museo faggiano lecce

Certainly this trip to Italy has had some interesting moments and one such was yesterday at the Faggiano Museum in Lecce, a brilliant, small museum, totally unlike any as I've ever seen before and fascinating as it was by chance that it's long history was discovered not too many years ago when some remodeling was done that led to significant discoveries dating the house's origins back 2000 years. [It came to my attention as a result of its being prominently praised on TripAdvisor.com as a place not to be missed. I agree.] In this photo collection from the museum's site: http://www.museofaggiano.it/fotogallery.html, look for the light that is suspended over the top of a long hole into the ground. It's there on the first page of photos. You won't have to go trolling. It's quite obvious. That is a picture of a "dead drier". That is to say, it was used to dry the dead. NOTE: English speakers, if you do not speak Italian, do not worry. You will be provided a "paint by the numbers" pamphlet with English so you can wonder your way through. CAUTION: There are several levels to the display. You will need climb and descend and if you have small children with you, this is not a good site to visit with children, in my opinion. You may worry more about their safety and whereabouts and unable to relax and enjoy this site. If you are elderly and unsure of your footing, similarly, use caution. Returning to the "dead dryer", it was a ghoulish thought but practical wisdom was in play at a time so many centuries back when this property was actually a nunnery at some period in its 2000 years of history. On the death of a nun, she would be suspended upside down, and lowered deep into the shaft, blood drained from her body into a little stream below. In summary, this was a fascinating find, totally unexpected, and just goes to show why TripAdvisor's contributors offer insights normally many of us would miss. Certainly I would have missed this one but for TripAdvisor.

A very charming and quirky little museum. Parts of this old building have been conserved in order to expose a very interesting history of not just the building itself but also of the site upon which the current building is standing. A very charming and helpful lady greeted me and though we didn't speak the same language she was very enthusiastic in guiding me to some of the features. The entrance fee was very low, just a couple of euros.

This is one of the very interesting sites of Puglia. Evidence of Cellar Rooms, silos, granary, tombs, gravesand underground walkways, recovered during the restoration.

2,000 years of history in what looks like a normal Lecce house. This family run museum shows the ruins of a convent that was only discovered when renovations to the house were undertaken. Well worth a visit.

We were astonished at the amount of work that went into developing and maintaining this museum and we would suggest that it is a wonderful discovery for those visiting Lecce. The ladies who greeted us are the widow and daughter of one of the early assistants who helped excavate the astonishing underground caverns, cisterns, and ancient spaces. They were most helpful to us in directing us and answering questions and the pride they have in this building and in their husband and father is evident, charming and real. Some have referred to this museum as an “archeological freak show”, but that insults the people who have gone to remarkable lengths to uncover this work and share it with visitors. It also insults those who have visited and enjoyed it. This is an hour or two well spent, and we encourage people to visit. There is a small fee of 3 euros to enter. Physically handicapped visitors will have difficulty due to the stairs and narrow passages.

An unexpected and unusual place to visit. Hidden behind an ordinary looking house front is a treasure trove of archeological findsWell worth a visit, and not like any other museum that I have seen.

It's a great stop. I didn't think much of it but once I walked it, you would be provided a little notebook explaining what all the spots are and what different rooms are used for. One was used for drying the bodies....apparently, the nun would hang a dead body and let the blood drip until it's all dried up and then bury it. Hmm, very graphic. But definitely a nice stop.

I was in Lecce for just one night and wandered around the old part of Lecce photographing the buildings and alleyways. I was thrilled to stumble onto this incredible archaeological museum. The family was very inviting and the multiple levels of ancient history were well documented in English. What a discovery while the morning organized tour of our group knew nothing of it. Put it high on your list!

This museum is so interesting and is a must if you are in Lecce. There is no charge but you will want to leave a donation as it is such an fascinating building.

This family run museum is a great discovery. Millenary strata of history can be found and it was an amazing experience to do. Highly recommended

We passed the museum several times without entering. Luckily we met the son of the owner and he told us the story of how the museum came about, and we immediately went and loved the place. The Museo Faggiano is unique and don't miss it!

Extremely interesting museum; competent, helpful and friendly owners. Suitable for children. Really enjoyable visit, definitely a must when in Lecce.

I read about this museum online and thought that it sounded really interesting but unless you know a bunch about the history and/or about architecture you find that you expected to see more inside. The rooftop is cool but I wouldn't say the best view in the city unless you like to see a lot of roofs and antennas.

The Museo Faggiano is a private exhibition inside a home whose owner had to dig under his house for repairs one day, and discovered an amazing wealth of hallways, cisterns, and pottery shards in what was once a convent. Two scientific (presumably) researchers helped to restore the place and create a sort of archaeological freak show. You are able to descend a few floors into the earth, where you will see places where the nuns interred bodies, squeezed the blood out of decaying corpses, and buried the bones. You can go upstairs, too, to see some of the rooms where the nuns lived, though the decoration is completely inauthentic, from imitation prehistoric statues and a statue imitating Boticelli’s Venus to contemporary papier mache. Some of the latter you will find in the form of random saints stocked in a room at the top of the stairs leading to the roof. We did not expect this, and so real were the figures that discovering them produced quite a scare. At the very top you can reach a look out and see the surrounding roof tops. The view makes you appreciate the Mediterranean character of Lecce, except that there are no minarets you might be looking out at a casbah. The exhibition is quite amusing, but that this is ranked on Tripadvisor as Puglia’s top museum is a bit of an insult, though I am not sure who it slights most: Puglia, museums, or people who post on Tripadvisor.

Incredible--could have spent all day there. An old family house that uncovered layers of ruins that will amaze you. You can wander around to your heart's content and keep finding new things to look at. Hidden away in a "residential" area but well worth the search.