Giuseppe Andreassi National Archaeological Museum and Archaeological Park of Egnazia
The National Archaeological Museum of Egnazia, named after archaeologist Giuseppe Andreassi, preserves finds from the ancient city of Egnazia (Gnathia) on the Adriatic coast of Apulia. Together with the adjoining archaeological park, it documents a settlement occupied continuously from the Middle Bronze Age through the Byzantine period, renowned for its distinctive Gnathian pottery and its position on the Via Traiana.
At a glance
- Type
- National archaeological museum and open-air archaeological park
- Period
- Site occupied from Middle Bronze Age (c. 1400 BC) through Byzantine era; museum opened 1978, expanded subsequently
- Style
- Modern museum building integrated into ancient Messapian and Roman remains
- Location
- Contrada Agnuli, 72010 Fasano (BR), Apulia, Italy
- Coordinates
- 40.8859° N, 17.3870° E
Overview
Egnazia was a Messapian city on the Adriatic coast, strategically located where the Via Traiana — the southern branch of the Appian Way — met the sea. The site achieved its greatest prosperity during the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial periods, when it served as both a commercial harbour and a waystation for travellers crossing to Greece. Today the museum and park together form one of the most significant archaeological complexes in Apulia, managed by the Italian Ministry of Culture.
History
The settlement at Egnazia dates to the Middle Bronze Age, with evidence of Mycenaean trade contacts in the second millennium BC. It became a major Messapian urban centre by the fourth century BC, when its craftsmen developed the characteristic black-gloss Gnathian ware decorated with painted floral and figured motifs. After the Social War (91–88 BC) the city was granted Roman citizenship and rebuilt with a forum, basilica, amphitheatre and public baths. Decline set in during late antiquity, and the city was finally abandoned in the early medieval period after repeated raids. Systematic archaeological excavation began in the nineteenth century and has continued to the present day.
What you see
The museum galleries display Gnathian pottery, bronze objects, terracotta figurines, jewellery and coins spanning more than two millennia of occupation. Architectural models reconstruct the ancient city at its Roman Imperial peak. In the open-air park, visitors walk among the excavated remains of the forum, a Christian basilica with polychrome mosaic floors, sections of the city walls in opus quadratum, rock-cut tombs, and stretches of the original Via Traiana paving. Panoramic views across the Adriatic complete the experience.
Cultural significance
Egnazia is the type site for Gnathian pottery, one of the most widely exported ceramic wares of the Hellenistic Mediterranean, found from Spain to the Black Sea. The park is also one of the rare places in Italy where visitors can walk on an authenticated stretch of ancient Roman road surface. Together, these attributes give the site national and international importance for the study of Messapian civilisation and Roman-era Apulia.
Practical information
- Address
- Contrada Agnuli, 72010 Fasano (BR), Apulia, Italy
- Hours
- Check the official website or contact the museum directly for current opening times and admission prices
- Admission
- Check official website
- Contact
- Managed by the Polo Museale della Puglia, Italian Ministry of Culture
Getting there
The site lies on the coastal road between Fasano and Torre Canne (SP16), approximately 5 km from Fasano town centre. By car from Brindisi: take the SS16 north approximately 40 km. By public transport: trains stop at Fasano station (Ferrovie del Sud-Est line); from there, a taxi or local bus service is required for the final stretch to the site. There is a car park at the entrance to the archaeological park.