Museo Archeologico Regionale Antonino Salinas

The Museo Archeologico Regionale Antonino Salinas is Sicily's principal archaeological museum, located at Via Bara all'Olivella 24 in the Politeama district of Palermo, about five minutes' walk from Teatro Massimo. The collection occupies a former convent of the Oratorian fathers, and its cloister, with a central garden and fountain, provides a calm setting for the displays. The museum is named after the archaeologist Antonino Salinas and holds finds from across Sicily, from prehistoric times through the Phoenician, Greek and Roman periods. Its best-known holdings are the metopes from the temples at Selinunte, carved stone panels showing mythological scenes such as Perseus and Medusa and Hera and Zeus. Another famous piece is the Palermo Stone, a fragment of an Egyptian royal annal in black basalt that records early pharaohs. Visitors also see Phoenician sarcophagi, Greek ceramics, the Gorgon pediment from Selinunte, and bronze rams from Syracuse among other objects. Rooms are arranged around the cloister and on upper floors, so a visit follows a loose chronological route. A typical visit takes one to one and a half hours, though serious archaeology enthusiasts may stay longer. Weekday mornings are generally calm, with school groups the most likely crowd. Admission is about EUR 6, reduced about EUR 3, and under-18s from the EU enter free; regional museums sometimes offer free entry on the first Sunday of the month, which should be confirmed. The museum is closed on Mondays. Photography rules vary by room, so signs should be followed. The cloister garden is a pleasant spot to pause, and the central location makes the museum an easy pairing with Quattro Canti and the theatre district. Visitors who read labels in advance will get more from the Selinunte rooms, where the sculptural quality is the highlight of the visit.