Maffei Museum, Verona

The Maffeian Lapidary Museum, founded in the first half of the eighteenth century by the Veronese scholar Scipione Maffei, is one of the oldest public museum institutions in Europe, located in the heart of Verona's historic center, within the city walls, overlooking Piazza Bra and within walking distance of the Arena of Verona.

It was born out of the long and passionate work of Maffei, who collected hundreds of inscriptions and entrusted the architect and painter Alessandro Pompei with the building of a suitable place for the exhibition and preservation of the artifacts, as he was convinced of the importance of freely sharing knowledge with the public, so much so that he decided to call this institution Museum Veronense, or "museum of the city of Verona." Given its importance, it became one of the obligatory stops on the Grand Tour, which saw many foreign tourists from northern Europe visit Italy to gain a more direct knowledge of ancient art.