Michele Janora Civic Museum, Irsina

The «Michele Janora» Civic Museum, an archaeological museum of the Lucanian territory, is housed in the former convent of San Francesco, in the historic centre of Irsina. It is named after Irsina historian Michele Janora.

The collections

The museum holds over 1,600 finds, mainly from tombs in eastern Basilicata and north-western Puglia. Around 300 are displayed in six rooms, along a route from prehistory to the Hellenistic age:

• Ceramics in geometric, red-figure and black-gloss styles.
• Weapons and ornaments in bronze and iron.

Useful information

• No booking is needed, but opening times may change, so it is best to call ahead.
• In the same complex is the crypt of San Francesco, with 14th-century frescoes.
• The town’s associations also organise visits to the Bottini, the ancient water tunnels.