The Castle Mammoth

Extraordinary openings

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From July 1st to September 3rd, 2023
L’AQUILA, SIXTEENTH-CENTURY CASTLE

With last year’s record numbers (+800%) and this year’s spring attendance, which placed the National Museum of Abruzzo among the 15 most visited museums in Italy on Easter Monday, the “Castle Mammoth” confirms its position as a major attraction in the cultural and tourist heritage, not only in the region.

The exceptional skeleton of Mammuthus meridionalis is one of the largest and most complete mammoth fossil skeletons in all of Europe: the “Castle Mammoth,” so called because it is preserved in the East Bastion of the Sixteenth-Century Castle, was discovered in 1954 in Madonna della Strada, near Scoppito (L’Aquila). Since 1960, the majestic fortress, built during the Spanish rule over the city of L’Aquila, has housed this impressive specimen. The historic home of the Museum, the Castle is currently closed to the public for restoration work following the 2009 earthquake.

Responding to the constant demand for visits is a priority that cannot be postponed. This consolidates the fossil’s centrality within the international scientific landscape and allows even those approaching the imposing fossil out of simple curiosity to admire a precious testimony dating back 1,300,000 years.

The Mammoth’s special openings will therefore be repeated starting in July, following a more extensive schedule than in previous years, with the month of August being completely open.

The Mammoth ticket also includes access to the MuNDA headquarters in the former slaughterhouse, opposite the 99 spouts, until September 3rd.

A double opportunity to see the exhibition “The Master of Campo di Giove. Recomposing a Masterpiece,” curated by Federica Zalabra and Cristiana Pasqualetti, which features a unique display with virtual devices, educational panels, tactile panels, and QR codes for in-depth thematic explorations. For the first time, the heritage illegally stolen from Campo di Giove 121 years ago is on display, a reassembly made possible by the synchronous and joint efforts of various protagonists, which has led to the recovery of the 14th-century tablets, the largest narrative cycle dedicated to the Saint.

Calendar

Mammut Opening Hours – 16th Century Castle

9:30 AM – 7:30 PM (ticket office closes at 7:00 PM)

July:
1st and 2nd; 8th and 9th; 15th and 16th; 22nd and 23rd; 29 and 30 (every Saturday and Sunday)

August:
Every day except Monday, the 7th and 21st
From August 23rd to 27th, on the occasion of the Perdonanza (Forgiveness), there will be evening openings until 11:00 PM (last admission 10:30 PM)

September:
1, 2, and 3