Agostino Pepoli Regional Museum

The Pepoli Museum is exactly what you hope a good regional museum will be: a mix of local history, religious art, oddities, and a few delightful surprises, all housed in a former Carmelite monastery with a beautiful cloister and grand staircases that are nearly as interesting as the exhibits. The collection is eclectic but engaging. You get everything from medieval and Renaissance Madonna-and-Child paintings (including a couple that lean surprisingly racy for their era) to extravagant coral carvings, historic maps of Trapani, and even a full wooden guillotine casually occupying its own room. There’s also an ornate 18th-century carriage that looks ready to roll into a period film. My personal highlight was a sculpture I immediately nicknamed “Heisman Jesus”—an alabaster Madonna and Child in which the young Christ strikes a pose that’s one stiff-arm away from a college football trophy. Intentional or not, it’s memorable. The museum is not high-gloss or heavily curated, but it has a lot of heart, plenty of local flavor, and more variety than you’d expect. And since the day we visited happened to be free admission, it felt like an especially good find. If you’re already in Trapani and enjoy art, history, or just wandering atmospheric old buildings, it’s absolutely worth an hour or two.

The jewelry collection and the stone staircase were pretty impressive! The museum is enormous, historical art collection, ceramic, costumes, not to mention the guillotine with a basket to catch the head! All very impressive and the temperature was cooler.

Though not too popular among guide books, highly recommend this museum. It houses a lot of fine arts and historical items.

Great regional museum. Worth a look for the coral works and nativity cribs. Very good painting collection. €6 entry (2023).

Cannot believe we had the museum to ourselves. Very interesting collection in a stunning building and well worth a walk from the port area

A stunning museum in such a beautiful environment, the ex-convent of the Carmelites, placed side by side to the Santuario dell'Annunziata (Sanctuary of our Lady of Annunciation) known also as Madonna di Trapani. The rich patrimonium of the museum is originated from 3 private collections (Fardella, Pepoli and Hernandez') . There are very important manufactures of the Malophoros shrine in Selinunte and other referring to the Phoenician culture coming from the escavation of Mothya, Birgi and Lilibeo. Incredible amphora with its lid and gymn scenes painted dated back to VI Century A. C. This is "black figures" whereas among those with red paintings the most relevant is the Crater decorated with a design of a Dionisiac dance. Important archeological finds coming from First Punic War are also present. The museum preserves also hundreds of pieces that testimony one of the most important activities of Trapani, the art of coral, know abd esteemed all over the world. Definitely a must stop museum.

Very well equipped museum

Liked it a lot. Great exhibition, however some notes in English would not hurt. Unfortunately whole place seemed to need better maintenance but a very positive experience in general. You'd need a lot of time to see it all.