The Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Ferrara is an archaeological museum in Ferrara, housed in the historic Palazzo Costabili. Its collections tell the story of Spina, an ancient Etruscan port, through objects from the city and its necropolis.
- Location: Palazzo Costabili, Via XX Settembre 122, Ferrara.
- Usual opening pattern: Tuesday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; closed Mondays.
- Ticket basics: Full-price admission is listed at €6; reduced prices differ between official listings.
- Visit length: A Ferrara tourism-board group-visit catalogue gives a maximum visit duration of 2 hours.
What the museum is known for
The museum is known for archaeological finds from Spina, a trading port that flourished from the 6th to the 3rd century BCE. It opened in 1935 and occupies Palazzo Costabili, also known as Palazzo di Ludovico il Moro.
The palace at Via XX Settembre 122 gives the collections a historic setting. The museum’s ground floor includes the Sala del Tesoro, with a fresco attributed to Garofalo, as well as the palace’s neo-Renaissance garden.
What are the collection highlights?
The displays move from the settlement and daily life of Spina to finds from its necropolis. On the ground floor, exhibits cover the settlement, religion and writing; the main floor presents grave goods.
Look for Attic black-figure and red-figure pottery, alongside jewelry made from gold, silver, amber and glass paste. Bronze objects are another highlight. Together, these finds reflect the range of materials and objects associated with the ancient port.
What are the opening hours and ticket prices?
The museum’s usual hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with Monday closure. It is normally closed on January 1, May 1 and December 25. The ticket office and last admission close 30 minutes before the museum closes.
The regional museum listing gives full-price admission as €6 and a reduced ticket of €3 for visitors aged 18–25. The Italian-language Museums of Ferrara listing gives €6 full price, €2 reduced for EU citizens aged 18–25, and €1 for garden-only admission.
The regional listing also gives free entry for visitors under 18 and on the first Sunday of each month from October through March, as well as on April 23, December 26–29 and August 14–15.
Hours, admission and free-entry arrangements can change. Check the official site before you go.
How do you get from Milano Marittima to Ferrara?
Ferrara is the museum’s city, but the available regional train notice does not establish a complete journey from Cervia or Milano Marittima. It covers a Ravenna–Ferrara service only, so it is not enough to confirm a practical day-trip itinerary from Milano Marittima.
If you need to plan the local leg to the station, the guide to how to get from Cervia-Milano Marittima station to town covers that connection. Check current routes with the relevant transport operators before planning your journey.
How can you plan the rest of a museum day?
Allow room in your schedule for the museum’s two floors and garden. The visit-duration figure in Ferrara’s group-visit catalogue is a maximum of 2 hours, which gives you a reference point when arranging the day.
For the local portion of your itinerary, what to know about Milano Marittima can help you plan around the town. Access information can also help you plan your route through the building. Ferrara’s tourism board describes an elevator-accessible entrance to the ground-floor rooms and ticket office, plus an elevator to the main floor.
There is a 4 cm step at the entrance to the monossil craft room. Accessible toilets are on the ground floor of the west wing, and a visitor route for people with visual impairments includes raised images, Braille texts and a tactile bench.
FAQs
Where is the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Ferrara?
It is in Palazzo Costabili, also called Palazzo di Ludovico il Moro, at Via XX Settembre 122 in Ferrara.
What was Spina?
Spina was an important ancient port and trading center that flourished from the 6th to the 3rd century BCE. The museum’s collections focus on finds from the city.
Is the museum accessible?
The museum has elevator access to its ground-floor rooms and ticket office, and to the main floor. The visitor route for people with visual impairments includes raised images, Braille texts and a tactile bench.