Museo Archeologico Paolo Giovio (Paolo Giovio Archaeological Museum), Como

Just like its neighbor, the Paolo Giovio Archeological Museum collects pieces of legacy, but with a different twist. Since 1894, the exhibits have lived in the Giovio Palace, once home to one of Como鈥檚 most prominent families. The building itself carries centuries of history in its stones: medieval roots reshaped in the 16th century by Benedetto Giovio, then touched up again in the 18th with grand windows, a new stairway, and even a garden shrine. An elevated walkway links it with the Olginati Palace next door, tying two civic museums together under one cultural roofline.

The palace doesn鈥檛 hide its Renaissance flair either. Inside, frescoes line the halls鈥擱odriguez in the Perrone Hall, Coduri in the Barelli Hall, Ronchelli in the aptly named Hall of the Wedding鈥攅ach room still wearing its painted finery. Over the 20th century, the museum grew into a cultural crossroads: first with a Historical Museum in 1932, later an Art Gallery in 1989.

But the real draw? The timeline it unfolds. From prehistoric tools found around Lake Como to mosaics, inscriptions, and ceramics from the Roman colony of Novum Comum, the galleries let you piece together daily life in the city across two millennia. Add Lombard relics, medieval finds, and a trove of Egyptian, Greek, and Great Greece (meaning a group of ancient Greek cities along the coast of southern Italy) artifacts, and you鈥檝e got a museum that stretches far beyond Como鈥檚 own borders.

Panels update the story with each new excavation, while a library waits for those who want to dive even deeper. For travelers, the reward is twofold: the thrill of ancient history and the atmosphere of a Renaissance palace, sitting quietly in the middle of Como鈥檚 old town.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Como. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Museo Archeologico Paolo Giovio (Paolo Giovio Archaeological Museum)
Sight Location: Como, Italy (See walking tours in Como)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Como Introduction Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Como, Italy

Create Your Own Walk in Como

Creating your own self-guided walk in Como is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Como Lakeshore Walking Tour

English novelist Mary Shelley declared visitors to Italy are in danger of becoming: "enjoyers of the beauties of nature, the elegance of art, the delights of climate, the recollections of the past, and the pleasures of society." All this she found on the shores of Lake Como. From Roman writer Pliny the Younger onward, visitors and natives of Como would have agreed.

The alpine lake is... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles

Como Introduction Walking Tour

The Roman writer Pliny the Younger once wrote to his friend, 鈥淲hat is the news from Como, mine and your delight?鈥� Como is a place of palaces, churches, gardens, temples, museums, and parks. Its nearness to the spectacular Lake Como and the Swiss and Italian Alps has made the area a traveler鈥檚 delight from the time of Pliny the Younger to the present day.

Pliny wasn鈥檛 its first fan,... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles

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