Civic Museum

The Civic Museum of Argenta is located in the church of San Domenico

The building is a great example of 15th century architecture, with rough, brick walls inspired by architect Biagio Rossetti's models. The bell tower with its steeple made of polychrome terracotta bricks is still visible today.

The inside of the building has one single aisle, flanked by six elevated recesses on each side. In the past each recess had an altar, frescos and plaster decorations, which are now gone because of the state of neglect in which the church has been throughout its history and because of the damages caused by World War II.

In 1973 the municipality of Argenta entered into an agreement with the Archiepiscopal Curia of Ravenna to make the church into a public building, in order to save all the masterpieces that were not ruined by the April 1945 bombings and make them available to the public.

The Civic Picture Gallery hosts canvases, altarpieces and sculptures that range from the 15th to the 18th century, with works of Scarsellino, Benvenuto Tisi da Garofalo and Francesco Longhi.

The archeological section is dedicated to the recent discoveries in and around Argenta. The archeological finds cover a period of time that goes from the 6th century to the 17th century, ranging from the Late Middle Ages area around the Pieve di San Giorgio, to the lakeside settlement of Palmanova and the graffito Renaissance ceramics of the town centre workshops. Among the most significant object there are an ostrogothic clasp and the mosaic floor of the Pieve's apsis; metal and wood objects, ceramics and glass related to the trading on the Primaro river.