Civic Museum of Montefalcone di Val Fortore

The Civic Museum of Montefalcone di Val Fortore is a regional museum distinguished by the exceptional scientific and educational value of its collections, standing as one of the most significant cultural hubs in the inland areas of the Sannio. Inaugurated in 2004 and recognised by the Campania Region in 2008 as a "Regional Museum of Interest", the museum develops a multidisciplinary exhibition route that combines palaeontology, archaeology and anthropology in a single narrative devoted to the evolution of the Earth and humankind.

The museum's most important core is the palaeontology section, which preserves thousands of fossils collected over decades by Professor Luigi Capasso, an anthropologist and palaeopathologist of international renown. The collection comprises specimens from different geological eras, with examples of great scientific and educational interest: ammonites, fossil fish, prehistoric marine organisms and numerous items linked to the famous Pietraroja deposit, known worldwide for the discovery of Scipionyx samniticus, the famous "Ciro", the first dinosaur found in Italy in an exceptional state of preservation.

The archaeology section reconstructs the ancient history of the Montefalcone territory through finds recovered during excavation campaigns carried out in the Palazzo area and the historic centre. Archaic ceramics, medieval fragments, utensils and materials from ancient settlements make it possible to follow the evolution of the village from antiquity to the Middle Ages, offering a concrete historical reading of settlement continuity in the Fortore.

Particularly original is also the section devoted to human evolution, which features reproductions of hominid skulls, palaeoanthropological reconstructions and a reproduction of a burial found at San Luca, considered one of the earliest evidences of human presence in the Montefalcone area. Thanks to the quality of the collections, the educational approach and the variety of preserved artefacts, the Civic Museum today represents a unique cultural stronghold in the landscape of inland Campania.