Opened in 1899, the State Museum was located in the Valloni Palace; since 2001 it has been housed in another ancient building in the historic center, Palazzo Pergami Belluzzi. To date, almost 5,000 pieces are on display in its rooms, including works of art, artifacts, paintings and objects, many of which originated in San Marino and relate to its history.
The museum preserves archaeological finds from the Neolithic to the Early Middle Ages (famous are the votive bronzes from the “Tanaccia” and the gold stud from the “Treasure of Domagnano”), paintings and sculptures by Guercino, seventeenth-century paintings and ancient San Marino coins (1865-1938), as well as ancient Egyptian, Etruscan and Roman artifacts.
A rich and varied collection, both in terms of the historical periods involved and the type of objects, obtained mainly through donations from all parts of the world.
The main promoter of the museum collection was the Italian Count Luigi Cibrario, minister of the Kingdom of Italy and advisor to the San Marino government since 1862. The Count himself was the Titan’s first donor: ancient bibliographic artifacts owned by him enriched the government library. Many other important pieces came, following the Count’s example, from men of culture and involved with Italian politics. In fact at that time San Marino, the oldest Republic in the world, represented an emblem of the Italian Resurgence and with their donations these people wanted to show their admiration and support for the Republic.
The Museum is organized on three levels:
- Ground floor: there are the works received as donations
- First floor: archaeological finds from the territory of San Marino and numismatics
- Second floor: works of art related to the history and myth of the Republic are on display
On display in the Museum are:
- Archaeological finds, from the Neolithic to the High Middle Ages found in San Marino territory
- Architectural remains of the ancient Pieve of San Marino, with the sixteenth-century polyptych by Francesco Menzocchi
- Paintings and objects from the seventeenth-century Monastery of Santa Chiara of the Clarisse nuns
- Works of art from the Republic, with paintings and sculptures by Guercino, Pompeo Batoni, Elisabetta Sirani, Stefano Galletti and others.
- Antique San Marino coins and medals (1865-1938).
- Egyptian, Etruscan and Roman archaeological finds from donations.
- Art objects and paintings of various provenance and periods, with masterpieces by Michele Giambono, Baccio Bandinelli, Tiburzio Passerotti, Bernardo Strozzi.
State Museum (Pergami Belluzzi Palace)
Piazzetta del Titano, 1 – San Marino City
Tel. +378 0549-883835
www.museidistato.sm
museo@pa.sm
On the official website you can purchase the different types of tickets.
