AGRIGENTO

CIVIC MUSEUM " Santo Spirito "

VIA Santo Spirito TEL. 0922590371 - 0922401450 VISITING HOURS: Mon to Sat: 9 am -1 pm; Tue-Thu: 3,30 pm - 6,30 pm; FREE ADMISSION
ROOMS
1) Natura è Spettacolo 2) Archeologia	3) Stanza della Badessa 4) Etno-antropologia

The museum is in piazza Municipio, but because of works of restoration it has been transferred in a wonderful building from 1299, Santo Spirito Abbey, were one can admire some beautiful frescoes on its walls.
The museum is arranged on two floors, joined by a long flight of steps where are placed various photos, with explanation notes, which illustrate Agrigento and its monuments. Many of them furnish documentary evidence for the ancient historic center.
The first floor has nice eneolithic facies vases from western Castellucciano culture and other vases coming from different necropolis in the western territory of Agrigento.
We can see, exposed in glass show-cases, besides wares from various epochs, fragments of ware from the Arabian hamlet "Steri" (about xi century).
Noteworthy is the beautiful marble crucifix found in a destroyed church. Another wood crucifix, from '700, is in so-said Abbess' room, where there are also statues of saints among which there is Saint Spiridione, protector of lost objects.
In the room there are some Roman anphoras and some busts, among which there is Zeus'. In show-cases there are traditional costumes coming from all over the world and Agrigento' s brotherhood costumes.
In the immense saloon, always on the first floor, there is the section "Nature is Spectacle", where it is possible to observe wonderful specimens of shells, some from the island of Guadalupe (Pacific Ocean) and from Antilles Sea. The collection also includes insects of different families coming from all over the world, and very beautiful butterflies, some very rare as Morpho Aega, (Brazil).
During occasional shows the section "Nature is Spectacle" is moved to the ground-floor, in the refectory, near the little chapel saving a charming crib finished in 1991.
The crib is trimmed in all particulars, has 8000 hand-made tiles and has also statues from Caltagirone, its structure is like Agrigento' s.
Going to the 2nd floor there is the ethno-anthropological section, where it is possible to look at farmer civilization, ancient toys, musical instruments and some suggestive copies of temples.
There is also a photographic section which contains thousands of beginning-century photos. Through the photos is possible compare monuments and churches as they were before and after their restoration.
Other section is about cartography and toponymy.
A sign must be given to the painting section which contains the Ancient Art picture-gallery and the Gallery Sinatra.
Unfortunately it is not possible, at the moment, to look at the paintings because of their restoration.
We wish they come back as soon as possible to adorn this precious museum.