The Archaeological Museum of Valle Sabbia represents, for the quantity and quality of the finds preserved, a unicum of absolute exceptionality for the province of Brescia and beyond, and is, among the museums in the valley, the one with the oldest foundation.
Housed in an ancient building annexed to the parish church, it preserves and exhibits the material evidence of human settlements that inhabited Valle Sabbia and the western Garda area from the Paleolithic to the Roman civilization.
It was born in 1956, on the initiative of a group of caving and archeology enthusiasts, including the master Piero Simoni from Gavardo. Starting with that of Buco del Frate in Prevalle, which brought to light, among others, the skeleton of the Ursus Spelaeus, the results of their important discoveries are now on display in the museum’s showcases.
On the ground floor there is the paleontological room, that illustrates the stages of the birth of living organisms, of which we have traces in the numerous fossils on display.
On the first floor we find other rooms that show the cultural stages of mankind in our area during the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages.
The room “Sala del Lucone di Polpenazze” houses the cast (i.e. a copy) of the wooden pirogue recovered in the 1970s by volunteers of Gruppo Grotte, in an area where there were fifty stilts.
Finally, in the room “Sala della necropoli di Lugone di Salò” the finds found in the necropolis of Salò are exhibited, including the famous terracotta bottle vase.
The group Gruppo Grotte of Gavardo, which founded it in 1956, still supports the management of the museum in conducing important excavation campaigns, such as the one at the pile-dwelling site of Lucone di Polpenazze, registered since 2011 in the World Heritage List.
The museum is also equipped with a photographic archive and a specialized library, which can be used upon agreement with the museum secretariat.

For years, the Archaeological Museum of Valle Sabbia has been in constant dialogue with the territory. In addition to the research conducted annually in the archaeological sites of the area, the museum is committed to the communication, education and enhancement of its rich heritage: it promotes exhibitions, thematic and periodical publications, as well as educational paths, including virtual ones, to let you know the itinerary.

To be constantly updated on the proposed initiatives, please refer to the website: www.museoarcheologicogavardo.it

info@museoarcheologicogavardo.it

Museo Archeologico della Valle Sabbia
Piazza San Bernardino, 5 – 25085 Gavardo (Brescia)
Tel. and Fax +39.0365.371474