Civic Archaeological Museum Camaiore CMAC

The Civic Archaeological Museum of Camaiore, reopened in 2016 after a long renovation, functional adaptation and installation work, aims to enhance the numerous archaeological and historical testimonies of this territory, which document a settlement continuity from Prehistory to the Renaissance up to the proto-industrial age.
In particular, there are numerous prehistoric finds from the Paleolithic and Neolithic from Grotta all'Onda, from the metal age from numerous caves, including Buca del Corno and from the settlement of Ripari di Candalla. There are numerous testimonies from the Etruscan period and the Ligurian-Apuan period and for the Roman period, materials from the Acquarella oil press plant are on display.
The medieval and Renaissance period is represented by the artefacts coming from the numerous castles, in particular that of Montecastrese, and by the Renaissance ceramics found in the historical centre.
The didactic approach of the exhibition allows every type of visitor to be emotionally and actively involved, thanks to the use of: tactile stations, which allow you to actually touch numerous reproductions of archaeological materials, allowing a more direct contact with archaeology; experimental stations, which allow further interactions with the materials on display through the 'experimentation' of some techniques used by man; sound and olfactory stations, which allow you to immerse yourself fully in the historical and archaeological realities told by the Museum; experimental archaeology films dedicated to the ancient techniques of working materials; animations regarding some archaeological structures museumized within the exhibition route; digital storytelling and video stories of the main archaeological sites in the area. The route, organized in 14 rooms, is located on the mezzanine floor and in the basement of Palazzo Tori Massoni, a historic Renaissance building located between via Vittorio Emanuele (via di mezzo) and Piazza Francigena.
The archaeological investigations carried out in 2009 during the restoration work on the basement revealed the presence of three medieval dwellings, of which a portion of the restored wall remains visible along the route, associated with medieval and Renaissance finds exhibited in the display cases of the rooms dedicated to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.