Two stone busts and a cylindrical object with Latin inscription, displayed on pedestals with captions
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Antiquarium of Casale San Fulgenzio – Otricoli

To delve deeper into the richness of the Archaeological Area of Ocriculum, an important Roman city that once stood on the banks of the Tiber River near Terni, an unmissable stop is the Antiquarium of Casale San Fulgenzio, located along the path connecting the Roman city to the Porto dell’Olio (Oil Port).

The building stands atop an ancient Roman cistern, still visible on the ground floor: an imposing space (29 x 4.3 m, 4.25 m high) with a barrel vault and opus reticulatum walls coated in mortar.

Named after the nearby early Christian church of San Fulgenzio, the museum houses artefacts from the Otricoli area across two levels, many of which were unearthed starting in the 20th century.

On the ground floor are pre-Roman artefacts, including valuable funerary goods (7th–6th century BC) from local necropolises that shed light on the region’s earliest history. The upper floor, however, holds the most significant part of the collection, with numerous finds from the archaeological area.

Exhibition space of an archaeological museum with display cases containing artifacts, a statue at the end of the room

Antiquarium Casale San Fulgenzio

Two stone busts and a cylindrical object with Latin inscription, displayed on pedestals with labels

Portraits and pondus lignarium – Antiquarium Casale San Fulgenzio

Fragments of decorated terracotta with human figures, displayed on a black perforated wall in an archaeological museum

Architectural terracottas - Antiquarium Casale San Fulgenzio

Echoes of ancient Ocriculum: everyday objects life and “deceptive” weights

The upper floor focuses on Roman Ocriculum, with artefacts illustrating everyday life, craftsmanship, and trade:

  • Tableware ceramics, including black-glazed pottery and Italian “terra sigillata” (with its typical bright red hue), similar to those produced in the famous workshops of Scoppieto;
  • Bricks and tiles, some bearing the maker’s stamp - a clear sign of local manufacturing;
  • Architectural elements in stone and terracotta, including sculptures and decorative pieces from city buildings;
  • Male portraits in travertine and marble from the late Republican era, some originally part of funerary monuments along the Via Flaminia;
  • Pondus lignarium: this stone weight, found at the Porto dell’Olio, bears the inscription "150 pounds" (about 50 kg). Curiously, however, its actual weight does not match the stated value—an intriguing mystery that may be due to manufacturing error... or perhaps an attempt at fraud dating back to Roman times!

For more information, visit the website of the Ocriculum Archaeological Park.

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Main attractions in the vicinity