Museo Claudio Faina

The collection originated with Count Mauro Faina, who began acquiring antiquities in 1864 and continued until his death in 1868. An oral tradition holds that the initial nucleus came from 34 ancient vases donated by Princess Maria Bonaparte, daughter of Lucien Bonaparte, which had been discovered in the necropolis of Vulci. Mauro expanded the collection through purchases on the antiquities market and acquired a numismatic collection of three thousand ancient coins. His heir, Eugenio Faina, shifted strategy to favor acquisitions from local excavations around Orvieto, including finds from the necropolis of Crocifisso del Tufo. The collections were initially housed in the family's palace in Perugia. Between 1855 and 1856, Count Claudio Faina Senior purchased the medieval Palazzo Faina, formerly belonging to the Monaldeschi family, and commissioned its renovation. The piano nobile was frescoed by Annibale Angelini and his workshop from 1865 to 1866 in a neo-Cinquecento and neo-Baroque style fashionable in late 19th-century Rome. The collections remained privately held until the 1950s. In 1954, Claudio Faina Junior bequeathed all properties to the Municipality of Orvieto to establish and finance the museum foundation. The building became the official museum seat in 1954, and the Fondazione per il Museo Claudio Faina was formally instituted in 1957 to protect and promote the collection.

The museum's holdings span Etruscan, Greek, and Roman material, with particular depth in ceramics, bronzes, jewelry, and numismatics. The collection traces its formation from the original 19th-century nucleus assembled according to the collecting practices of the era, through Eugenio Faina's more regionally focused acquisitions, to later enrichment with civic collections. The exhibition arrangement deliberately illustrates this gathering process. The first two floors display archaeological finds in stone, while the upper floor concentrates on ancient ceramics from Greek, Etruscan, and Roman periods. Etruscan ceramic holdings include characteristic black-gloss bucchero vessels and silvered terracotta wares, alongside Attic vases with black-figure and red-figure decoration from the 6th-5th centuries B.C. The museum also preserves prehistoric and protostoric materials, votive bronze statues, funerary assemblages, and a substantial coin cabinet. The ground floor incorporates more recent finds from the Civic Museum, including material from the Etruscan sanctuary of Cannicella and the temple of Belvedere.

The Palazzo Faina stands in Piazza Duomo at number 29, directly facing the cathedral. The building originated as a medieval structure belonging to the Monaldeschi family, subsequently remodeled in the 16th and 17th centuries. The 19th-century transformation was directed by Count Claudio Faina Senior, father of Eugenio, who engaged craftsmen active at the Teatro Mancinelli and other noble residences in Orvieto. The tempera decorations of the piano nobile, executed between 1865 and 1866, have been attributed to the Perugian painter Annibale Angelini and his workshop. The central hall features the Carta di Francia, 19th-century wallpaper produced in papermills active between Umbria and the Marche, depicting expansive landscapes with pastoral scenes. The Fondazione now makes the palace's free rooms available for exhibitions by young artists graduated with honors from fine arts academies, and the rooms may be rented for events including weddings.

The museum is located at Piazza Duomo 29, 05018 Orvieto, in the province of Terni. It operates on a seasonal schedule: from April 1 to September 30, hours are 9:30 to 18:00; from October 1 to March 31, 10:00 to extrait: 17:00. Last admission is at 17:30 or 16:30 respectively. The museum closes December 25-26 and January 1. General admission is €7; reduced admission is €5. Free admission for children 0-6 years applies. Tickets may be purchased online. A combined ticket with the Orvieto Cathedral Cathedral offers museum entry for €3 above the standard cathedral ticket; free cathedral tickets always include museum admission. The building is a historic structure with potential stairs and uneven surfaces; visitors requiring step-free access should contact the museum in advance.