THE WORDS OF THE STONE

THE NEW LAPIDARYMUSEUM

The first nucleus of a collection of ancient inscriptions, coming mainly from the Alba Fucens area, was set up in 1861 in the atrium of the Court of Avezzano, which then occupied the premises of the former convent of San Francesco, in Piazza Castello.

In 1888, on the initiative of Orazio Mattei, Inspector of the excavations, monuments and antiquities, the collection was transformed in the civic museum with the name of Lapidary Museum and from that moment grew with materials also coming from S. Benedetto (ancient Marruvium) and from all the Marsica, thanks to the active interest of the Honorary Inspectors Ercole Canale Parola and Francesco Lolli.

After a long period of neglect following the earthquake of 1915, in 1935 the Museum was moved to basement of the new municipal building and the Inspector Honorary, Ing. Loreto Orlandi, took care of the reorganization and the enriched with new materials.

After the death of Eng. Orlandi, the Museum underwent a inexorable decline, despite the Secretary’s efforts Municipal Enrico Veri, about the impossibility of keeping it open and because it was housed in unsuitable premises.

He also suffered thefts, which deprived him of materials archaeological sites of merit. The problem was not solved not even with the move to another wing of the building municipal, which took place in 1998.

The birth in Avezzano of the new lapidary museum “The Words of the Stone”will finally allow one

full exploitation of this important heritage of memories.