The State Archaeological Museum of Ascoli Piceno was founded in 1981. It received the legacy of the Civic Archaeological Museum established at the end of the 17th century thanks to the bequeath of the Monsignor Alessandro Maria Odoardi from Ascoli and bishop of Perugia. The civic collection grew considerably in the second half of the 19th century thanks to some donations, and above all to the intense activity of Giulio Gabrielli. The latter was commissioned by the municipality of Ascoli to build up the city collections, and sifted the entire surrounding Ascoli territory and the nearby province of Teramo in search of evidence regarding the ancient inhabitants. These numerous finds can be dated back between the Palaeolithic and late antiquity, and were added to the collection gathered during the archaeological excavations coordinated by the former institution of Superintendency for Archaeological Heritage in the 20th century.

The Museum is today divided into three sections that occupy the three levels of the Renaissance Palazzo Panichi, which was built at the beginning of the 16th century by incorporating older buildings. The Palazzo occupies part of the northern side of the central Piazza Arringo, and it is strictly linked to the main buildings of the city: the Cathedral, the Baptistery, and the Palazzo dell’Arengo.

The visit starts with the prehistoric collection from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age on the second floor of the Palazzo (in preparation); it goes on to the Picene section on the main floor; it ends on the ground floor with remains from Roman times.