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Libarna

Libarna's Roman ruins near Serravalle Scrivia, a trading town that thrived on the Via Postumia.

  • Alessandria
  • Archaeological site
Plan your visit
Where
Alessandria
Best for
Roman amphitheater and theater
Allow
1 hour

Ligurian Dectunini tribespeople founded Libarna in the second century BC, and its fortunes rose sharply after 148 BC, when the new Via Postumia routed trade directly through the settlement, turning it into a substantial commercial and administrative center.

The city gained Latin citizenship in the first century AD, prospering enough to build an amphitheater, forum, theater, public baths and residential quarters whose remains are unusually legible today. Barbarian invasions ended Libarna's independent life in 452, when its remaining inhabitants relocated to the nearby communities of Serravalle and Arquata Scrivia rather than rebuild, leaving the site to be reclaimed gradually by the countryside. The Turin Museum of Antiquities holds many of the best-preserved artifacts, while a modest on-site museum at Serravalle Scrivia doubles as a venue for local musical and artistic events.

Four things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

  1. The amphitheaterRoman, 1st century AD

    The decumanus led straight to it, and the oval is one of the clearest pieces of the ancient town.Northeast end of the decumanus

  2. The theaterRoman

    A theater built near the town’s northern limit, part of the public buildings that made Libarna a proper colony.Northern edge of the town

  3. The Via Postumia and the decumanusRoman road, 148 BC

    The Via Postumia ran northwest to southeast, and the decumanus crossed it toward the amphitheater, so you can read the street grid.Through the heart of the town

  4. The two residential quartersRoman

    Two city blocks of about sixty by sixty-five meters have been uncovered, showing where people lived.Near the amphitheater

Plan your visit

Everything you need before you go.

Booking
No booking needed
Time needed
1 hour
Best time
A weekday morning in spring or autumn, when the site is quietest
Getting there
In Serravalle Scrivia, in the Province of Alessandria, a short walk from the town's train station on the Genoa-Milan line.

Check the on-site museum's event calendar before visiting: the small venue occasionally hosts concerts among the ruins, an unusual way to experience the amphitheater.

Official website
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Good to know

How long should you spend at Libarna?

About an hour is enough for the amphitheater, the theater and the streets. The site is open-air and compact. Add a little time for the small on-site museum.

Is Libarna worth visiting?

Yes, if you like Roman ruins without the crowds. It was a busy trading town on the Via Postumia, and its amphitheater, theater and street plan are unusually legible. Entry is easy from the station at Serravalle Scrivia.

Where are the best finds from Libarna?

Mostly in the Museum of Antiquities in Turin, which holds the mosaic floors, marble statues, bronze busts and figured amber. On site you get the ruins and a small museum. Pair the two if you are also visiting Turin.

More to see nearby

Same city first, then the nearest across the region.

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