Anthropogeographical Museum (Amandola)

History of the Anthropogeographical Museum in Amandola

Until the 2016 earthquake the museum occupied rooms in the cloister of San Francesco. The cloister has two tiers of arches, supported by squat hexagonal columns. The same complex holds the Historical Archive, with parchments and old documents.

Next to the cloister stands the Chiesa di San Francesco, in a semi-Gothic style, which keeps a wooden Christ from the late 13th century.

What to see in the Anthropogeographical Museum

Scale models, interactive spaces and many photographs show the traditions, customs and work that for centuries supported the people living in the Sibillini. Images and texts guide visitors through the habitats, flora, fauna, legends, art, history and folk culture.

The museum offers two readings of the area. The "landscape of biological diversity" describes geological formations, plant communities and animal life. The "human landscape" follows the marks left by work and settlement, from the Roman era through monasticism to contemporary patterns. The reconstructions of human activities are carefully made.

A giant book on a lectern introduces the world of the Sibyl through literature. Its pages feature Antoine de La Sale, who climbed to the Grotta della Sibilla in 1420, and the Guerin Meschino, a hero created in 1410 by Andrea da Barberino.

Visiting the Anthropogeographical Museum

Contact details are in the information box on this page. Hours can change, so it is best to check that the museum is open before setting out.

The route is designed as an introduction: first the exhibits, then outside to read the landscape directly in the field.

Where the Anthropogeographical Museum is located

The museum is in Amandola, on the eastern slopes of the Sibillini, at about 500 m above sea level, above the Tenna valley. Today it is housed in the former Collegiata, in the historic center.

Around the Anthropogeographical Museum in Amandola

From the museum, continue toward the historic Teatro La Fenice. A little farther on is the Torrione del Podestà, the tower that overlooks Piazza Alta, the town's old main square. From here the viewpoint opens onto the eastern side of the Sibillini.

You can then walk down to Porta San Giacomo, a town gate with Ghibelline battlements, and reach the convent of San Bernardino, built in 1540. Other museums in the area are on the page about museums in the Sibillini Mountains.