Museo Archeologico di Ancona opens its storage to the public

Starting December 16, 2025, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Ancona (MAN Marche) opens its storage spaces to the public, revealing over 180,000 artifacts normally kept off display. The initiative, called 'depositi aperti,' transforms traditionally closed technical areas into accessible spaces, including for people with disabilities, and is the first such archaeological storage in the Marche region. The 'library of objects' under the vanvitelliana terrace houses about 90% of the museum's collections, organized by typology and topography. Galleries display mosaics, epigraphs, and amphorae from across the region. A study room welcomes scholars and researchers. A new restoration lab with advanced equipment has been set up, directly connected to conservation spaces. The itinerary includes a 'debris deposit' commemorating the museum's destruction during World War II and the recovered ex-via dell'Arsenale, a fragment of pre-war Ancona and the natural set for Luchino Visconti's film 'Ossessione.' The project integrates research, conservation, and historical narrative.