The MAC, Archaeological Museum of Colfiorito is made of three levels and consists of two pre-existing masonry buildings, belonging to the infirmary of the former Colfiorito internment camp, and one new central body made of steel and glass, realised with European funds: the latest is the result of an active collaboration between the Municipality of Foligno and the Superintendence of Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Umbria.
Thanks to a detailed chronological and thematic itinerary, the archaeological exhibition illustrates the civilization of the Plestini, an Umbrian people (documented by literary and epigraphic testimonies) who settled on the karst plains of the Apennine plateau of Colfiorito and on the shores of an ancient lake dried up in the fifteenth century.
About 1450 artifacts tell us about the Plestine civilization from its origins (9th century BC) to Romanization and the early Middle Ages. They also tell about the inclusion of Plestia, thanks to its favourable position between the Tyrrhenian and the Adriatic, within a wide range of cultural exchanges between Etruria, Magna Grecia and Grecia. Among the materials of the Archaic period, we highlight those coming from sanctuaries, religious and commercial centres spread throughout the territory, among which the sanctuary of the goddess Cupra.
Very rich funerary objects witness a high degree of well-being and a developed political-social organization. With the Romanization, the Plestine territory (second half IV-III BC) saw the consolidation of the town of Plestia downstream and the birth of important rustic villas.