market (macellum) allow us to follow in the footsteps of the inhabitants of the colony founded by Caius Marius. These remains lie beneath those of the early Christian episcopal complex, consisting of the imposing basilica and a baptistery, built at the beginning of the 5th century. The mosaics that adorned the floors are now preserved and presented in the museum.

The archaeological park is dominated by the church of Santa Maria Assunta, known as A Canonica. Built at the beginning of the 12th century by the Pisan authority, it is one of the masterpieces of Romanesque architecture in Corsica. The remains of the episcopal palace, the residence of the bishops of Mariana, built shortly afterwards, deeply mark the archaeological site.