The National Archaeological Museum “Vincenzo Laviola” of Amendolara offers visitors a fascinating journey into the deepest roots of this area of the Upper Ionian coast of Calabria. It is named after Vincenzo Laviola, a physician and scholar who devoted much of his life to local antiquities, becoming a point of reference for the entire community. The museum itinerary reveals the complexity of a society in transformation, blending local elements and Greek influences in a continuous dialogue between different cultures.

The earliest artefacts preserved in the museum date back to the Bronze and Iron Ages (15th–8th centuries BC): fragments of pottery, metal tools, and ornaments that bear witness to the life of the indigenous communities that inhabited these lands before the arrival of the Greeks in the Plain of Sybaris at the end of the 8th century BC. These objects offer a glimpse into the earliest phases of human settlement and everyday activities, such as metalworking and weaving.

During the Archaic period (7th–6th centuries BC), the territory of Amendolara was occupied by a community in direct contact with the nearby Greek colony of Sybaris, as evidenced by the materials found in the burials of the two necropolises at Paladino and Mangosa. These include locally produced pottery and imported Greek ceramics, as well as jewelry and weapons. Slightly later in date are the finds from the Archaic settlement of San Nicola (6th century BC), where remains of houses, temples, and everyday objects have come to light, attesting to the contacts and exchanges between this community and the Ionian colonies of Magna Graecia.

The museum itinerary also includes evidence from later periods: Roman, Byzantine, and medieval artefacts complete the historical and cultural picture, illustrating the long continuity of life in the territory of Amendolara, preserved down to the present day thanks to the dedication of Vincenzo Laviola and the local community.