Mariana Archaeological Museum

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

The collections resulting from archaeological excavations carried out in Mariana over the last 50 years are presented along a chronological and thematic path, spanning Protohistory, Antiquity, the beginnings of Christianity and ending with the end of the Middle Ages. At the heart of the exhibition is Mariana's integration into trade networks and its island and Mediterranean environment, supported by collections of the highest quality. Ceramic crockery, glassware, jewellery, sculpted marble, mosaics, coins and other objects of daily life are accompanied by models and interactive digital devices, making it easier to understand these testimonies to the past.

The archaeological park

The museum is directly linked to the Mariana archaeological park, nestled in the heart of the exceptional natural landscape of La Marana. A window onto 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 can first be seen here. 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, comprising an imposing basilica and baptistery, built at the dawn of the 5th century AD.^e century. The mosaics that adorned the floors are now preserved and on display in the museum.

The archaeological park is dominated by the church of Santa Maria Assunta, known as A Canonica. Built at the dawn of the XII^e Built in the 16th century by the Pisans, 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, leave their mark on the archaeological site.