The Museum of the Castle and Medieval Ceramics in Piombino is housed in the city’s medieval castle, overlooking the sea that surrounds the Isola d’Elba: the museum is home to over 600 pieces of medieval ceramics, dating to the 13th century and found in an archeological dig in the apse of the Church of Sant’Antimo sopra i Canali.
The period of the ceramics on display, including the first half of the 13th century, their origin and their type – ancient majolica made in Pisa, ceramics produced in Savona and imported ceramics coming from various parts of the Mediterranean – make this one of the most important findings in Italy in the field of medieval ceramics.
The museum guides visitors on a discovery not only of medieval Piombino, but also of the Castle, with its long and complex history that began in 1110.
A section is dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci and the designs he made during his two stays in Piombino, but visitors can also admire the zoomorphic heads coming from the Fonte ai Canali, which were moved to the museum after being restored.
